by Overall Sales Results
Despite severe winter weather in North America, Honda demonstrated resilience. Overall, the group, which includes the Honda and Acura brands, sold 98,594 vehicles in January. This is an increase of 1.9% compared to the same month last year and confirms steady demand for its SUVs, passenger cars, and expanding hybrid lineup.
New Honda Prelude: A Slow Start
However, behind these overall figures lies one model whose sales are not yet meeting expectations. We are talking about the new Honda Prelude. During its gradual rollout to the national market in January, only 216 of these coupes were sold. This is, of course, better than in December – the first full month of sales, when 174 units were sold – but it is still significantly below Honda’s target of an average of 300 sales per month.
We have already reported on record dealer markups for the Honda Prelude.
Recall that last month Honda officially confirmed that it will supply 4,000 Prelude cars to the US annually. At such volumes, it could become more popular than the Subaru BRZ, if buyers were found. So far, this is not happening. Although it is difficult to name one specific reason, price markups (and perhaps the base price itself) may be the main obstacle for the Prelude.
As has been repeatedly noted, dealers across the country are placing huge markups on this car. In some cases, attempts to sell the Prelude for over $65,000 have been observed. There was even a case where a dealer lowered its markup and tried to present it to customers as a discount, although the car still cost about $10,000 more than the suggested retail price. This is not quite the customer treatment Honda likely hopes for from its dealers.
A Successful Month for Key Models and Hybrids
Meanwhile, Honda’s core models provided a month of stable sales. The Honda brand sold 89,575 vehicles in January, 1.7% more than in January 2025, thanks to strong demand for SUVs. Topping the chart was the CR-V with 27,019 sales, with over 55% of those being hybrid versions. The Pilot and Civic also posted solid results, and the Odyssey contributed 5,334 units.
The Passport model stood out with record January sales, growing by 63.5% compared to last year – to 4,320 units. This is largely due to sustained demand for TrailSport trims, which now account for over 80% of this model’s sales. Accord sales also increased by 31.8%, reaching 12,739 units. On the other hand, HR-V sales fell by 19.7%, to 9,488 units.
Acura Brand Positions
The Acura brand also started the year well, selling 9,019 vehicles, almost 4% more than in January 2025. The leader was the new ADX crossover, which sold 2,387 units. At the same time, sales of the soon-to-be-discontinued RDX model fell by 26.5% compared to the same month last year. The larger MDX showed stability with a result of just under 3000 sales.
The overall picture of Honda’s sales demonstrates the company’s strategic resilience, relying on proven models and hybrid technology. The success of vehicles like the CR-V Hybrid, Passport TrailSport, and Accord compensates for the slow start of novelties like the Prelude. The Prelude situation becomes an interesting test for the market: can an emotional but expensive sports model find its niche in the era of crossover dominance, or will its fate be decided in dealer offices through pricing policies. The future of Acura, on the other hand, is clearly tied to the success of the new ADX, which is supposed to fill the void left by the RDX.
