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Honda: Sales, Marketing and Financial News
By Harry Stoffer
Automotive News / October 23, 2003 WASHINGTON — Honda cars hold seven of the top 10 fuel economy rankings among 2004 vehicles, the U.S. EPA says. The agency announced 2004 model year fuel economy ratings on Thursday. For the fifth straight year, the Honda Insight gasoline-electric hybrid two-seater with manual transmission was named fuel economy champion. It is rated at 60 mpg in the city and 66 mpg on the highway, down from 61/68 last year. The least fuel efficient 2004 model is the Lamborghini L-147/148 Murcielago, also a manual two-seater, with ratings of 9 mpg and 13 mpg. The federal government does not rate vehicles of more than 8,500 pounds gross vehicle weight. So, General Motors’ Hummers and the Ford Excursion, for example, do not appear in the guide. The publication, in its 29th year, is a joint effort of the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy. The full guide is available online at www.fueleconomy.gov. Other Hondas in the top 10 were the Insight with an automatic transmission; the Civic Hybrid automatic with and without a lean-burn engine; Civic Hybrid manual with and without lean burn; and a Civic manual without hybrid power. The lean-burn engine is available only in California and some Northeast states. The EPA put three different Volkswagens in eighth place on the top 10 list– the New Beetle, Golf and Jetta, all with diesel engines and manual transmissions and all rated at 38 mpg in the city and 46 on the highway. The VW highway scores rivaled those of the Civic Hybrids. That fact lends some credence to industry executives who argue modern diesels offer an opportunity to improve fuel economy without the complexity of hybrid power plants. In other news: The redesigned and enlarged 2004 Toyota Prius is the first hybrid to be classified as a mid-sized car, under EPA’s definitions, and it was the fuel economy leader of that class with ratings of 60 mpg in the city and 51 on the highway. The nature of Toyota’s hybrid system makes it more economical in stop-and-go driving. The not-yet-available-for-sale Chevrolet Malibu Maxx was a first-time winner in EPA’s large car category with ratings of 22 city/30 highway. For the first time in years, the EPA guide does not list any battery-electric vehicles – they are gone from the marketplace – but it does have a rating for the hydrogen-fuel-cell-powered Honda FCX. It is being fleet-tested but is not available for public sale. The FCX gets 51 miles per kilogram of hydrogen in the city and 46 on the highway. |
Re: Honda dominates top 10 in fuel economy
Originally posted by gavriil The federal government does not rate vehicles of more than 8,500 pounds gross vehicle weight. So, General Motors’ Hummers and the Ford Excursion, for example, do not appear in the guide. It’s time to show the public just how bad these behemoths are. Shawn S |
everytime they fill up, they know.
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Honda=I LIVE MY LIFE ON GALLON OF GAS AT A TIME....
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American Honda January 04 Sales
Acura Sets Records with Sales Up 25.1 Percent, TL up 47.7 Percent. Torrance, Calif. 02/03/2004 -- American Honda Motor Co., Inc., posted a new January record for total vehicle sales of 90,173, eclipsing the 2003 record of 90,003 with the daily selling rate declining 3.7 percent due to one additional selling day in 2004. January light truck sales also hit a record high of 36,314 versus 34,945 in 2003, the company announced today. Acura Division sales increased 25.1 percent to a January record of 13,131 vehicles with strong demand driven by the all-new TL performance luxury sedan, up 47.7 percent; the MDX luxury SUV, up 5.1 percent; and the TSX sports sedan. Honda Division sales reached 77,042, driven by light truck unit sales for the Pilot, up 13.0 percent, and the Element, up 19.9 percent. "With annual sales increases for each of the past 10 years, we have set our sights on continued growth for 2004 despite a highly competitive market," said Dick Colliver, executive vice president of American Honda. "American Honda's light truck unit sales continue to increase on a monthly basis and the Acura division is reaching new levels of success with the TL, TSX and MDX." Records for American Honda in January 2004 include total vehicle unit sales of 90,173 and total truck unit sales of 36,314. Honda Division total truck unit sales also set a new January record of 32,149, with Pilot sales of 7,934 and Element sales of 4,645 also setting new January records. Acura Division January records include total vehicle sales of 13,131 and MDX sales of 4,165. http://hondanews.com/media_storage/GIF/04jan.gif Good news is, Acura is up 25.1% and people are finally starting to warm upto the Element, I knew they would. TSX sales have pretty much remained the same. It seems like they sell 1,800 every month. |
Unfortunately, nobody can stop Toyota. They had a 15.8% increase compared to Honda's 170 vehicle improvement.
