The 1986 Honda Accord kicked off the car’s third design generation with a sleek new look, larger dimensions and more power. The result was an Accord that managed to be both sportier and, in new top-line LXi trim, more luxurious. The same could be said for the entire Honda line, which was fast expanding to include nifty two-seat Civic-based coupes — mini sports cars called CRX — as well as an upscale compact and large sedan sold separately under a new brand name, Acura.
All this testified to Honda’s roaring success in North America. Indeed, the company would soon be making more money in the New World than it did in Japan. Yet despite the model proliferation, the Accord remained Honda’s chief moneymaker. Even the ’86s, for all their obvious changes, maintained the key attributes that made Accords so appealing to American consumers. The 1989 addition of notchback coupe models further enhanced Accord’s popularity.
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