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- A History of Absolute Value, Generation After Generation (Story)
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| A History of Absolute Value, Generation After Generation |
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| Looking at the six generations of Civics,–1999 marks the 27th anniversary of the Civic,– we can easily discern the presence of a unique and original concept. With each succeeding model year, the concept has been preserved and refined. In fact, each generation of the Civic has expressed its underlying philosophy in a different way, thanks to an impressive series of designs and technologies. For example, the third-generation “Wonder” Civic was popular for its revolutionary design, notably an extended roof. The fourth-generation “Grand” Civic adopted a high-output VTEC engine that incorporated a natural intake mechanism derived from F-1 racing. The fifth-generation “Sports” Civic achieved dramatic improvements in fuel economy through use of the VTEC-E engine, a refinement of the VTEC technology that debuted in the Grand Civic. The sixth-generation “Miracle” Civic adopted a CVT transmission system designed to absorb shock during gear shifts, thus providing smoother operation across the rev range. Over the years, Civic has earned a total of six Japan Car of the Year Awards (three consecutive years with the first generation and one each with the third, fifth and sixth generations). In 1995, the model’s worldwide cumulative production volume surpassed 10 million units. The car also was honored by the Ministry of International Trade and Industry in recognition of its innovative technology. Using the expression of some, the Civic has served as a “trend-setting car.” Twenty-seven years ago, Honda’s development engineers created a car by defying the conventional approach. Instead they gave their ideal a tangible form and shared that creation as a gift to the world. With the development of each successive model, those engineers have relived the joy and satisfaction that exist as a motivating force in Honda’s ongoing search for new technologies. At one time, the Civic was a product without a name. It was during this period that Iwakura received a phone call from Kiyohiko Okumoto, then manager of the Sales Promotion Division. Even to this day, Iwakura remembers it well. “We have come up with a name for the new car,” Okumoto said. “But I wanted to check with you, since you know the car more than anyone else. The name is ‘Civic.’” Iwakura shivered with excitement when he heard the name, for it was then that he knew their ideal had been conveyed. He was happy that the sales branch understood what the development engineers had tried to achieve. Thus, in retrospect, it is not surprising that Kizawa and Iwakura gave identical answers when asked to describe the Civic’s identity:
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