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Honda Civic

automobile model series

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General referenceInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionSep 16, 2026
Entity authorityQ216747 ↗
Source-derived summary

The Honda Civic (Japanese: ホンダ・シビック, Hepburn: Honda Shibikku) is a series of automobiles manufactured by Honda since 1972. As of 2023, the Civic is positioned between the Honda Fit/City and Honda Accord in Honda's global passenger car line-up. It is one of the best-selling automobiles in history, with over 27 million units sold through 2021.

The first-generation Civic was introduced in July 1972 as a two-door fastback sedan, followed by a three-door hatchback that September. With a 1,169 cc transverse engine and front-wheel drive, the car provided good interior space despite its small overall dimensions. Initially gaining a reputation for being fuel-efficient, reliable and environmentally friendly, later iterations have become known for performance and sportiness, especially the Civic Si, SiR, and Type R versions. It is currently in its eleventh generation, which has been produced since 2021.

The Civic has often been rebadged for international markets, and it served as the basis for the Honda CR-X, the Honda CR-X del Sol, the Concerto, the first generation Prelude, the Civic Shuttle (which later became the Orthia) and the CR-V (which in turn was used as the basis for the Honda FR-V).

In active production since 1972, the Civic is Honda's longest running passenger car nameplate, followed by the larger Accord.

Background

After establishing itself in the 1950s as a motorcycle manufacturer, Honda began production of automobiles in 1963.

Editorial summary

This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Honda Civic” as automobile model series. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.

Editorial reviewA dependable orientation record for establishing vocabulary, names and a first evidence trail. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1972, 2023, 2021, 1963—that can be checked directly. The selected authority fields contribute no independent date. The account is most persuasive where Honda, Civic and automobile can be independently traced.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

The subject matters to the general reference register because the source frames it as automobile model series. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.

Evidence profile

The citation trail is more important than the brevity of the summary: it shows where individual claims can be examined in context. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 16, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q216747. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1972, 2023, 2021 and 1963.

Critical limits

The absence of detail may reflect summary conventions rather than a lack of surviving documentation. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.

Best used for
  • Subject orientation
  • Search vocabulary
  • Locating named sources
Verify next

The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Honda Civic”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Honda Civic primary sources, Honda Civic archive and Honda research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Honda Civic”?
  2. What terminology or title could unlock a more precise catalogue search?
  3. Which cited source is closest to the event, object or claim?
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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from “Honda Civic” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.