Toyota Reports Best-Ever January Sales February 3, 2004 - Torrance, CA - Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A., Inc., today reported best-ever January sales of 143,729 units, an increase of 15.8 percent over the same period last year. "Steady and sustained economic growth continues to be fueled by positive reports from key sectors," said Jim Press, TMS executive vice president and COO. "We are optimistic that both consumer spending and industry sales will remain strong through 2004." Both TMS sales divisions recorded best-ever January sales. Toyota Division reported record-breaking January sales of 123,895, up 15.3 percent over the same period last year. The Lexus Division enjoyed its best-ever January with sales of 19,834 units, up 19.1 percent over the same period last year. The Camry was the sales leader with 30,730 units, up 9.4 percent. Corolla, which adds an XRS model this spring, posted sales of 23,498, an increase of 12.0 percent over last January. Prius, the "2004 North American Car of the Year," reported best-ever January sales of 2,925 units, up 75.1 percent over last January. Toyota light trucks celebrated a record January with sales of 60,704 units, an increase of 26.7 percent. The Sienna van continued its strong sales momentum with best-ever January sales of 12,840, up 106.9 percent over last January. Sales of the 4Runner mid-size sport utility vehicle (SUV) were up 24.8 percent, at 9,276 units sold. Highlander mid-size SUV sales were not far behind at 9,167, up 15.3 percent. Tundra full-size pickup sales rose 23.7 percent, at 7,829 units for best-ever January sales, and the Tacoma compact pickup closed out the month with 11,616 units, an increase of 20.3 percent. Scion, the new car marque from TMS, goes on sale today in dealer showrooms in the south, southeast and east coast of the United States. Scion has been on sale in California since June 9, 2003. Scion sales were strong at 1,418 units for January. The Lexus Division's record-setting January was fueled by best-ever January luxury SUV sales of 10,020 units, an increase of 32.1 percent compared to the same period last year. The popular RX 330 had a best-ever January with 7,170 units sold, up 47.3 percent. The GX 470 SUV recorded sales of 2,152 units, up 2.3 percent. Finally, the LX 470 sales increased 12.8 percent over last January, at 698 units. The ES 330 sedan posted sales of 5,254, up 11.6 percent. The LS 430 flagship sedan recorded sales of 2,510 units, a 57.2 percent increase. Sales of North American-built vehicles accounted for 64.1 percent of total January sales. There were 26 selling days this sales month compared to 25 last January. |
wow, i'm glad the Tsx is still selling, but u know the Accord #'s are still high, but notice that it slipped from the sales at the same time last yr. i hope that honda will take notice that people don't like the accord sedan exterior and will revise the rearend.
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Unfortunately, nobody can stop Toyota. They had a 15.8% increase compared to Honda's 170 vehicle improvement |
Man - TSX is doing just fine ... but I gotta think ... Acura needs like 2-3 more cars. I am thinking a TSX wagon would fit right in. I also think they need 1 more sedan above the TL especially considering the RL is likely about to move a bit up in price.
I have an idea ... copy the BMW 3xx, 5xx, 7xx model :D That seems to work pretty well ;) |
Go Toyota:kinggrin: if anybody deserves to dominate the auto market its toyota through excellent execution of product lineups and able to ulitmately give customers what they want most. which is really all its about, giving customers what they want, and in turn they wont mind paying more for it.. Toyotas are more expensive than hondas on average yet still manage to do so well.
