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Demand for Honda’s light trucks continues, according to July sales figures released Wednesday, putting the automaker on pace to sell more sport utility vehicles, pickups and vans than cars this year.
“For the first time in our company’s history, the Honda brand is on pace this year to sell more light trucks than passenger cars,” said Henio Arcangeli Jr., senior vice president of the American Honda Automobile Division. “Honda’s unique flexibility within our U.S. manufacturing operations has played a critical role in our ability to adjust our production mix and capitalize on the market’s shift toward light trucks.”
Many buyers are drawn to light trucks as fuel mileage improvements have closed the gap between light trucks and cars.
Honda’s 2019 Pilot hit the market July 16 and still sold 13,026 units, a 30.5 percent increase and a continuation of an 11-month sales increase streak, Honda said.
The CR-V, which is produced at Honda’s East Liberty Auto Plant, saw a 3.4 percent increase with 32,844 units sold, while 26,000 Civics were picked up by customers. The new Honda Insight sold 1,972 units in its first full month on the market.
For Acura, two ELP-produced models led the way for the brand.
The RDX set a new July record with 5,784 units sold, while the refreshed 2019 MDX sold more than 4,300 units since its market introduction July 17.
One less week of sales in July drove American Honda Co.’s overall numbers down 8.2 percent with 138,602 units sold across both brands. Honda accounted for 125,355 vehicles, while Acura’s total hit 13,247.