Honda counts 15 million cumulative Accord sales in America over 50 years, and the first car started at $3,995 in 1976. Each generation since has picked up its own milestone, from American assembly to turbocharging. Here are twelve Accords, covering all eleven generations with the first shown twice, each paired with a fact from Honda’s own releases.
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1. 1976 Honda Accord (first generation): The $3,995 Starting Point
Honda’s own Accord history from 1976 through 2008 describes the first Accord as a three-door hatchback with a 68-hp, 1.6-liter CVCC engine. It carried a price of $3,995 when it arrived for 1976, the figure named in this gallery’s headline.
In all, 18,333 Accords were sold that first year. That opening total is the baseline from which the nameplate grew toward the 15 million cumulative U.S. sales Honda counts today, one generation at a time.
2. 1982 Honda Accord (second generation): Made in Marysville
Honda’s Accord timeline and milestones notes that Marysville, Ohio began building Accords on Nov. 1, 1982. The release calls the car the first Japanese-nameplate vehicle produced in America.
That date moved Accord production onto American soil for the second generation. The milestone is one of the entries Honda lists in its own timeline, alongside the sales and awards that follow in later generations of the model. Honda’s timeline presents it as a production first rather than a design change, and the claim rests on that single Nov. 1 start date.
3. 1986 Honda Accord (third generation): America’s Best-Seller
Honda’s Accord 50th anniversary release lists a 1989 milestone in which the Accord toppled the domestics to become the best-selling car in America. The package also records that the one millionth Accord was built in 1988.
Both marks fall within the third generation, which began with the 1986 model. Taken together they show the Accord moving from import newcomer to a sales leader during the late 1980s, according to Honda’s own account.
4. 1990 Honda Accord (fourth generation): Midsize Grows Up
The fourth Accord grew to a 107.1-inch wheelbase, which moved it into the midsize class, according to Honda’s history of the Accord. The 2.2-liter four-cylinder provided up to 130 horsepower in EX trim.
A wagon body was added in 1991, widening the lineup beyond the sedan and coupe shapes. The wheelbase growth and the power figure are the two specifications Honda’s history highlights for this 1990 generation of the car. The release frames that size increase as the reason the car now sat in the midsize class.
5. 1994 Honda Accord (fifth generation): The First V6 Accord
Honda’s Accord history through 2008 records that the first V6 Accord arrived in 1995. Its 24-valve, 2.7-liter engine produced 170 horsepower.
The fifth-generation car also won Motor Trend’s 1994 Import Car honors, an award Honda cites for the model. Together the V6 arrival and the trophy mark this generation as a step up in power and recognition within the Accord story. Honda’s history places both details in its account of the fifth-generation car, and each is a specific entry in the release.
6. 1998 Honda Accord (sixth generation): California’s First SULEV
In 2000, the first Super Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle Accord was offered in California, per Honda’s Accord history from 1976. It was the EX sedan with the four-cylinder automatic transmission.
That makes the sixth generation’s headline milestone an emissions one rather than a power or size figure. Honda’s history presents the SULEV Accord as a California offering, tied to that single trim and drivetrain combination. The year, the trim and the transmission are all spelled out in the release, which keeps the claim narrow.
7. 2003 Honda Accord (seventh generation): Hybrid Arrives for 2005
Honda’s Accord 50th anniversary timeline lists 2005 as the year the first hybrid-powered Accord debuted. The same release credits the model with winning Car and Driver 10Best for the 20th time.
Both entries sit in the seventh-generation era that began with the 2003 model. The hybrid marked the first time the nameplate offered a gas-electric powertrain, while the 10Best count shows how long the car had been collecting that award. Honda lists both entries in the same anniversary release.
8. 2008 Honda Accord (eighth generation): Full-Size by EPA Standards
As Wikipedia’s Honda Accord article describes it, the eighth-generation sedan pushed from the mid-size range toward full-size. Honda enlarged it to full-size by EPA standards, and a 3.5-liter V6 made 272 bhp.
A Crosstour fastback followed for 2010, adding a different body style to the family. The growth in size is the defining change for this 2008 generation, which carried the nameplate across a classification line. The description comes from the encyclopedia article rather than a Honda release, so it reflects that page’s wording.
9. 2013 Honda Accord (ninth generation): Ito’s First Honda
According to Wikipedia’s Honda Accord entry, the ninth-generation sedan went on sale in the U.S. on Sept. 19, 2012. It was the first Honda fully developed under CEO Takanobu Ito.
The car is sold as the 2013 model, though the on-sale date came the previous September. The on-sale date and the executive’s name are the two specifics the article supplies for this generation. Ito’s role is the distinguishing claim the article makes for this generation of the Accord, setting it apart from the earlier cars in the gallery.
10. 2018 Honda Accord (tenth generation): Turbo and Ten Speeds
Honda’s Accord timeline and milestones marks 2018 as the year of the first turbo Accord, paired with a 10-speed automatic. The package adds that the tenth generation won North American Car of the Year and Motor Trend Car of the Year for 2018.
Two industry awards in the debut year give this generation an unusual double honor. The turbocharged engine is the milestone Honda’s own timeline singles out for the 2018 model.
11. 2023 Honda Accord (eleventh generation): Fifteen Million and Counting
Honda’s Accord 50th anniversary release says the Accord won Car and Driver 10Best for the 40th time in 2025. The same release marks 2026 as the year the Accord celebrates 50 years and 15 million cumulative U.S. sales.
That cumulative figure is the number behind this gallery’s headline. It belongs to the eleventh generation, the 2023 model, which is the current chapter in a run that began with the $3,995 hatchback.
12. 1979 Honda Accord sedan (first generation): A Sedan Joins the Hatchback
A sedan joined the hatchback in 1979, according to Honda’s Accord history from 1976 through 2008. The release says the sedan later debuted that year with a 1.8-liter engine and power steering.
That makes the sedan the second body style of the first generation, following the three-door hatchback that opened this gallery. The 1.8-liter engine and power steering are the two specifics the history lists for the new body. Honda’s account presents the sedan as an addition to the first-generation lineup rather than the start of a new generation, and the claim rests on that single 1979 date.
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