May 2008 Sales: American Honda Motor

[VenSeattle]

All-Time Record Civic Sales Top 53,000 in May as American Honda Reports Best Month Ever
June 3 /PRNewswire/
Link to Press Release

Honda Civic, Fit and Acura TSX break all-time records

TORRANCE, Calif., June 3 /PRNewswire/ -- American Honda Motor Co.,
Inc., May sales of 167,997, up 11.3 percent on a daily-selling-rate
basis(1), shattered the company's all-time sales record for any month as
Civic sales reached 53,299, up 28.3 percent versus last May and surpassing
the previous monthly record for any car in the lineup.

New all-time records set in May included (previous record in parentheses):

-- American Honda total vehicle sales of 167,997 (August 2007: 158,342)
-- American Honda total car sales of 114,796 (August 2002: 95,686)
-- Honda Division total vehicle sales of 153,104 (August 2007: 141,906)
-- Honda Division total car sales of 105,548 (August 2003: 84,390)
-- Honda Civic Sales of 53,299 (May 2007: 39,993)
-- Honda Civic Hybrid sales of 4,676 (May 2007: 4,520)
-- Honda Fit sales of 8,205 (March 2008: 6,835)
-- Acura TSX sales of 4,564 (April 2006: 3,911)

"The dramatic increase in car sales appears to be one of the most
profound shifts in automotive buying patterns in more than a decade," said
Dick Colliver, executive vice president of American Honda. "Record sales of
the Honda Civic clearly demonstrate an accelerated trend toward fuel
efficiency."

Honda Division sales of 153,104 increased 13.9 percent for the month as
total car sales reached 105,548, up 30.7 percent. The Honda Civic, with
sales of 53,299, set a new monthly sales record for any model in the Honda
lineup, surpassing the previous record of 49,098 set in August 2003 by the
Accord.

May 2008 Accord sales of 43,728, up 31.9 percent versus last year, set
a new May record, surpassing the previous high of 43,589 set in May 2004.
The CR-V set a new May mark of 19,959, exceeding the previous record of
19,513 set in 2007. Honda Division reported truck sales of 47,556, a
decrease of 11.4 percent. Year-to-date Honda Division sales are up 5.4
percent to 590,361.

Acura Division sales totaled 14,893. Sales of the completely redesigned
2009 TSX sports sedan increased 53.7 percent and set a new all-time record
of 4,564, exceeding the previous record of 3,911 set in April 2006.

American Honda reported May truck sales of 53,201, a decrease of 12.1
percent. Year-to-date American Honda sales increased 3.1 percent to
655,819.

(1) All percentages in this release reflect the daily selling rate as
calculated with 27 days for May 2008, versus 26 for 2007. Year to date, the
daily selling rate is calculated with 129 days for 2008, versus 127 for
2007.

For more information about Honda vehicles, please visit
http://www.honda.com. For media inquiries, please go to
http://www.hondanews.com. For more information about Acura vehicles, please
visit http://www.acura.com. For media inquiries, please go to
http://www.acuranews.com.

American Honda Vehicle Sales For May 2008

                                 Month-to-Date             Year-to-Date
                             May      May     DSR**    May      May     DSR**
                             2008     2007   % Chg.    2008     2007   % Chg.
    American Honda Total   167,997  145,367   11.3%  655,819  625,994    3.1%
       Total Car Sales     114,796   87,064   27.0%  398,720  352,733   11.3%
       Total Truck Sales    53,201   58,303  -12.1%  257,099  273,261   -7.4%
          Honda Total Car
           Sales           105,548   77,779   30.7%  362,388  310,766   14.8%
          Honda Total
           Truck Sales      47,556   51,668  -11.4%  227,973  240,454   -6.7%
          Acura Total Car
           Sales             9,248    9,285   -4.1%   36,332   41,967  -14.8%
          Acura Total
           Truck Sales       5,645    6,635  -18.1%   29,126   32,807  -12.6%
    Domestic Car Sales *    88,091   71,463   18.7%  297,793  283,116    3.6%
       Honda Division       83,797   65,703   22.8%  277,566  258,302    5.8%
       Acura Division        4,294    5,760  -28.2%   20,227   24,814  -19.7%
    Domestic Truck Sales *  41,392   40,872   -2.5%  197,021  192,492    0.8%
       Honda Division       35,747   34,237    0.5%  167,895  159,685    3.5%
       Acura Division        5,645    6,635  -18.1%   29,126   32,807  -12.6%
    Import Car Sales        26,705   15,601   64.8%  100,927   69,617   42.7%
       Honda Division       21,751   12,076   73.4%   84,822   52,464   59.2%
       Acura Division        4,954    3,525   35.3%   16,105   17,153   -7.6%
    Import Truck Sales      11,809   17,431  -34.8%   60,078   80,769  -26.8%
       Honda Division       11,809   17,431  -34.8%   60,078   80,769  -26.8%
    MODEL BREAKOUTS BY
     DIVISION
    Honda Division Total   153,104  129,447   13.9%  590,361  551,220    5.4%
        Fit                  8,205    5,361   47.4%   29,784   18,156   61.5%
       Accord *             43,728   31,915   31.9%  166,158  153,431    6.6%
         Memo:  Accord
          Hybrid                16      439  -96.5%      184    1,702  -89.4%
       Civic *              53,299   39,993   28.3%  164,994  137,288   18.3%
         Memo:  Civic
          Hybrid             4,676    4,520   -0.4%   16,322   13,895   15.6%
       S2000                   316      510  -40.3%    1,446    1,888  -24.6%
       Insight                   0        0                0        3
       FCX                       0        0                6        0
       Odyssey  *           12,966   15,235  -18.0%   59,987   64,822   -8.9%
       Pilot *               8,449   10,133  -19.7%   48,194   56,261  -15.7%
       CR-V *               19,959   19,513   -1.5%   89,017   84,464    3.8%
       Element *             2,686    3,187  -18.8%   13,623   16,728  -19.8%
       Ridgeline             3,496    3,600   -6.5%   17,152   18,179   -7.1%
    Acura Division Total    14,893   15,920   -9.9%   65,458   74,774  -13.8%
       RSX                       0       12                1      287  -99.7%
       TL *                  4,294    5,760  -28.2%   20,227   24,814  -19.7%
       TSX                   4,564    2,859   53.7%   13,814   14,007   -2.9%
       RL                      390      653  -42.5%    2,290    2,858  -21.1%
       MDX *                 4,277    4,623  -10.9%   21,137   22,388   -7.1%
       RDX  *                1,368    2,012  -34.5%    7,989   10,419  -24.5%
    Selling Days                27       26              129      127

