Honda / Acura US Model Sales : 2023/24 (Q2)

Both Honda and Acura have a good reputation in the USA. Honda in particular sells very strongly. Acura has its work cut out against several bigger selling premium marques, including fellow countryman Lexus.

Honda: The brand is up 12% YTD, with the CR-V up 20%and the Civic 38%. The Accord is down 19% and the HR-V up 41%. 

The CR-V is clearly the best selling car but for many years before it was the Accord, until 2014. In 2015, the Civic took over for just one year and then the CR-V has been top since. Those three are still on top but the HR-V looks destined to change that. 

Acura: A North American brand which doesn't even feature in Japan. It has occasionally been used elsewhere but without much success but it works well in the US.  

That said, sales are currently down 13%YTD but 64,000 units isn't to be sniffed at. It's currently based around three main models, the RDX crossover the only one up at the present (+28%).

The new electric ZDX (picture to the left) is an interesting one. Honda has a cousin in the form of the Prologue and it has relatives in Buick, Chevrolet and Cadillac. That's quite a family! It's built at a GM factory in Tenessee. 

Obviously, there are cost savings in sharing costs (which I think the industry doesn't do enough of) but the brands all have their own level of trim and sophistication so it's the way forward for the industry. 

Data & photo source Honda.  

Slovakia Passenger Car Sales : 2024 (Jan-Jun)

The country that produces more cars per capita than any other. It had a 4% increase in registrations YTD with Škoda delivering one in five of them. Škoda is based in neighbouring Chechia but the local populous to the east clearly still relate to the brand.

Toyota and Hyundai lost ground to the leader although VW made up a little ground in passing Kia. Nissan, MG, Lexus, Subaru and Land Rover had notable gains. Peugeot, Opel and Audi not so.

Some of the best selling models were the Škoda Octavia with 2,611, Hyundai i30 (2,045), Škoda Fabia (1,918), Kia Sportage (1,270), Dacia Duster (1,269) and the Škoda Kamiq (1,212).

Data source: ZAP. 

Toyota / Lexus US Model Sales : 2023/24 (Q2)

Toyota and Lexus are very popular in the US and it's getting better in 2024. Combined they are close to 1.2 million in H1. So what's selling?

Toyota: Sales are up 16.5% or close to 150,000 units. That's substantial and shows just how well the brand is viewed in the US. It's the biggest selling nameplate.

The RAV4 is the most popular with nearly 25% of the total for the brand. It's also up 33% YTD. The Camry is in a segment that many other brands have abandoned and it's enjoying success with less competition in a shrinking area of the market. 

The Tacoma pick up is down 46% while its bigger brother the Tundra is up 31% but when combined sales are down. The Grand Highlander is a slightly larger Highlander and seems to have canabalised sales from its smaller sibling. 

Data & picture source: Toyota & Lexus. Photo above the Toyota Venza and below the Lexus TX.

Lexus: Sales are up here too, but only by 12%. That's 18,000 more than for the equivalent period in 2023. Of course, a new model expanding the range is always likely to do that. 

The most popular model, the RX is down 4% so far, but the new TX barge..I mean SUV...is already proving popular. Some of these modern vehicles are ridiculously oversized but people want them. The GX is down 31% but may have been affected by the arrival of the slightly smaller but not too dissimilar sized TX. Those ladies below look shifty.