The overall auto industry may be in shambles, but Honda ’s fuel-efficient lineup helped the Japanese automaker shatter several sales records during the month of May. Honda sales were up a whopping 11.3 percent in May, breaking the company’s single month sales record of 158,342 vehicles — set in August 2007 — with 167,997 sales.
May’s strong sales were largely fueled by an increase in demand for the company’s thrifty Civic. Honda sold 53,299 Civics during May — a 28.3 percent increase over May 2007 — which easily broke the company’s record of 39,993 Civics sold in one month.
Other all-time records set during the month of May include (previous record in parentheses):
- 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 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 Accord and CR-V also set sales records for the month of May.
“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.”
Despite the record month, Honda was not immune to the sagging truck and SUV markets. Honda’s truck sales were down 12.1 percent to 53,201 units in May.
However, it looks like Honda’s decision to stay out of the body-on-frame truck and SUVs segments — even when Toyota and Nissan couldn’t resist — has ensured its survival in a $4 a gallon gas world.