    * Honda and Acura vehicles are made of domestic and global sourced parts.
   ** Daily Selling Rate

[siegen]

The new TSX is off to a good start.

And holy $h!! 53,299 Civics. Accord and Fit waay up. Last I heard there were next to zero incentives on the Accord also, almost no fleets. I bet even Toyota is wishing they had Honda's car lineup right now. (although Toy sold quite a few Camry/Corolla this month)

Light trucks mostly down, which isn't a surprise. I am surprised the CR-V is still selling so well, after a couple years.

Edited June 3, 2008 by siegen

[A Horse With No Name]

Around here there is a waiting list from hell for a Fit. I asked my local Honda dealer about a manual Fit sport, and was told I could get one...in late August.

Honda IMHO has MUCH better engeneering than Toyota, and I would own a Honda or Mazda before I would own almost any other Asian or Euro car.

Chris

[GXT]

So does this mean that the civic was the #1 selling vehicle in the US last month?

I heard that the Corolla, Camry and Civic outsold the F150.

Where is reg-whatever-his-name-is with a snarky comment or two?

[regfootball]

civic is very popular, especially when gas is spendy. in this case i can live with the civic selling, as long as it takes the sale away from toyota. GM needs to figure out how to get in on this action. p.s. even the lancer is more interesting than the civic. the astra wishes it could do this well too.

[siegen]

So does this mean that the civic was the #1 selling vehicle in the US last month?

Yes, the Civic was the #1 selling vehicle for May. The Civic, Camry, Corolla, and Accord all beat out the F150 last month.

civic is very popular, especially when gas is spendy. in this case i can live with the civic selling, as long as it takes the sale away from toyota. GM needs to figure out how to get in on this action. p.s. even the lancer is more interesting than the civic. the astra wishes it could do this well too.

The Lancer is more "rally inspired" and racy than the Civic, but as we all know Vanilla sells. The Lancer also gets pretty poor mileage for a compact.

[Robert Hall]

Yes, the Civic was the #1 selling vehicle for May. The Civic, Camry, Corolla, and Accord all beat out the F150 last month.

The Lancer is more "rally inspired" and racy than the Civic, but as we all know Vanilla sells. The Lancer also gets pretty poor mileage for a compact.

The Lancer is also rather ugly and plain inside and out....the Civic looks slick and modern inside and out...too bad they don't sell the hatchbacks here.

[CARBIZ]

So does this mean that the civic was the #1 selling vehicle in the US last month?

I heard that the Corolla, Camry and Civic outsold the F150.

Where is reg-whatever-his-name-is with a snarky comment or two?

Remember to start practicing, "would you like fries with that." It will come in handy real soon.

[regfootball]

Yes, the Civic was the #1 selling vehicle for May. The Civic, Camry, Corolla, and Accord all beat out the F150 last month.

The Lancer is more "rally inspired" and racy than the Civic, but as we all know Vanilla sells. The Lancer also gets pretty poor mileage for a compact.

STRAIGHT FROM THE HORSES MOUTH. honda is vanilla!

[Robert Hall]

Remember to start practicing, "would you like fries with that." It will come in handy real soon.

Not me...we have Mexicans for fast-food jobs here. (reality in AZ and CO).

[A Horse With No Name]

civic is very popular, especially when gas is spendy. in this case i can live with the civic selling, as long as it takes the sale away from toyota. GM needs to figure out how to get in on this action. p.s. even the lancer is more interesting than the civic. the astra wishes it could do this well too.

