The North American eighth generation Honda Accord is a mid-size car introduced in August 2007 for the 2008 model year. It is also marketed in parts of Asia and Australasia, and as the Honda Inspire in Japan.

The size of the 2008 Accord has been increased by in length and in width. As a result, the interior space is also enlarged: an Accord sedan is considered a nearly executive car by EPA standards, having a combined interior space of . The Accord coupe is classified as a mid-size car, as it has a combined interior space of .

2007 Accord Coupe Concept The Honda Accord Coupe concept car was unveiled at the 2007 North American International Auto Show. It previewed the production 2-door model with i-VTEC VCM V6 engine and Advanced Compatibility Engineering body structure.

A hybrid version would no longer be offered, as Honda felt their "hybrid system works better on smaller cars".

The production sedan and coupe were unveiled on August 21, 2007. Sales of US models began on September 12, 2007, for the sedan, and on September 20, 2007, for the coupe.

HF-S concept At the 2007 SEMA Show, Honda unveiled a concept Accord coupe showcasing Honda Factory Performance products.

North America production and marketing The North American Honda Accord is sold alongside its platform-mates that are under the Acura luxury marque, the smaller Japanese/European Accord which is badge engineered as the second-generation Acura TSX, and the fourth-generation Acura TL.

A crossover fastback variant of the North American Honda Accord was sold as the Accord Crosstour for the 2010-11 model years, and then spun off into its own separate line as the Crosstour for the 2012-15 model years.

Trim levels In Canada, for the 2008-10 model years, the sedan trims consist of the LX, EX, EX-L, EX-L with Navigation, EX-V6, EX-L V6, and EX-L V6 with Navigation, while coupes have the EX, EX-L, EX-L with Navigation, and EX-L V6 with Navigation. The LX is powered by a 2.4L DOHC i-VTEC inline-4 engine making 177 hp mated to either a five-speed manual transmission or five-speed automatic transmission, and is equipped with anti-lock brakes with brake assist and electronic brake force distribution, electronic stability control, front and rear disc brakes, air conditioning, keyless entry, power windows, power locks, and cruise control as standard features, while also having body-colored door handles and mirrors. The EX includes a more powerful version of the inline-4 engine with 190 hp, power moonroof, 17-inch alloy wheels, 8-way power adjustable driver's seat, security system, and a 6-disc CD changer. EX-L denotes Accords with leather upholstery, XM satellite radio, and an optional navigation system and hands-free Bluetooth interface. V6 models have a 3.5 liter 268 hp i-VTEC V6 engine with VCM mated to a five-speed automatic transmission, chrome handles, dual exhaust pipes, and fog lamps. V6 coupes have 18-inch alloy rims and a rear lip spoiler. V6 coupes with the optional six-speed close ratio manual transmission used the non-VCM VTEC variant of the J35 engine.

The United States include all the trims found in Canada, while also offering the LX-P (Premium) sedan, which adds illuminated power window switches, an 8-way power driver's seat, security alarm, and 16-inch alloy wheels, and the LX-S (Sport) coupe, which replaces the 177 hp engine with a 190 hp, 17-inch alloy wheels, and a 6-disc CD changer.

In the United States, PZEV (Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle) configurations are available for all 4-cylinder engines and V6 i-VTEC VCM engines with 5-speed automatic transmission. PZEV engines include 2 modes of exhaust valve operation. At Below 2,500 rpm, only 1 exhaust valve operates, creating a strong rotational flow in the exhaust gases that creates a "thermal reactor" effect to reduce hydrocarbon emissions. Above 2,500 rpm where exhaust flow increases, a hydraulically actuated pin locks the rockers for both exhaust valves together so they operate in unison, following a single cam profile. Due to a smaller profit margin on a PZEV for the manufacturer, Honda only offered them in 15 states: California, Florida, Vermont, Connecticut, Arizona, Maryland, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, New York, Oregon, Maine, New Jersey, Rhode Island, New Mexico and Washington.

2011 update Both the Accord sedan and coupe received a facelift for the 2011 model year. Both cars feature new front fascias and updated tail lamps. The sedan features the reflective strips seen on the Japanese Honda Inspire. Inside, Honda has added steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters to the EX-L V6 Coupe, and USB connectivity for all coupe models and EX/EX-L sedans. A rearview camera is now standard with the available navigation system on the sedan. EX-L V6 models gain memory seats and all models get new cloth seats and some minor instrument panel and control modifications. In Canada a SE trim replaced the LX as the entry-level trim but was largely similar save for 16-inch alloy wheels. In the United States, a SE trim was slotted between the LX-P and EX, with the SE being largely similar to the LX-P but adding leather upholstery. New improved aerodynamics and a reworked five-speed automatic transmission help the Accord achieve 23 mpg (city) and 34 mpg (hwy).

Production (United States) The North American 4-cylinder and V6 Accords were first assembled in Honda's Marysville Auto Plant in Marysville, Ohio. With the eighth generation, this plant became the sole global source of the Accord coupe. Beginning in mid-2009, the majority of the V6 Accord sedan production was moved to the Honda auto plant in Lincoln, Alabama. Honda's Anna, Ohio, Engine Plant produces the 4-cylinder engines. The US plants supply the majority of Accords to both North and South America.

Global production and marketing

A right-hand-drive variant of the North American Accord model is sold as the fifth-generation Honda Inspire in Japan. In South Korea, the model was imported from Japan and success of the North American Accord pushed Honda ahead of BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Lexus, to become the number one import brand as sales of Honda vehicles surged 95% in the first seven months in that year.

Variants of the North American Accord models are manufactured for the domestic markets in China and Taiwan, with Guangzhou Honda (renamed Guangqi Honda in 2009) producing it since 2007.

