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For Honda and Acura, October Falls Between a Win And a Loss

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The 2016 Honda CR-V is capable of up to 33 mpg on the highway

The Honda CR-V, which continues to aid Honda’s truck sales

October reports for Honda are in, and the brand saw a few indications of success and promise in the midst of an overall down month.

Honda set a new October record in moving 56,573 trucks, a 1.1% increase in the face of an October in which overall Honda sales fell by 2%.

Light trucks, fantastic for when you need to move an efficiency apartment in just a few trips or bring a large loveseat home from the furniture store when you really wanted a sofa, were up considerably for both Honda and Acura in North America, which mirrors industry trends.

As is often the case, Honda sold more “trucks” (a catch-all non-car term that’s including crossovers and SUVs) than cars in October—despite the Civic and the Accord being such perennially popular cars.

“Honda’s ratio of trucks to cars is yet another piece of data that shows how much consumer preferences have changed from cars to crossovers and SUVs,” pointed out Detroit Free Press’ Brent Snavely.

Acura’s October performance was down a whopping 20%, as the luxury brand continues to be a drag on American Honda’s overall sales. The silver lining was in light trucks, which were up 8.4%.

Honda’s down month overall also is overshadowed by the fact that the best-selling Civic is on track for a record year, which the brand attributes in part to the recently released Civic Hatchback. Honda sold more than 26,000 Civics in October.

Automakers, including Honda, saw a stellar October 2015 that was one of the industry’s best-selling months ever, so year-over-year performance declines were to be expected.