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Originally posted by provench Man - TSX is doing just fine ... but I gotta think ... Acura needs like 2-3 more cars. I am thinking a TSX wagon would fit right in. I also think they need 1 more sedan above the TL especially considering the RL is likely about to move a bit up in price. I have an idea ... copy the BMW 3xx, 5xx, 7xx model :D That seems to work pretty well ;) The Camry still outsold the Accord last year, but if you combine Accord and TSX sales together then it would have out sold the Camry. After all some markets sell both Accord models such as New Zealand and Australia. Then again Camrys are often seen in rental car fleets too!;) Domn, any Canadian sales figures?:dunno: |
Originally posted by 1SICKLEX Not unfortunate It just sells a better product with a wider range of choices.:bandito: But no matter how hard I try I just can't seem to like many of the Toyota's on the market. Maybe its just pure bias or whatever but I'll probly always be a Honda guy. I'm sure the same holds true for guys like 1SICLEX and Gilbo. :dunno: Agent, still can't find any CAD sales figures, and don't think I ever will. |
One thing to take into account - car fleets/rental cars. To the best of my knowledge, Honda doesn't sell their cars in mass. Toyota does sell their cars (which accounts for some of the higher sales of Camry/Corolla) - but they don't whore out their cars like the US makers do (how many rental Fords do you see?). Think about it - have you ever had a Honda rental? I've driven a rental Corolla and just about every other automaker. Honda does this to keep resale values high. Otherwise, every 3 years a large chunk of 3 year old beaten up cars will be hitting the market.
So... I say 'thanks Honda for not selling so many cars, keeps my resale higher' - I also like having a more 'unique' car, which is why i'm moving from a civic to a TSX as soon as my car gets here... As far as Toyota selling more - good for them. I like their cars and their styling, i just hate all their 'packages' - i want a loaded car, and its so much easier (and better value) with Honda/Acura than most other brands. Just my .02. |
Originally posted by freudy One thing to take into account - car fleets/rental cars. To the best of my knowledge, Honda doesn't sell their cars in mass. Toyota does sell their cars (which accounts for some of the higher sales of Camry/Corolla) - but they don't whore out their cars like the US makers do (how many rental Fords do you see?). Think about it - have you ever had a Honda rental? I've driven a rental Corolla and just about every other automaker. Honda does this to keep resale values high. Otherwise, every 3 years a large chunk of 3 year old beaten up cars will be hitting the market. So... I say 'thanks Honda for not selling so many cars, keeps my resale higher' - I also like having a more 'unique' car, which is why i'm moving from a civic to a TSX as soon as my car gets here... As far as Toyota selling more - good for them. I like their cars and their styling, i just hate all their 'packages' - i want a loaded car, and its so much easier (and better value) with Honda/Acura than most other brands. Just my .02. |
I saw a Honda Accord rental at Budget (Canada) in Edmonton when I was there in January. First time I saw a Honda product as a rental - but yes, not very common indeed.
As far as Honda sales are concerned, I think their sedan sales are beginning to succumb to stiff competition from Toyota Mazda Nissan Vollkswagen etc. The only thing bumping their sales is the Pilot and Element, other than that Honda is sliding backwards. For Acura, yes, the TSX is a hit in the US - but certainly not in Canada (we could start a whole thread on the various reasons for this). I agree with some of you - Acura would do well to intro the TSX wagon, and/or an all-wheel drive version of the car. Most of you won't agree with my next statement - the car doesn't need more power (OK, maybe 20 hp max) - but this would only start tearing people from the TL sales. As far as Toyota sales are concerned - I can understand it - they offer great products, and a great variety (from the Echo to the Matrix to their Sienna Minivans and back to the Corolla). From a subjective standpoint, I have never been 'excited' by their styling (not that Honda is necessarily much better). I do like the IS300 - probably would have chosen it over the TSX if the TSX wasn't such a great overall package itself - I don't have any regrets whatsoever. |
I don't agree with those of you that think Acura should market the TSX Wagon here in North America. Can we remember the Accord Wagon? How about the IS 300 SportCross which I don't think I've ever seen on the road. We know they sell less than 1,000 IS 300's per month and I bet 50 of those are SportCross models.
Even BMW and Audi I think have trouble selling their wagon models. The wagon IMO for North America is a dead issue with the popularity of the SUV and crossover now in full swing. crisco, not that I disagree, but how do you know the TSX is not a hit in Canada? besides the fact that their all over dealer lots. Have any other info? |
Originally posted by 04EuroAccordTsx i also don't think nissan/infiniti has car rentals, correct me if i'm wrong, but their resale values aren't that good as honda :dunno: |
Okay Domn, you make a good point with regards to the wagon idea. Re the TSX sales in Canada - I have no data, so its only my opinion. Although when I was at the dealership for my 16,000 km checkup the sales manager confided with me that he was glad to see 2003 behind him. WHile this comment likely reflects sluggish sales for many of his models over the past year, and not necessarily the TSX, I think the fact that there were many TSX's siting on the lot, coupled with the fact that in many US locations there are people who are ordering their cars, adds up to a less than stellar sales thus far for this car in Canada.
