Happy 50th Honda Accord - America's best-selling car over the last five decades, according to the automaker. What a successful 50 years it's been, too, with Honda expecting the Accord to reach 15 million cumulative U.S. sales by the end of June. It's success Honda attributes to the award-winning sedan's value, performance and efficiency.
"Reaching 50 years as America's bestselling car is a powerful testament to Accord's fun-to-drive spirit, quality and value," said Lance Woelfer, vice president of Auto Sales at American Honda Motor Co., Inc. "Built by American associates for generations, Accord reflects Honda's longstanding commitment to building close to our customers. As we look ahead, Accord will continue to evolve, while staying true to the principles that have defined its success for half a century."
The Accord - a name derived from Honda's efforts to use advanced technology to achieve "accord" between people, society and the automobile - arrived in 1976 at a pivotal decade in the U.S. auto industry. A shift in the passenger car market was occurring based on consumers who wanted cleaner, more economical family cars that were fuel efficient. The market shift took place due to new U.S. new emissions regulations enacted from the 1970 U.S. Clean Air Act as well as the mid-70s oil crisis which sent gas prices soaring.
First Honda rolled out the Honda Civic economy model in 1973. For a number of reasons, plans for a full-scale compact car were scrapped until several years later. The Honda Accord arrived in '76 as a three-door hatchback morphed into a midsize sedan in its 4th generation.
Since being introduced, the Accord has racked up an impressive trophy case of awards. In fact Honda says the Accord is the most awarded vehicle in Car and Driver 10Best history, named to the list a record 40 times, including the last 28 years in a row.
Today, the midsize sedan is in its 11th generation and Honda says the sedan is America's most popular midsize car with Millennial, Gen Z, first-time and multicultural buyers.
Honda attributes a big part of the Accord's success to the high level of value it delivers to customers. Today, Honda says a new Accord is less expensive than the average used vehicle - with the average transaction price of a new turbocharged 2026 Accord below the industry average for a used vehicle in America.
Honda also says the Accord currently makes up 25% of all retail midsize car purchases in America and more than 50% of Accord sales over the past three years have been electrified hybrids.
The 2026 Accord is available in six trim levels, starting with the turbocharged LX and SE, and topped by the hybrid-electric powered Sport, EX-L, Sport-L and Touring. All are equipped with Honda sensing which helped it earn an IIHS Top SAFETY PICK award. 2026 updates include more standard tech features, including a larger and easy-to-use color touchscreen, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility, and a wireless phone charger.
Honda Accord Manufacturing
The Accord also earns the distinction of being the first Honda model and first vehicle from a Japanese automaker to be built in America, something Honda says was based on its commitment to build products close to the customer. The vast majority of Accords – over 13 million – have been produced at the company's plant in Marysville, Ohio, using both domestic and globally sourced parts.
Honda says since it began U.S. automobile manufacturing at the Marysville Auto Plant on November 1, 1982, Accord has been in continuous production in Ohio for 44 years, joining Honda plants across North America in East Liberty, Ohio; Birmingham, Alabama; Alliston, Ontario, Canada; and in El Salto, Jalisco, Mexico, as Honda production facilities that have combined to produce more than 13.5 million Accords. Accord was also the first U.S.-made automobile from a Japanese automaker exported overseas, beginning with the shipment of Ohio-made Accords to Taiwan in 1987, followed by the landmark export of the U.S.-made Accord Coupe to Japan in March 1988.
Key Accord Milestones
