oichiro Hondas dreams. From this point on, the Hondacompany was a huge success and moneymaker, eventually entering the car marketin the early 1960s. (History of Honda) Honda took the car market by storm. Everyone who had at one time owneda Honda bike now wanted one of their cars. The new cars by Honda were unlikeanything else on the market. It was called the N360 minicar, (History of Honda)and it employed the revolutionary concept of front wheel drive. This was goodbecause it eliminated the heavy, bulky driveshaft to the rear wheels. When, in the early 1970s, the US first came up with the Clean Air Act, manycar companies thought that it would be impossible to meet the 1975 deadline. Hondas engineers worked day and night to come up with the amazing CVCCengine by 1971. This engine was the first in the world to meet the 1975 regulations,and also without the use of a catalytic converter, which at the time would haveseverely cut down on engine performance (History of Honda).7This is one the reasons that Honda became so famous. It was always onestep ahead of the rest of the world in engine technology. Another prime example ofthis is in 1990 when Honda introduced the concept of VTEC (variable valve timing)to the world with the introduction of the NSX. This technology allows an engine toproduce clean emissions, but also have excellent performance. (The NSX wasproduced and marketed under the Acura moniker. Acura was introduced in themid-1980s as a premium Honda that could compete with traditional sport/luxurymarquees such as Mercedes-Benz and BMW, and the up-and-coming Lexus brandput out by Toyota.) Another reason that Honda has attained its reputation is because its carshave always managed to turn the automotive world on its ear. In the 70s, when aneconomy car ment languid performance and spotty build quality, Honda releasedthe tiny Civic, and changed the definition of what a small car should be. Of course,it was small, ligh...