Don't get me wrong, I love this car, and I want to see it succeed for Acura in Canada - so I"m very curious to see the actual sales figures, and I hope I'm wrong with my uninformed opinion so far. |
Domn,
my father works for Stats Can, I've emailed him to see if we can get some real numbers for sales in Canada. I'll keep you posted. |
Thanks crisco, lets hope he finds something.
As for your opinion on TSX sales, I share the same opinion and have mentioned so several times. I thought maybe you had some more info. I got my opinion from the same place, seeing several TSX's all over dealer lots. I counted 11 out front at Acura 2000 a few weeks ago and thats without seeing the back lot which is big. Saem thing at Woodbine I spotted 4 or 5 in a drive by. Its really not surprising considering the Canadian market. |
Domn, I kinda have beef with your wagon theory...:D
I have to agree that most wagons are not selling briskly, but it's a nitch market that still keeps Volvo and Subaru alive and well. According to last year's sales figures, 60% of all Volvo cars sold were wagons and they increased their sales from two years ago. Subaru, although I have no solid numbers on this, probably sells more wagons than they do sedan forms, and Subaru is one of those companies that is seeing a rise in sales in the last 5 years. I think with more conscious buyers recognizing that 'crossovers' still suck gas like most SUVs, wagons will certainly be a viable alternative. I think businessweek or WSJ mentioned last year that wagons are starting to creap back into vogue in the last few years, and that many companies are eyeing wagon models. I think Honda does need a wagon model to at least try and carve a bit of the market share. With the TSX/accord wagon already in production, it wouldn't be a bad idea to try the waters, especially if the AWD rumors are true, than the wagon could recieve the AWD treatment to compete against the Subies and Volvos. Junkster, who would buy a TSX wagon. |
Good points Junkster, I never thought of it from that perspective. I was thinking that Honda has a terrible Wagon track record and most luxury car companies in NA for that matter don't sell many wagons (with the exception of Volvo). I just can't see many people buying up TSX Wagon's, maybe its just my shortsighted view but I just can't see it happening.
I definently see the market for wagons, just not luxury wagons. BTW, there is a Accord AWD already available in Japan in both Wagon and Sedan forms, with the 2.0L engine though. |
Originally posted by crisco I saw a Honda Accord rental at Budget (Canada) in Edmonton when I was there in January. First time I saw a Honda product as a rental - but yes, not very common indeed. |
Here's a preliminary update. My pop called me and said he'd look into the Canadian sales numbers - although he said they usually report them as import vs domestic, or Japanese vs. German etc. But he will try to get the actual TSX numbers nonetheless. In the meantime, he referred me to the Desrosiers site (I think somebody mentionned this one before)
http://www.desrosiers.ca/sales/Sales.pdf It only breaks the numbers down to the manufacturer level, but nevertheless, there are some interesting findings. For January sales in Canada, Honda is down a whopping 27% from this time last year (it sold over 7000 vehicles in Jan 03 compared to just over 5000 in Jan 04) - that's a huge drop. Acura is up slightly - 1.5% (1293 vehicles sold in Jan 04) - no doubt buoyed by the new TSX and TL - but also by the MDX to be certain. Interestingly, SAAB does very limited business in the Canadian market - just 85 vehicles in Jan 04 for all of Canada! (they are up from last year's output of 50+ 93Kewl will be happy to know that). However, even Porcshe outsells them up here! Most other manufacturers are down - save GM and Toyota/Lexus. But the biggest disappointments are VW (down >44%) MB, Audi, and Ford each down > 25% interesting figures..... |
Originally posted by Agent_Chen Here several Enterprise rent-a-car locations have Hondas in their rental fleets. I've seen Civics, CR-Vs, and Accords as rentals. It seems like they just recently put them in the fleets cuz I remember 2 years ago it was mainly the domestics, Mitsubishis, Toyotas, and Nissans. What part of missouri are you in because ive never seen any rental hondas |
Thanks alot crisco. 27%, ouch that has to hurt.