The Lancer is a godawful piece of crap from a company that should be out of buisiness....

Chris

[A Horse With No Name]

Remember to start practicing, "would you like fries with that." It will come in handy real soon.

You guys can laugh your asses off, but I live in Ohio and make my living as an electrician. We keep disconnecting the power to nice, useable industrail buildings so they can be torn down...and building fast food resteraunts.

It's funny because we are finishing up a Burger King and a Taco bell and there must be 20-30 people a day who stop in wanting jobs.

Things are going to go to absolute utter-utter-uttter $h! here in short order if something doesn't change.

But then again, Civics are built...here in Ohio. Except for the SI, which is built in Canada.

(enter sarcasm mode)

....and one wouldn't want to trust Canadians with building a burger, much less a car...

(Exit sarcasm mode)

Chris

[A Horse With No Name]

Yes, the Civic was the #1 selling vehicle for May. The Civic, Camry, Corolla, and Accord all beat out the F150 last month.

The Lancer is more "rally inspired" and racy than the Civic, but as we all know Vanilla sells. The Lancer also gets pretty poor mileage for a compact.

The Civic is infinitely nicer than the Lancer...

Chris

[Robert Hall]

The Civic is infinitely nicer than the Lancer...

Chris

I think if I were to seriously consider a compact for a commuter car, the Civic Hybrid would be at the top of the list, along with the Jetta diesel.. I've ridden in the current style Civics, they are quite nice.

[A Horse With No Name]

I think if I were to seriously consider a compact for a commuter car, the Civic Hybrid would be at the top of the list, along with the Jetta diesel.. I've ridden in the current style Civics, they are quite nice.

The Jetta has a great interior, it is very comfortable and a really nice product.

Chris

[michaelv13]

I guess sales of TSX shows people's psychology. They do not need a sporty car, they need a car that will put you to sleep.

With a makeover TSX lost its quirky, playful character, but gained sales.

[GXT]

civic is very popular, especially when gas is spendy. in this case i can live with the civic selling, as long as it takes the sale away from toyota. GM needs to figure out how to get in on this action. p.s. even the lancer is more interesting than the civic. the astra wishes it could do this well too.

Shortly after the Lancer came out I was renting a car in that class. I jumped at the chance to try the lancer because I liked the look of it from outside. However once I sat in it I couldn't wait to get out of it. I can't quite put my finger on why I had such a negative reaction to it... I think it was something to do with the seating position (too low?) and the general interior size. Luckily a tire was low and I jumped at the chance to get out of the Lancer and into a mazda.

[Robert Hall]

The Jetta has a great interior, it is very comfortable and a really nice product.

Chris

Yes, I drove an '08 Jetta rental around Cincinatti and Dayton in March...pretty comfortable and smooth, great ergonomics.

[siegen]

I guess sales of TSX shows people's psychology. They do not need a sporty car, they need a car that will put you to sleep.

With a makeover TSX lost its quirky, playful character, but gained sales.

The new TSX gets better mileage than the old one, I'm sure that helps. The 2.2L clean-diesel TSX is right around the corner too, which should be a great vehicle.

The European-market 2007 diesel Accord returned 34/44/53 (city,combined,hwy) real-world US MPG in Manhattan driving in this article. That's as good as the Civic hybrid. The new TSX weighs 150 lbs more or so, which will impact the mileage slightly, but it should be able to give similar figures.

[michaelv13]

The new TSX gets better mileage than the old one, I'm sure that helps. The 2.2L clean-diesel TSX is right around the corner too, which should be a great vehicle.

The European-market 2007 diesel Accord returned 34/44/53 (city,combined,hwy) real-world US MPG in Manhattan driving in this article. That's as good as the Civic hybrid. The new TSX weighs 150 lbs more or so, which will impact the mileage slightly, but it should be able to give similar figures.

It has a 1 mpg improvement only on higways compared to the 2007 standards. Many people report 35mpg highway with the old model. I was talking about current sales, they were certainly not influenced by the "diesel", when they bought the vehicle.

I am not denying that it is a good car. But it is now more of a Lexus than a playful puppy it used to be.

[siegen]

It has a 1 mpg improvement only on higways compared to the 2007 standards. Many people report 35mpg highway with the old model. I was talking about current sales, they were certainly not influenced by the "diesel", when they bought the vehicle.

I am not denying that it is a good car. But it is now more of a Lexus than a playful puppy it used to be.

It's not quite as tossable as the old car, but the performance is more usable and it is far more upscale.

The 5-speed automatic (which comprises around 90% of sales) figures for mileage improved from 20/28 to 21/30. The "magic" 30mpg highway figure that seems to get touted a lot is certainly a selling point when comparing to competition.

The diesel comment was more of a side point, not having anything to do with current TSX sales.

[pow]

Honda IMHO has MUCH better engeneering than Toyota, and I would own a Honda or Mazda before I would own almost any other Asian or Euro car.

Agreed. Whereas Toyota seemingly exists only to dominate the world, or at least the world automobile market, Honda has stayed mostly true to its roots, focusing more on engineering and the product.