American Honda set a sales record for the month of March, powered by surging deliveries of the freshened Ridgeline midsize pickup at the Honda brand and best-ever deliveries for the redesigned MDX midsize crossover at the Acura brand.
Combined sales at the two brands rose 93 percent in March, compared with a year earlier when the U.S. began the national coronavirus lockdown. Combined sales for the quarter rose 16 percent, with passenger-car deliveries down 6.8 percent and light trucks rising 34 percent, Honda said on Thursday.
Brands: Honda, up 86% in March and 14% in the first quarter; Acura, up 153% in March and 33% in the quarter
Notable nameplates: Honda Civic, up 34% in March; Honda Accord, up 45%; Honda Pilot, up 89%; Honda Ridgeline, up 232%; Acura TLX, up 109%; Acura MDX, up 310%; Acura RDX, up 76%
Incentives: $2,193 per vehicle, down 19% from a year earlier, TrueCar says
Average transaction price: $31,916, up 7.4% from a year earlier, according to TrueCar data
Quote: “With all-time record sales for our all-new Acura MDX flagship and record March performance for the Honda HR-V, CR-V, Passport and Ridgeline, our light-truck lineups are leading the way. In the near term, parts supply may challenge production pace, but existing vehicle stocks can meet current demand,” said Dave Gardner, executive vice president of national operations at American Honda.
Did you know? Sales of the freshened 2021 Ridgeline, with a more squared-off styling to better compete with traditional pickup rivals, reached 6,081 last month, setting a record for March and notching its best monthly result since 2005.