Here are some numbers. Company - 2004 - 2003 - %Change Acura 1,293 1,274 1.5% Honda 5,754 7,880 -27.0% Infiniti 402 409 -1.7% Lexus 441 330 33.6% Toyota 8,416 8,134 3.5% BMW 820 860 -4.7% General Motors 26,118 25,541 2.3% Mercedes-Benz 546 866 -37.0% Subaru 943 941 0.2% Volkswagen 1,247 2,235 -44.2% Ford 10,482 15,701 -33.2% Nissan 2,747 3,337 -17.7% Mazda 4,463 3,414 30.7% Audi 386 520 -25.8% Mitsubishi 676 1,126 -40.0% Here's what worries me. Last year Honda sold 7,880 vehicles in Canada compared to Toyota's 8,134. This year Honda only sold 5,754 while Toyota went upto 8,416. Honda has to do something or see there Canadian market share disappear. BTW last I heard more Honda were sold in Canada per capita then any other country in the world. That may change. And don't let the fact that Acura outsells Lexus and Infiniti fool you. The Civic clone EL has alot to do with that. Watch out for the bottom Mistsubishi and VW. |
Just noticed that the report is for "Light Vehicles" only? Does this mean SUV and Pickups are'nt included?
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Yup, the writing could very well be on the wall for Honda. I remember last summer a colleague of mine was thinking of purchasing a new Corolla for his wife - he said that they would have to wait a few weeks for one to arrive at the dealership (may or may not have been a specific colour request etc). That same day I drove by my local Honda dealer and counted no less than 60 Civics sitting on the back lot. Ouch!!
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Originally posted by domn Just noticed that the report is for "Light Vehicles" only? Does this mean SUV and Pickups are'nt included? |
Originally posted by crisco Yup, the writing could very well be on the wall for Honda. That same day I drove by my local Honda dealer and counted no less than 60 Civics sitting on the back lot. Ouch!! |
Originally posted by Dan Martin I think it might be a little premature to say that Honda is going under. It's no secret that Toyota is on a tear but Honda isn't going to tank anytime soon. Dealers carry stock for a number of reasons. My company has a lot of extra land behind one of our factories that Ford rents from us and currently has over 2,000 Freestars sitting there. Previously we've had upwards of 100 WRX's sitting there for a single Subaru dealer. also agreed, however, 1 reason they might be carrying a lot of stock is that they miscalculated the number of cars that they would sell. |
I wonder how many RX-8's Mazda's got on a lot somewhere? :)
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It looks like Honda sales are really hurting in Canada. Acura sales are up, but I assume its because the new TL, MDX, and possibly the TSX.:dunno:
In general, it looks like all the makes saw drops in sales in Canada except for GM and Toyota. Toyota has a wide range of products and so does GM.....both seem to have a loyal following in Canada. I read last year Canadian car sales weren't that strong as in previous years....dunno it that will continue into this year. |
Originally posted by Agent_Chen It looks like Honda sales are really hurting in Canada. Acura sales are up, but I assume its because the new TL, MDX, and possibly the TSX.:dunno: |
Honda is back - Sales rose sharply
Honda Posts 31.2 Percent Increase in Net Profits on Strong Overseas Sales - - Associated Press - January 30, 2004
TOKYO (AP) - Honda Motor Co.'s net profit rose 31.2 percent in the October-December quarter over the same period a year earlier to a record 151 billion yen (US$1.42 billion), fueled by strong sales in North America and other overseas markets, the company said Friday. Net profits were 115.1 billion yen (US$1.09 billion) in the third-quarter in 2002. Japan's third-largest automaker said overall sales inched 0.2 percent higher in the period to 1.992 trillion yen (US$18.79 billion) compared with 1.989 trillion yen (US$18.77 billion) a year earlier. Unit sales for automobiles, motorcycles and power products all set record highs, with car sales rising 6.4 percent to 747,000 vehicles, the automaker said. Strong demand in North America for models such as the Element, new Acura TL and Acura TSX helped boost automobile sales in that region by 19,000 units during the period, while Japan sales declined by 25,000 units, Honda said. Asian auto sales increased by 32,000 units, it said Source: Automobile Mag. |
American Honda Febuary Sales
