IT IS INEVITABLE that the more time passes, the more anniversaries there will be to celebrate. Some, like Bentley’s 100th this year are highly significant; others, like Honda’s 50th are a surprise.
It just doesn’t seem possible that Honda has been around for that long. On the other hand, the first Honda car to go on sale locally, the Honda S600 sports car, was released in Australia in 1965 – 54 years ago – so maybe a significant date passed them by unnoticed. We’re actually wondering what 50th anniversary we’re acknowledging; the S360 sports, S500 sports and T360 small pickup were all displayed at the 1962 Tokyo motor show; the S600 sports car launched in March 1964; Honda entered four Grands Prix in 1964 (best result was 13th at the German GP); and as we previously noted, the S600 and S600 Coupe hit Australian showrooms in 1965; the same year, Honda won the Mexico Grand Prix (driver Richie Ginther); in 1966, Honda released the N360 micro car, followed by the N600 in 1968 and the 1300 (all were sold in Australia, the 1300 only as a coupe, the Coupe 7 or Coupe 9); and finally, the first really successful Honda car was the Civic, launched to considerable acclaim in 1972.
But we’ll forgive Honda for the dodgy arithmetic** (see below).
As is so often the case when an anniversary pops up, Honda is commemorating the milestone with five limited edition models – Jazz, Civic hatch, Civic sedan, HR-V and CR-V.
“The 50 Years Edition range celebrates an important milestone for the Honda brand in Australia,” said Honda Australia General Manager – Product, Customer & Communications, Mr. Robert Thorp.
“While the one-off gold collection of our hero performance products wasn’t available for customers to purchase, the 50 Years Edition range is firmly focused on the most popular models in Honda’s vehicle line-up, ensuring all new car buyers have a chance to be part of the celebrations.
“We wanted to make these special limited-edition models available to as many customers as possible, so whether it’s the multi-talented Jazz, stylish Civic, versatile HR-V or family-friendly CR-V, there really is something for everybody in the 50 Years Edition range.”
Each 50 Years Edition model is a different package, but all are equipped with style and convenience features, typically only available on upper-level grades. All get the 50 Years Edition badge, but more importantly, here’s the list of useful inclusions.
The CR-V delivers $3,790 (Honda’s pricing) of additional value for a price increase of just $1,400 over the regular VTi model:
- 18-inch alloy wheels
- Rear privacy glass
- LaneWatch blind spot monitoring system
- Front and rear parking sensors
- Available paint colours: Passion Red (pearlescent), Platinum White (pearlescent), Lunar Silver (metallic) and Modern Steel (metallic)
Side steps on the HR-V
The HR-V delivers $2,700 of additional value for a price increase of just $1,425 over the regular VTi model:
- 17-inch alloy wheels
- Side steps
- Rear parking sensors
- Alloy sports pedals
- Piano black mirror caps
- Available paint colours: Passion Red (pearlescent), Platinum White (pearlescent), Lunar Silver (metallic) and Modern Steel (metallic)
The Civic sedan delivers $2,870 of additional value for a price increase of just $1,500 over the regular VTi model:
- 16-inch alloy wheels in a new dark grey finish
- Rear parking sensors
- Piano black grille
- Piano black mirror caps
- Piano black ducktail spoiler
- Available paint colours: Rally Red (flat paint), Platinum White (pearlescent), Lunar Silver (metallic) and Modern Steel (metallic)
The Civic hatch delivers $2,290 of additional value for a price increase of just $1,500 over the regular VTi model:
- 16-inch alloy wheels
- Front fog lights
- Rear parking sensors
- Piano black mirror caps
- Available paint colours: Rally Red (flat paint) Platinum White (pearlescent), Lunar Silver (metallic) and Modern Steel (metallic)
The Jazz delivers $2,125 of additional value for a price increase of just $1,000 over the regular VTi model:
- 16-inch alloy wheels in a jet black finish
- Unique crossover-style wheelarches
- Unique side skirts with piano black highlights
- Piano black mirror caps
- Available paint colours: Rally Red (flat paint), Platinum White (pearlescent), Phoenix Orange (pearlescent) and Modern Steel (metallic)
50 Years Edition – Pricing
| Model | VTi (Drive Away Price $) |
50 Years Edition (Drive Away Price $) |
Price Premium ($) | Additional Value ($) |
| Jazz ^ | 18,990 | 19,990 | 1,000 | 2,125 |
| Civic 5D ^ | 24,990 | 26,490 | 1,500 | 2,290 |
| Civic 4D ^ | 24,990 | 26,490 | 1,500 | 2,870 |
| HR-V * | 27,565 | 28,990 | 1,425 | 2,700 |
| CR-V * | 33,590 | 34,990 | 1,400 | 3,790 |
^ National drive away price for flat paint only, metallic/pearlescent paint additional cost
* National drive away price includes metallic/pearlescent paint
** Honda Australia has explained that the 50th anniversary is, indeed, legitimate. From his flat in South Yarra (Melbourne) in 1969 (and so 50 years ago this year) Hidehiko Shiomi established Honda Australia, a Honda subsidiary set up primarily to sell motor vehicles. Since then, Honda has sold more than five million products Australia-wide and won more than 50 local awards, including six Wheels Car of the Year awards. From the mid-50s until 1969, Honda products were imported into and distributed in Australia by a variety of private companies, most notable among them being Bennett Honda.