A Honda Accord 2.2 EXi sedan, as seen in Beijing in the summer of 2016. The Honda looked great in dark green, with slightly tinted windows, the original wheel covers, and the iconic black license plates.
The fifth-generation Honda Accord sedan (CD5) was produced from 1993 to 1997 with a facelift in 1995. The car we have here is a post-facelift example. It was available as a four-door sedan, a five-door station wagon, and a two-door coupe. The Accord had a modern and streamlined design with a small grille and a short rear deck.
The 5th generation Accord was not officially made or even sold in China, but there was unofficial import and illegal CKD production by at least two companies (this one and this one) under the infamous Guangdong scheme. Official production in China started with the sixth-generation Accord at Guangzhou-Honda.
The EXi was the top trim level. The interior came with cushy beige leather and wood trim. The audio system had a cassette player and a CD player. The interior of the car that I saw seemed well-preserved but the colors of the leather had faded a little bit.
The fifth-generation Honda Accord was available with a wide range of engines. The smallest was a 1.8 and the largest was a 2.7-liter V6. The most common engine was the 2.2-liter four-cylinder, like the one we have here. It had an output of 130 hp and 188 Nm. The gearbox in the EXi model was a four-speed automatic, sending horses to the front wheels.
The black license plates were issued to foreign-owned companies from the 1980s to the mid-00s. These companies could buy a car locally or import one. There were no limits on the number of cars or on price or on the engine type. The numbering started at A·00001 and then up. So the lower the number the older the car. Each province and municipality had its own black-license plate program. This Honda Accord has 京A·14606, so that’s quite an early car.