Torrance, Calif. 03/02/2004 -- Boosted by record February sales for Honda Civic and Pilot, as well as Acura MDX and TL, American Honda posted all-time best results for total vehicle and light truck sales in February along with record February sales for both Honda and Acura Divisions, according to figures released today by American Honda Motor Co., Inc. American Honda posted record February sales of 105,779 cars and light trucks, up 7.1 percent from last year, while year-to-date sales rose 1.7 percent to 195,952. Led by double-digit gains for the Civic and TL, American Honda total February car sales rose 7.8 percent over year-ago results to 64,938. American Honda also recorded best-ever February light truck sales of 40,841 units, up 5.9 percent for the month on record sales of the Honda Pilot and Acura MDX, along with robust sales of the Honda CR-V. "Even with gas prices steadily rising, vehicles sales are still growing strong. Consumers are looking for highly fuel-efficient alternatives and Honda's lineup fits the bill with top of the class fuel economy in practically every segment we compete," said Dick Colliver, executive vice president of American Honda. Honda Division posted best-ever February total vehicle sales of 90,624 units, up 3.6 percent over last year, and record total light truck sales of 35,912, up 5.4 percent for the month. The all-time best February performance for Honda Division was led by record February sales of Civic and Pilot, along with strong demand for CR-V. Sales of the Civic were up 16.7 percent to 27,331, breaking the previous February record of 24,747 set in 2000. Pilot also set a new February record with sales up 25.8 percent to 9,479 for the month. Acura Division February records include total vehicle sales of 15,155 up 33.8 percent from last February and up 9.8 percent from the previous record of 13,677 set in February 2001. Other Acura records include MDX sales of 4,929 and the all-new redesigned TL, with sales of 6,274, surpassing the previous record of 5,878 from 2001. http://hondanews.com/media_storage/GIF/04febsales.gif TSX sales for Febury, 1,959. Not bad, not bad at all. Acura on its own was up 33.3% from Feb 03. TL sales set an new record as well. A couple more cars and Acura will be kicking some butt. Can someone please explain how the Camry continues to outsell the Accord and by a significant margin no less?? Toyota Division passenger cars recorded sales of 65,994 units, an increase of 7.5 percent. Camry posted sales of 30,350, up 7.1 percent over the same period last year, |
I know the new RL is the next on the list for Acura (and that will help sales considerably), but I'm not liking the -14.2% on the RSX. I'm sure the 2nd gen RSX is still a couple years away but I would love to see something sooner...even though it's a great car, I wouldn't buy an RSX in its current form but I'd buy a TSX coupe "replacement" for the RSX.
By the by, the 57.6% increase on the TL is great to see...it's reassuring to see the new design is well recieved by the consumers. |
Re: American Honda Febuary Sales
Originally posted by domn TSX sales for Febury, 1,959. Not bad, not bad at all. Acura on its own was up 33.3% from Feb 03. TL sales set an new record as well. A couple more cars and Acura will be kicking some butt. Can someone please explain how the Camry continues to outsell the Accord and by a significant margin no less?? 30,350 Camry's compared to 26,731 Accords. How anyone could buy a more expensive less fuel efficient Camry over a better performing Accord is lost on me...........until I see the Accords rear end that is. Redesign the Accord Honda, and fast. |
I finally test drove a TL... and while it's a nice looking car I was really disappointed with the interior leather. It looked real cheap on the inside. So that was the only negative... but enough of a negative that I won't look at it to buy (lack of RWD was also a factor but I could live with FWD). I don't know the color of the interior but it looked orange and the perforated holes just looks tacky. I'm sure another color would look better but I just wish they would stop with perforated holes. Or do a better job at not making them so visible. I would also like to point out that I had more rear seating room in the TSX than in the TL which shouldn't be the case. Enough rambling... TL has been crossed off the list. :)
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Re: Re: American Honda Febuary Sales
Originally posted by freudy I wonder how many of those Camry's were fleet cars? My very uneducated guess Accords outsold Camry's on a per person basis - meaning, take away rentals and company fleet cars, and Accords might have sold more. Not sure what the exactly means, if anything. |
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