March 2007 Sales: American Honda Motor Co.

[siegen]

March 2007 Sales: Honda Motor Co.

American Honda Motor Co., Inc., posted the third-best month in history with record March sales of 143,392 Honda and Acura vehicles, a 7.3 percent daily selling rate* increase compared to March, 2006, the company reported today.

March also saw record American Honda sales in both car and light-truck segments with car sales surpassing the March 1996 record of 80,117. Year-to-date American Honda total vehicle sales of 354,208 increased 3.3 percent.

"We are on track for another record year in 2007," said Dick Colliver, executive vice president of American Honda. "The continued sales success of Honda light trucks and cars in this period of ever-increasing fuel prices shows the high consumer awareness of our excellent fuel economy across the entire product line."

The Honda Division posted its best ever March with sales of 126,406 cars and light trucks, an increase of 9.5 percent over year-ago results. Record March Accord sales of 36,506 reflect an 18.8-percent increase.

CR-V sales of 19,658 rose 49.2 percent, helping the division post record March sales of 55,550 trucks, up 2.8 percent over year-ago results. The Pilot also posted record-March sales of 14,339, an increase of 6.6 percent over March, 2006.

Honda sold a total of 3,199 hybrid vehicles, including 2,813 Civic Hybrids and 385 Accord Hybrids, a combined increase of 6.7 percent over year-ago results.

The Acura Division posted strong March sales of 16,986, with record combined light truck sales of the completely redesigned and all new RDX SUV's. The TL luxury performance sedan was Acura's best-selling model with March sales of 5,769 while the TSX posted near-record sales of 3,232.

* Daily selling rate based on 28 selling days in March 2007 and 27 selling days in March 2006

Press Release

[siegen]

Honda sales are way up.

But Acura is still down slightly. I think they should have kept the RSX on board for one more year, it would have kept sales positive until new TL/TSX/RL/Coupe models arrive.

[Northstar]

CR-V sales of 19,658

It astounds me how many people buy CR-Vs simply because they have an H on them. It is not even close to being at the top of the class.

[siegen]

It astounds me how many people buy CR-Vs simply because they have an H on them. It is not even close to being at the top of the class.

New CR-V sales have been almost 50% higher every month than the previous model since its intro in October (that's 6 months in a row now). Honda must have really increased the size of the 'H' badge to pull that off, huh? :AH-HA_wink:

[I hope GMRULES again]

Honda has finally entered into the incentives game with the Accord and its working. YTD its up 15k.

[jbartley]

Honda sales are way up.

But Acura is still down slightly. I think they should have kept the RSX on board for one more year, it would have kept sales positive until new TL/TSX/RL/Coupe models arrive.

Acura sales down slightly? there are terrible! the TSX and TL sell decent numbers. Both are down, and the RL and RDX sales are so not what Honda probably had in mind.

[balthazar]

If acura's 6.8% decline is "slight", then honda's 5.0% increase is far from "way up".

I see the recent notable trend of honda shifting more and more production to overseas plants continues:

YTD~

domestic car : down 5.8%

domestic truck : down 1.7%

import car : up 27.6%

import truck : up 41.3%

[Cory Wolfe]

I see the recent notable trend of honda shifting more and more production to overseas plants continues:

YTD~

domestic car : down 5.8%

domestic truck : down 1.7%

import car : up 27.6%

import truck : up 41.3%

You keep repeating this, but have you ever taken into consideration that Honda has added the Japanese built Fit this past year. Eliminate it and suddenly import car sales are about the same as they were last year while the only domestic built Honda to have sales gains is the Accord. Obviously this isn't "Honda shifting more and more production to overseas plants". They added a vehicle while other imported Honda's have gained sales. Big whoop. Edited April 4, 2007 by blackviper8891

[siegen]

If acura's 6.8% decline is "slight", then honda's 5.0% increase is far from "way up".

538 sales down in Acura is slight, 15,124 sales increase in Honda isn't slight.

[Intrepidation]

You keep repeating this, but have you ever taken into consideration that Honda has added the Japanese built Fit this past year. Eliminate it and suddenly import car sales are about the same as they were last year while the only domestic built Honda to have sales gains is the Accord. Obviously this isn't "Honda shifting more and more production to overseas plants". They added a vehicle while other imported Honda's have gained sales. Big whoop.

Bingo!

[siegen]

You keep repeating this, but have you ever taken into consideration that Honda has added the Japanese built Fit this past year. Eliminate it and suddenly import car sales are about the same as they were last year while the only domestic built Honda to have sales gains is the Accord. Obviously this isn't "Honda shifting more and more production to overseas plants". They added a vehicle while other imported Honda's have gained sales. Big whoop.

I just want to add that, as Honda's sales increases, their American production capacity is going to become more and more strained, and they will have to import models such as the Accord, Civic, and CR-V, which would otherwise be built here, to meet demand. This is until they open another U.S. plant.

[balthazar]

>>"538 sales down in Acura is slight, 15,124 sales increase in Honda isn't slight."<<

I like to play the percentages game and ignore the actual numbers... you know; exactly the same approach the U.S. media has always played regarding GM's marketshare. Not so much fun when the practice is turned on your particular fav, eh?

>>"You keep repeating this, but have you ever taken into consideration that Honda has added the Japanese built Fit this past year. Eliminate it and suddenly import car sales are about the same as they were last year while the only domestic built Honda to have sales gains is the Accord. "<<

I keep repeating it hoping to find an answer. Adding one new japanese-built model does not answer why domestic produced-honda volume is falling, esp when the overall corporate numbers (depending on which ones you prefer to focus on) are 'way up'. Look at the actual YTD quantities- U.S. production totals are DOWN:

YTD~

domestic car : down 5,000 units

domestic truck : down 1,000 units

import car : up 10,000 units

import truck : up 14,000

Of those 24,000 import units, Fit sales were 9,000.

Now... honda existing cars gained in only one slot: the non-hybrid accord. honda trucks gained in only one spot: the cr-v. That puts the rest of honda's lineup on the decline. It would be interesting to read a piece focusing on this, along with a lot of half-baked proposals on 'How I Would Fix Honda'.

acura is down across the board; a mainstream article on 'The Complacent Decline of Honda's Acura' would likewise be a refreshing eye-opener.

Should I hold my breath?