In 1997 the five-passenger compact utility vehicle was introduced in North America. At first it was available only as a four-wheel drive model. It was powered by a 126-horsepower 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine. Honda first began producing the CR-V in Sayama, Japan, and Swindon, UK, for worldwide markets. It added North American manufacturing sites in East Liberty, Ohio, in 2007; El Salto, Jalisco, Mexico, in late 2007; and Alliston, Ontario, Canada, in 2012. 