Accord celebrates 50 as Honda weathers mid-life crisis

Posted by Talbot Payne on June 16, 2026

Honda's Accord 50th anniversary logo features, from left, the first-generation model, the fourth-generation iteration and the current, 11th-generation offering.

Honda’s Accord 50th anniversary logo features, from left, the first-generation model, the fourth-generation iteration and the current, 11th-generation offering.

Honda, Honda

“Reaching 50 years as America’s best-selling car is a powerful testament to Accord’s fun-to-drive spirit, quality and value,” said American Honda Vice president of Auto Sales Lance Woelfer. “Built by American associates for generations, Accord reflects Honda’s long-standing 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.”

Accord made history in 1989 as the first non-pickup-truck, import-brand vehicle to hit the top of the U.S. sales charts (displacing the Ford Escort). The next year, it sold 417,179 units — Accord’s high-water sales mark — part of a three-year run at No. 1. It would take the sales crown once more in 2001 with 414,718 sold, interrupting the sedan sales reign of the Taurus and Camry.

Since the SUV sales boom a decade ago (including the Honda CR-V, which has topped 400,000 annual sales the last two years), Accord buyers have steadily eroded to 150,196 in 2025.

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