This vehicle is being liquidated at a wholesale value! , , The evolution of the Honda Civic closely parallels that of Honda itself as a car manufacturer. The first Civic, introduced in 1972, was a small, inexpensive hatchback that came along just in time for America's first fuel crisis. This entry-level car was quickly recognized as the benchmark in its class by journalists, the auto industry and, most of all, the buying public. Each subsequent generation of Civic raised the bar for compact cars, leading the way in performance, refinement and fuel economy. Base Civic engines were the first to meet California's Low-Emission Vehicle (LEV) standards, and Honda offers the industry's only Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) in its Civic HX coupe. The sixth-generation Civic, introduced in 1996, offers greatly increased interior space compared to the previous model, even though its exterior dimensions grew only slightly.