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Honda reports Accord sales down 15.3% in May

BRANDON KLEIN
Special to the Legal News

Published: June 13, 2019

The Honda Accord's sales struggle continued last month.

The mid-size sedan, which has been built at the Marysville Auto Plant since 1982, saw a 15.3 percent decrease in May sales, with 23,892 vehicles sold compared with 28,212 vehicles in May 2018.

Year-to-date sales were down 3.6 percent.

Honda announced in April plans to temporarily halt second-shift production of the Accord in August at the Marysville plant in preparation for electric vehicle production. The shift, which produced 55,000 vehicles annually, is expected to return in several years. The move comes as U.S. truck and SUV sales continue to outperform sedan sales.

"Honda electrified vehicle sales topped 6,000 for the month, with Insight leading the way with 2,653 units sold," the company said in its May sales press release.

While total truck sales were down 2.7 percent last month, the segment was up 2.5 percent on a year-to-date basis. Car sales were down 7.4 percent last month, while year-to-date sales were down 2.9 percent, according to Honda.

"We're seeing growth opportunities in cars and light trucks for both Honda and Accura brands as the market continues to level off," stated Henio Arcangeli Jr., senior vice president of Automobile Sales at American Honda Motor Co. "Accura SUVs are leading the charge in luxury with RDX and MDX as consistent top sellers, while the Honda brand is extending its industry leadership in passenger car sales and building toward a full decade of SUV sales growth."

Meanwhile, the Marysville plant's Accura models continues to experience mix results. The ILX compact sport sedan had a 21.1 percent increase in May sales and a 22.7 percent increase in year-to-date sales. But the TLX midsize luxury sedan continued to struggle with May sales down 17.9 percent, with year-to-date sales down 22.2 percent.

Honda sold 1,351 ILXs last month, up from 1,116 in May 2018, while the auto manufacturer sold 2,235 TLXs in May, down from 2,723 vehicles in May 2018.

"Accura is showing strength this year with 7 percent retail growth, while major competitors are stuck in neutral or showing losses in retail sales," the company stated.

Overall, Honda sold 145,532 vehicles last month, a 4.9 percent decrease from May 2018 when it sold 153,069 vehicles. Year-to-date sales were neutral.

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