1975 Honda Civic CVCC
1975 Civic. The introduction of the fuel-efficient Civic in 1973 paved the way for Honda’s entry into the U.S. auto industry. As America faced the first oil crisis in 1973 and the U.S. Clean Air Act tightened air emissions standards in 1975, Civic - with its groundbreaking CVCC engine technology - became both the first automobile to meet the Clean Air Act without the need for a catalytic converter (1974) and was ranked number one on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s first list of America’s most fuel efficient cars (1977).