Temple of VTEC Rumors and News - American Honda Reports Strong March Sales

Honda Posts Second Best Ever Light Truck Sales; Acura Sets New March Vehicle Sales Record

TORRANCE, Calif. 04/01/2005 --

With strong light truck and hybrid vehicle sales, American Honda Motor Co., Inc., posted March results of 128,548 Honda and Acura vehicle sales, an increase of 6.9 percent over March 2004. American Honda posted its second best ever March light truck result with sales of 55,764 units, up 19.4 percent. All-time record sales of Honda hybrid models jumped 71.4 percent to 4,814 units including 2,896 Civic Hybrids and 1,862 Accord Hybrids. Year-to-date American Honda total vehicle sales of 308,182 rose 0.2 percent on a daily selling rate basis.

"It's no surprise that consumers are looking to more fuel efficient vehicles as gas prices continue to rise," said Dick Colliver, executive vice president of American Honda. "Our entire lineup meets this demand better than any other manufacturer with three different hybrid models, more fuel efficient cars and trucks, and the highest overall fuel economy of any full-line manufacturer."

The Honda Division posted its second best March and fifth best month ever with sales of 109,949 cars and light trucks, an increase of 7.4 percent over year-ago results. This month marks only the second time in Honda Division history that the 100,000 sales barrier has been broken in March. Accord sales of 33,075 rose 2.4 percent, helping the division post sales of 59,198 passenger cars, up slightly from the previous March on a unit basis. Driven by record sales of the all-new Odyssey and Pilot, the Honda Division reported its second best March of light truck sales, up 22.9 percent to 50,751 units. The Civic Hybrid marked its third best month with sales of 2,896 units, while the Accord Hybrid posted sales of 1,862 units, its largest sales month since its December 2004 introduction. The all-new 2006 Honda Ridgeline truck also had a strong showing in its first full month on the market with sales of 3,875 units.

The Acura Division posted best ever March sales of 18,599 and its 17th consecutive record-setting month of sales. Acura posted a new March record with sales rising 3.6 percent to 18,599 cars and light trucks, including a record month for Acura cars of 13,586 units. The new RL luxury performance sedan generated sales of 1,376 units with an increase of 193.8 percent over last year's results. The TSX sports sedan marked its fourth consecutive month of record sales with 3,107, an increase of 35.6 percent. Acura year-to-date sales of 48,414 have risen 7.7 percent versus a year ago.