by Honda’s Overall Sales Picture
Despite a limited market offering, demand for Honda vehicles remains high. Together with Acura, the company sold 105,097 vehicles in September, despite a shortage of popular models. The brightest example of success was the Passport, which is experiencing its best year in history. In contrast, the Acura ZDX, recently discontinued after just one year on the market, showed unsatisfactory results.
Honda’s total sales amounted to 95,391 cars for the month, which is almost unchanged from September of last year – only 0.3% less. Overall, since the beginning of the year, deliveries have increased by 4.1%. Demand for the Passport was the main growth driver: sales increased by 75.5% year-over-year and by an impressive 108.8% in September alone. Nearly 80% of buyers choose the powerful TrailSport trim, indicating the success of Honda’s more adventurous positioning.
The Strength of SUVs and Hybrids
The CR-V continues to dominate the market with over 28,000 sales in September, more than half of which are hybrid versions. The Pilot and HR-V together added another 20,000 vehicles sold. On the passenger car side, Honda sold nearly 30,000 sedans and coupes for the month.
Hybrid versions of the Accord and Civic accounted for 47% and 36% respectively. Electrified vehicles set a new monthly record (32,387 units), partly due to the launch of the EV Prologue.
Acura’s Mixed Results
Acura sold 9,706 cars in September, which is 2.2% less compared to last year. The Integra remained stable with sales of over 1,500 units. The MDX and RDX together provided over 4,800 deliveries, and the ADX, according to the brand, holds a leading market share – almost 30% of retail sales.
On the other hand, the ZDX remains a problematic model with a 61.3% sales drop in September compared to last year. In quantitative terms, this means a decrease from 979 units in 2024 to just 395 this year.
Since the beginning of the year, Acura has delivered only 11,915 copies of the ZDX. For comparison, Honda has already sold more than three times as many Prologues over the same period. With such uneven results, it is not surprising that ZDX production was discontinued prematurely.
The success of the Passport and Honda’s hybrid models demonstrates how important it is to meet market expectations for versatility and environmental friendliness. In contrast, the failure of the ZDX is a reminder of how quickly consumer needs can change and how important it is to adapt products in a timely manner. These trends may influence the company’s future decisions regarding the development of electric and hybrid technologies.
