The Honda N600s were the first official cars marketed and sold by the American Honda Corporation in North America. The N600 introduced Honda into the American automobile industry. Motorcycle builder Soichiro Honda incorporated the Honda Motor Company in Hamamatsu, Japan in 1948. In the 1960s, the company had a reputation for its motorcycles and would achieve recognition for their affordable, fuel-efficient cars. Honda first entered the U.S. car market with fifty N600s in 1969 which were initially sold in Hawaii, and a year later, in California. The vehicles were powered by a very small, two-cylinder engine designed like a motorcycle engine with power strokes at even intervals controlled by matching valve action. The N600 was also the first vehicle to use front wheel drive transmission. 

The N600 was only 10 feet 2 inches long, a substantial difference from some of the larger American vehicles like the Ford Torino which was over 17 feet long. Initially the N600 was exempted from U.S. emission standards, but in 1972 new emission standards would force Honda to make modifications to the N600 which would greatly affect the already underpowered engine by causing a decrease in power and fuel economy. By 1973, the N600 was no longer sold in the U.S. However, Honda realized the importance of the North American market and remained in the market by introducing the first-generation Honda Civic. The Civic contained a groundbreaking Compound Vortex Controlled Combustion (CVCC) engine that could burn less fuel and pass the strict emission standards of the new Clean Air Act. As a result, the car was a hit with American drivers frustrated by rising gasoline costs. The Civic would become a popular car in America and is still in production today.