Spotty January for Honda; Accord, RDX surge
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Sales of the RDX crossover nearly tripled in January, spurring the division's 13 percent advance. |
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LOS ANGELES -- American Honda's January sales increased 13 percent, as strong gains for the redesigned Accord sedan and Acura RDX crossover countered sluggish demand for much of the lineup.
Accord sales soared 75 percent over January 2012 levels, leading the namesake division to a 13 percent increase. The only other big-volume Honda vehicle to see a sales bump was the Pilot crossover, up 16 percent.
Sales of the Civic, which was dramatically freshened in November, were flat. Civic sales were split evenly between leftover 2012s and the '13 edition. A Honda spokeswoman said about 8,000 of the 2012 models are still on dealer lots and should be sold out by the end of February.
Honda continues to pare imports of made-in-Japan vehicles such as the Fit, Insight and CR-Z. As a result, sales are slowing to a trickle.
"The all-new Accord has the Honda brand right where we left off in 2012 -- powering significant sales gains in the new year," John Mendel, American Honda executive vice president, said in a statement. "With our strongest vehicle lineup ever and continued sales momentum, we're optimistic 2013 will be a great year for the Honda brand."
Honda Division sales rose 24 percent last year in a market that gained 13 percent.
On the Acura side, the redesigned RDX compact crossover was the brand's one-trick pony. Sales nearly tripled, spurring the division's 13 percent advance.
The rest of the lineup saw year-over-year declines. Not counting the RDX's gains, the brand declined 7 percent. The entry-luxury ILX sedan once again barely outsold the more-expensive TSX it is designed to replace.
You can reach Mark Rechtin at mrechtin@crain.com. -- Follow Mark on 
