Acura Automobiles: Trucks Drive New Records and Acura Turns a Corner as American Honda Posts December Sales Increase

  • Acura brand sales rise 2.8% in 2018, punctuated by best-ever monthly and annual truck sales
  • Acura RDX has best-ever annual and December sales, its second-best month in history
  • Honda brand posts best-ever annual and December truck sales with overall December increase as Honda CR-V sets all-time monthly record, topping 42,000 sales
  • Accord sales jump 29.4% as passenger car sales remain strong; electrified vehicles set new annual record

American Honda

Total

155,115
+3.9%

Cars

64,860
+3.6%

Trucks

90,255
+4.1%

Total

138,341
+3%

Cars

60,872
+4.2%

Trucks

77,469
+2.1%

Total

16,774
+11.4%

Cars

3,988
-4.5%

Trucks

12,786
+17.5%

American Honda

Total

155,115
+3.9%

Cars

64,860
+3.6%

Trucks

90,255
+4.1%

Total

138,341
+3%

Cars

60,872
+4.2%

Trucks

77,469
+2.1%

Total

16,774
+11.4%

Cars

3,988
-4.5%

Trucks

12,786
+17.5%

“In 2018, we took advantage of the continued consumer shift toward light-trucks, contributing to another record year for our Honda and Acura light-truck businesses,” said Henio Arcangeli Jr., senior vice president of the American Honda Automobile Division. “In addition to our light-truck success, our passenger car business also delivered another strong year, with Civic retaining its crown in 2018 as the best-selling retail compact car in America for nine years running and Accord commanding the highest transaction prices in the midsize segment. We remain bullish on the passenger car business and look forward to another great year in 2019 across our entire Honda and Acura lineups.”

 

 

Sales Highlights

Honda finished 2018 on a strong note with both cars and trucks gaining in December, overcoming over four months of lost production due to a flood that shut the Celaya, Mexico auto plant to narrowly miss a new annual sales mark.

  • Truck sales set new monthly and annual records led by CR-V which set an all-time monthly record, with 42,079 units in December, a gain of 13.8%. Pilot set a new annual mark, eclipsing its previous record by over 7,000.
  • Accord jumped a strong 29.4% on 28,627 in sales for the month.
  • Electrified vehicle sales set new monthly and annual sales records with 6,899 December sales, the 6th straight month above 5,000 units.

Model Notes

Civic continues its dominance as the #1 retail car in America for a 3rd straight year and 9th straight year as the compact retail #1.

 

Honda Pilot was the fastest growing SUV in segment in 2018, helping deliver a 4th straight year of record light truck sales to Honda.

 

 

 

 

Sales Highlights

Acura was one of the few luxury brands to increase sales (+2.8%) in 2018, setting records for RDX and light trucks, leading to new market share and the brand’s first annual gain since 2014.

  • Acura trucks set a new monthly sales record, gaining 17.5% on 12,786 units
  • RDX gained 42.2% to set a new December mark on sales of 6,838 units, the model’s 7th consecutive monthly record and second best month in history.
  • MDX had December sales of 5,948 units, helping the model to its 7th straight year of 50,000+ annual sales.
  • ILX and RLX sedans gained in December, with ILX up 10.7% and RLX gaining 16.1% (its best month in 2018). 

Model Notes

Heading into December, RDX was the #1 retail-selling model in segment in 2018, the #2 top-selling luxury SUV and the #3 top-selling model in all of luxury.

 

ILX picked up more than 2 points of share in segment in 2018, while TLX outsold the BMW 3-Series, Audi A4 and key models from Lexus and Volvo.

 

 

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