HONDA: Lean stockpiles dent results

Sales at American Honda fell 16 percent in June and 28 percent in the second quarter, as the mainstream Honda and premium Acura brands suffered from the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.

June deliveries marked a continued recovery that began in May, but the automaker said supply issues limited volume. Most Honda and Acura vehicles sold in the U.S. are made in North America, which suffered plant shutdowns that affected inventory levels.

Two bright spots for the Japanese automaker: the Honda Pilot and Acura RDX crossovers posted gains last month compared with June 2019.

Brands: Honda, down 17% in June; Acura, down 0.6%.

Notable nameplates: Honda Civic, down 22% in June; Honda Accord, down 30%; Honda CR-V, down 13%; Honda Pilot, up 4.7%; Acura ILX, down 16%; Acura TLX, down 21%; Acura RDX, up 11%.

Incentives: Honda, $2,570 per vehicle in the second quarter, up 48% from a year earlier; Acura, $6,242 per vehicle, up 38% from a year earlier, according to ALG.

Average transaction price: Honda, $28,597, up 3.1% in Q2 from a year earlier; Acura, $42,339, also up 3.1% in Q2 from a year earlier, according to ALG.

Quote: "We're running a bit lean on inventory, but our dealers have been remarkably nimble in adapting to one of the greatest challenges our industry has ever seen and our production team is working extra days this week to supply our customers," said Dave Gardner, executive vice president of auto sales at American Honda.

Did you know? In the first half, American Honda sales fell 24% compared with a year ago, with car sales down 29% and light-truck sales down 20%.