Honda Motor Company's CVCC engine

Honda Motor Company of Japan in a four-year period from 1968 to 1872 designed, tested, and mass-produced a stratified charge engine, the CVCC, which in comparison to conventional engines of similar output at the time was lower in CO, HC and NO/sub x/ emissions and higher in fuel economy. Honda developed the CVCC engine without government assistance or outside help. Honda's success came at a time when steadily increasing fuel costs and the various provisions of the Clean Air Act had forced US automakers to consider possible alternatives to the conventional gasoline engine. While most major engine manufacturers had investigated some form of stratified charge engine, Honda's CVCC was the only one to find successful market application. This case study examines the circumstances surrounding the development of the CVCC engine and its introduction into the Japanese and American markets.