The Honda Civic (Japanese: ホンダ・シビック, Hepburn: Honda Shibikku) is a series of automobiles manufactured by Honda since 1972. Since 2000, the Civic has been categorized as a compact car, while previously it occupied the subcompact class. As of 2021[update], the Civic is positioned between the Honda Fit/City and Honda Accord in Honda's global car line-up. The first-generation Civic was introduced in July 1972 as a two-door coupe model, followed by a three-door hatchback that September. With a 1,169 cc transverse engine and front-wheel drive like the British Mini, the car provided good interior space despite overall small 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 Type R, Civic VTi, Civic GTi and Civic SiR/Si. The Civic has been repeatedly rebadged for international markets, and served as the basis for the Honda CR-X, the Honda CR-X del Sol, the Concerto, the first generation Prelude, the Civic Shuttle (later to become the Orthia) and the CR-V (which, by extension, was used as the basis for the Honda FR-V). The Civic is one of the all-time best-selling automobiles in the world, with over 27 million units sold since 1972 as of 2021.
