Honda Sets All-Time December Sales Record to Earn 2nd Best Annual Sales Total for American Honda; Acura Light Trucks Post Best Year in Brand History

TORRANCE, Calif., Jan. 3, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- American Honda Motor Co., Inc. today reported total 2013 vehicle sales of 1,525,312 units, an increase of 7.2 percent for the year and the second-best result in company history. A total of 135,255 Honda and Acura vehicles were sold in December, eclipsing last December's strong sales by 1.9 percent (5.9 percent based on the Daily Selling Rate, or DSR*). Honda Division annual sales reached 1,359,876 units in 2013, a year-over-year increase of 7.4 percent and the second best all-time sales total for the Honda brand. The Acura Division posted year-to-date sales of 165,436, a 5.9-percent gain and the best result since 2007.

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Honda Division sold 119,504 vehicles in December, a 2.4-percent increase from the previous December. Acura Division posted December sales of 15,751.

Honda
Honda core products continued to show substantial sales strength throughout 2013. Based on the latest R.L. Polk data, Accord, Civic, CR-V and Odyssey continue to lead retail sales in their respective segments, with the Pilot SUV also gaining significantly. With respect to total CY2013 sales:

-   CR-V surpassed 300,000 sales for the first time while posting a December best of 28,759 units.
-   Accord sales were up to 10.5 percent to 366,678 units, its best showing since 2008.
-   Civic sales were up 5.7 percent to 336,180 units, its best result since 2008 and the third best in its 40-year history.
-   Odyssey sales surged 32.7 percent in December for a yearly total of 128,987 units.
-   Pilot sales rose 10.3 percent to 126,678 units.

"Breaking our December sales record is a great way to finish a near-record year, but perhaps more significantly, the CR-V joins Accord and Civic as the third Honda vehicle to sell more than 300,000 units per year for the first time in our history," said John Mendel, executive vice president of sales at American Honda. "In a hotly competitive market, where every manufacturer brought their best products, our core models demonstrated significant growth without having to resort to fleet sales to drive volume as some of our competitors do."   

Acura
Acura light trucks continued to break sales records in 2013 with RDX smashing previous bests and the all-new MDX completing a strong fourth quarter with its best-ever month to push Acura trucks to their best sales year ever.

-   RDX recorded monthly bests for 20 straight months, completing its record run in 2013 with a total sales increase of 51.6 percent for the year.
-   MDX sales continued to rise sharply, delivering a 29.0-percent increase in December for its best month in history on strong customer demand and improving vehicle inventories. Full-year sales were up 4.3 percent to 53,040.
-   RLX brought solid growth to the luxury sedan segment for Acura in an abbreviated model year, posting sales of 5,053 since going on sale last Spring.

"Customers are finding the combination of luxury, comfort, performance and utility in the RDX and MDX to be pretty irresistible," said Jeff Conrad, vice president and general manager of Acura Sales. "With the strongest light truck lineup in our history, we're now turning our focus on our sedan lineup with the all-new TLX to deliver further growth for Acura in 2014."

*The daily selling rate (DSR) is calculated with 25 days for December 2013 and 26 days for December 2012. Year-to-date, the DSR is calculated with 307 days for 2013 and 307 days for 2012. All other percentages in release are unadjusted; see table for adjusted DSR figures.

SOURCE American Honda Motor Co., Inc.