Honda celebrates its 50 years in Canada!

This year, Honda celebrates its 50 years in Canada! During all these years, Honda has had the satisfaction of Canadians at heart by offering capable vehicles with incredible energy efficiency, while innovating in terms of in-vehicle technologies. It’s not by chance that Honda has become a thriving company that employs today over 19,000 people across the whole country, whether it be in its car plants or its dealerships, for example at Honda de Laval or elsewhere on the North Shore of Montreal!

Before your visit at a Honda dealer close to you in Montreal or in Laval, here is a summary of the beautiful adventure that is the history of Honda Canada, since now 5 decades!

1969

1969 is the year when Honda arrived in Canada, offering several mechanical components as well as motorcycles. It will, however, still take a few years to see the first Honda cars riding around on the country’s roads.

1970s

The first-ever Honda Civic gets released in Canada in 1973, while the oil crisis is in full swing. This compact car, powerful but with tremendous fuel economy, instantly seduces buyers from one end of the country to the other; the love story between Canadians and the Civic has now begun, with the well-known tremendous success it will achieve!

The following year, Honda launches its CVCC engine, the Civic thus becoming the first car to meet the standards of gas emission and this, without using a catalytic converter! Finally, the arrival of the all-new Honda Accord in 1976 gives its customers an alternative choice of model, for buyers who are looking for a vehicle with more room but still providing high energy efficiency.

1980s

Did you know that Honda was the very first Japanese manufacturer to establish a plant in Canada? Indeed, 1986 is when Honda inaugurated its first-ever plant in Canadian soil, in Alliston, Ontario. And the first model to roll of its assembly line was the Honda Accord.

Honda did not just settle for offering vehicles such as the Civic or the Accord; the arrival in 1987 of the Acura brand constitutes the first high-end foray of a Japanese manufacturer in the country. All the Honda expertise in a more luxurious range of vehicles: buyers lined up to get their hands on one of the models available!

This decade also sees the beginning of the Honda Civic 3-door model’s production at the Allison manufacture; the latter becoming the main supplier of this model for the whole North American continent!

1990s

If, in 1991, the launch of the millionth Honda vehicle on the country’s roads was celebrated, 1997 is when Honda Canada passes the mark of the first million vehicles produced in its Canadian plants! Buyers from one end of the country to the other have the Honda logo tattooed on their heart and the brand’s popularity continues to grow.

In 1998, Honda targets a completely different bracket of buyers with the arrival of the very first full-size minivan: the Honda Odyssey, which even today continues to be the delight of numerous Canadian families!

2000s

The dawn of the new millennium marks a turning point for Honda with the arrival of the Honda Insight, the very first gasoline-electric car to be introduced in the Canada market. Its success, first moderate, is now possible, as the car was recently relaunched with a brand-new design.

As for Honda SUVs, their popularity increases with the arrival of the Honda Pilot in 2002, and with the launch of the first-ever pickup truck to feature an integrated In-Bed Trunk, the Honda Ridgeline.

2010s

This decade was equally rich in development for Honda, which, in 2014, achieved its 4 millionth Honda vehicle sold in Canada, a proof of the love story between Canadians and the Japanese car manufacturer. The second half of the decade also sees the Accord named among the 10 best vehicles by Car&Driver for the 30th consecutive year, a record in the industry!

Honda puts every effort into not only remaining in tune with buyers but also keeping abreast of the market. And that’s why the Honda hybrid range appeared in Canada these last years in Honda garages, with models such as the CRZ, the Civic Hybrid, the Honda Clarity PHEV and, very recently, the Accord Hybrid. Offering solid performances while pushing energy efficiency even further, Honda hit a home run again with these models, which will undoubtedly meet with much success!

To find out more about the 2019-2020 Honda vehicle range, about our used models, our current Honda promotions or our various financing options, come see us at Honda de Laval close to the North Shore of Montreal!