The North American Accord model is also assembled in Thailand for sale in Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand. Since the North American Accord is sold alongside the Japanese-built Accord (European-spec) in the Australian and New Zealand markets under the same marque (as opposed to in Canada and the United States where the Euro-spec Accord is sold as the Acura TSX), the smaller of the two cars is badged as the Accord Euro, while in New Zealand only the V6-powered version of the North American Accord was available so it got badged as the Accord V6.

Honda entered a strategic collaboration with Proton of Malaysia in October 2012 as part of Japan's Abenomics plan. The result of the collaboration was the Proton Perdana, a rebadged eighth generation Honda Accord which launched on 11 December 2013, for exclusive sale to the Malaysian government and civil servants. It serves as the replacement to the ageing Mitsubishi Galant-based Proton Perdana V6 fleet in use since the 1990s.

The eighth generation of the Honda Accord went on sale in Middle Eastern markets in November 2007 as a 2008 model year vehicle; specifically, Honda officially launched the 8th generation Accord for the GCC market at a Dubai event on November 6, 2007, with Saudi Arabia releases by Abdullah Hashim Company Ltd. happening concurrently, offered with both a 2.4-liter engine and a 3.5-liter V6 engine option.

Mechanical

Engines ModelYearsType/codePower, torque at rpmAccord LX/LX-P Sedan2008-2012 DOHC i-VTEC I4 (K24Z2) at 6,500, at 4,300Accord EX/EX-L Sedan, LX-S/EX/EX-L Coupe2008-2012 DOHC i-VTEC I4 (K24Z3) at 7,000, at 4,400Accord EX/EX-L V6 Sedan/Coupe 5AT2008- SOHC i-VTEC VCM V6 (J35Z2) at 6,200, at 5,000Accord EX/EX-L V6 Sedan/Coupe 5AT2008- SOHC i-VTEC VCM V6 (J35Z2) at 6,200, at 5,000Accord EX-L V6 Coupe 6MT2008- SOHC VTEC V6 (J35Z3) at 6,200, at 5,000Accord EX-L V6 Coupe 6MT2008- SOHC VTEC V6 (J35Z3) at 6,200, at 5,000

The V6 i-VTEC VCM engines feature improved fuel efficiency due to the Variable Cylinder Management (VCM) system, which shuts off two or three of the cylinders depending on the type of driving (i.e. city driving, uphill/downhill driving, highway driving). Engines lacking VCM results in a decrease of 4 MPG in highway fuel economy.

The V6 engines were re-rated in 2009 model year.

Transmissions ModelYearsTypeAccord LX/LX-P Sedan2007-5-speed manual, 5-speed automaticAccord EX/EX-L Sedan, LX-S/EX/EX-L Coupe2007-5-speed manual, 5-speed automaticAccord EX/EX-L V6 Sedan2007-5-speed automaticAccord EX-L V6 Coupe2007-6-speed manual, 5-speed automatic

Chassis The North American Accord uses the CP2 chassis code for the 2.4-liter 4-cylinder sedan and CS1 for the 4-cylinder coupe. CP3 is for the V6 sedan and CS2 is for the V6 coupe. CP1 is for the 2.0-liter 4-cylinder sedan in the Chinese and Brazilian markets.

Safety The Accord comes standard with a wide range of safety features carried over from earlier model years including dual stage, dual threshold front airbags, side impact airbags, side curtain airbags, and seat belts with front pretensioners and load limiters.

The Accord standard safety updates for the 2008 model year include vehicle stability assist (VSA) and traction control, anti-lock brakes with brake assist and electronic brake force distribution, tire pressure monitoring system, active front head restraints, new dual chamber side impact airbags, and the ACE Body Structure for all models. The Accord is the first mid-size car in its class to include stability and traction control as standard equipment across the lineup.

IIHS In Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) tests the Accord sedan received the top "Good" rating in 13 of 14 measured categories, while receiving an "Acceptable" rating in the structure/safety cage category of the side impact test, earning it a "Top Safety Pick" designation from the IIHS, an honor not bestowed upon most of the Accord's competitors. The Accord lost this award due to its "Acceptable" score in roof strength evaluations. 2012 models have been given the Top Safety Pick award back with its "Good" rating in the roof strength test.

In an IIHS study of vehicle fatalities, the Accord was found to have the lowest vehicle fatality rate in the non-luxury midsize sedan class. Among luxury midsize sedan class models only the Saab 9-3 had a lower fatality rate.

+IIHS sedan scores:Moderate overlap frontal offsetGoodSide impactGoodRoof strengthAcceptable (2008-11 models)Roof strengthGood (2012 models)

NHTSA +NHTSA 2009 Accord sedan:Frontal Driver:Frontal Passenger:Side Driver:Side Passenger:Side Rear Passenger:Rollover:

+NHTSA 2011 Accord sedan:Overall:Frontal Driver:Frontal Passenger:Side Driver:Side Passenger:Side Pole Driver:Rollover:

Brake wear class action lawsuit In September 2009, a class action was filed alleging that "the braking system on 2008, 2009, and certain 2010 Honda Accord vehicles as well as 2009 and certain 2010 Acura TSX vehicles ... suffers from a defect that causes excessive force to be applied to the vehicles' rear wheels. One consequence of this defect is that the vehicles' rear brake pads wear out and require replacement about every 15,000 to 20,000 miles, far more frequently than in a properly functioning braking system." On April 6, 2010, a preliminary settlement to the class action was announced where Honda would reimburse owners for a portion of their prior brake repair expenses, and Honda would also pay up to $150 for owners to have redesigned brake pads installed. Final court approval of the settlement was granted on July 29, 2010.

Sudden Airbag Deployment Recall