American Honda March Sales Boosted by Record Car Sales [4.1.8]

[T Mac]

04/01/2008 - TORRANCE, Calif. -

American Honda Motor Co., Inc., posted a March 2008 sales result of 138,734 Honda and Acura vehicles, an increase of 4.2 percent based on the daily selling rate,* the company announced today. March 2007 sales results included two additional selling days and totaled 143,392.

Led by strong sales of the Accord, Civic and Fit, American Honda total car sales posted record monthly results of 83,214, an increase of 11.1 percent. Year-to-date, American Honda total vehicle sales reached 352,642, an increase of 0.9 percent.

"The Honda product portfolio is adapting well to the current direction of the marketplace," said Dick Colliver, executive vice president of American Honda. "People are clearly being more strategic with their money as parts of the economy seek balance and other parts adjust to record-high gasoline prices."

The Honda Division posted March sales of 125,446 cars and light-trucks, an increase of 6.9 percent compared to year-ago results. Fit, up 73.8 percent to 6,835, eclipsed the previous all-time record of 6,450 set in August 2007. Civic, up 18.6 percent to 32,740, set a new March record, surpassing the previous mark of 30,037 set in 2000. Civic Hybrid sales leaped 44.3 percent to 3,769 to a new March record, beating the previous March record of 2,896 in 2005. Additional highlights include the Accord, up 6.8 percent to 36,214; the CR-V, up 3.9 percent to 18,974; and the Odyssey, up 3.4 percent to 13,261. Year-to-date, the Honda Division is up 2.8 percent to 315,102.

The Acura Division posted total vehicle sales of 13,288, down 15.8 percent. The MDX luxury SUV was Acura's best-selling model, with March sales of 4,434. Year-to-date, Acura Division total vehicle sales reached 37,540.

*The daily selling rate is calculated with 26 selling days for March 2008, versus 28 for March 2007. The year-to-date selling rate is calculated with 76 days through March 2008, versus 77 for 2007. All percentages contained in this press release represent the daily selling rate.