Honda 2020 Sales End on a Strong Note
With a shutdown lasting from the end of March to early May, 2020 was a difficult year for every car manufacturer. But sales had rebounded by the fall season, and by the end of the year, brands like Honda had managed to recuperate some of their losses.
The Japanese automaker reports that in the United States, it sold 136,467 vehicles in December alone, and as before the pandemic, trucks and SUVs reigned king. American Honda’s truck division sold 87,634 vehicles, up 3.6 percent, led by strong performances by the CR-V and Pilot.
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The CR-V ended the year as the fifth bestselling vehicle in the entire United States with 333,502 units sold, topping the 300,000 mark for the eighth consecutive year. In December 2020, it was up 5.6 percent on a volume basis compared to 2019.
Other models showed even more growth. The Pilot was up 16 percent in December and the Passport was up 18.1 percent. Even the small Honda Fit was up 3.7 percent. A few of the automaker’s Acura-badged cars also did well, including the ILX and the MDX.
The Passport is probably Honda’s most notable model of the year. Unveiled at the end of 2018, it marked the return of rugged nameplate in the guise of a two-row, midsize crossover SUV. Compared to its 2019 performance, it was up 9.6 percent with nearly 40,000 units sold, even despite the global pandemic slowing business to a crawl.
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And the Honda Civic, though it didn’t quite reach the high of years past, still maintained its status as the top car among millennials and first-time buyers. With 261,225 units sold, it was the bestselling compact car of 2020 and the eighth bestselling vehicle in America.
“While 2020 was a year of unprecedented challenges, through the efforts of our Honda and Dealer associates and the continuing loyalty of our customers, we were able to deliver 1.3 million vehicles,” said Dave Gardner, executive vice president of National Operations at American Honda.
“As the world continues to cope with the global pandemic, we remain optimistic that things will improve soon and look forward to the upcoming launches of critical all-new products like the Honda Civic and Acura MDX.”
Kurt Verlin was born in France and lives in the United States. Throughout his life he was always told French was the language of romance, but it was English he fell in love with. He likes cats, music, cars, 30 Rock, Formula 1, and pretending to be a race car driver in simulators; but most of all, he just likes to write about it all. See more articles by Kurt.