May 2008: Best TSX Sales Month Ever

[TSX69]

Acura Announces May Sales Results
All-New TSX Shattered Model's All-Time Sales Record


TORRANCE, Calif. - 06/03/2008

In its first full month of sales, the all-new 2009 Acura TSX posted its best month in the model's history with 4,564 units sold- topping the previous mark of 3,911 set in April of 2006. So strong are TSX sales that for the first time ever, it topped the monthly sales of TL and MDX. Acura sales for May were 14,893 units, down 9.9 percent based on Daily Selling Rate* while year-to-date sales totaled 65,458 units, down 13.8 percent compared to 2007.

"Even the luxury market appears to be taking a hard look at high fuel prices," said Dick Colliver, executive vice president of sales. "Record sales of the all-new 2009 TSX indicate that its combination of a powerful and efficient i-VTEC® 4-cylinder engine, bold styling and Acura's trademark driving character are what the market desires."

Eclipsing the previous best-ever TSX monthly sales record by 16.7 percent and shattering the previous May total by 53.7 percent, the totally redesigned 2009 TSX is proving popular right off the start. The all-new 2009 TSX is larger, more agile and more luxurious than ever before, raising the standards significantly for Acura's entry-level sedan. Major advances in handling, interior comfort, customer-relevant technology and safety features all contribute to the new TSX's appeal. Moreover, the TSX's improvements in fuel economy, along with a reduction in emissions are especially important considering today's high fuel prices. Strong initial sales of the 2009 TSX indicate that smart packaging and good fuel economy are of increasing importance to consumers.

The second-best selling Acura model in May was the TL performance luxury sedan, with 4,294 units. In addition, Acura light-truck sales for the MDX luxury SUV were 4,277 units, while the turbocharged RDX crossover SUV sold 1,368 units.

For media information and high-resolution photos of all Acura vehicles, please visit www.acuranews.com. For consumer information, please visit www.acura.com.

*The daily selling rate is calculated with 27 selling days for May 2008 versus 26 selling days for May 2007. Year-to-date sales based on 129 days for 2008 versus 127 days for 2007.




http://hondanews.com/media_storage/GIF/May08sales.gif
All-Time Record Civic Sales Top 53,000 in May as American Honda Reports Best Month Ever
Honda Civic, Fit and Acura TSX break all-time records Text Only
06/03/2008 - TORRANCE, Calif. -

American Honda Motor Co., Inc., May sales of 167,997, up 11.3 percent on a daily-selling-rate basis(1), shattered the company's all-time sales record for any month as Civic sales reached 53,299, up 28.3 percent versus last May and surpassing the previous monthly record for any car in the lineup.

New all-time records set in May included (previous record in parentheses):

* American Honda total vehicle sales of 167,997 (August 2007:158,342)
* American Honda total car sales of 114,796 (August 2002: 95,686)
* Honda Division total vehicle sales of 153,104 (August 2007: 141,906)
* Honda Division total car sales of 105,548 (August 2003: 84,390)
* Honda Civic Sales of 53,299 (May 2007: 39,993)
* Honda Civic Hybrid sales of 4,676 (May 2007: 4,520)
* Honda Fit sales of 8,205 (March 2008: 6,835)
* Acura TSX sales of 4,564 (April 2006: 3,911)

"The dramatic increase in car sales appears to be one of the most profound shifts in automotive buying patterns in more than a decade," said Dick Colliver, executive vice president of American Honda. "Record sales of the Honda Civic clearly demonstrate an accelerated trend toward fuel efficiency."

Honda Division sales of 153,104 increased 13.9 percent for the month as total car sales reached 105,548, up 30.7 percent. The Honda Civic, with sales of 53,299, set a new monthly sales record for any model in the Honda lineup, surpassing the previous record of 49,098 set in August 2003 by the Accord.

May 2008 Accord sales of 43,728, up 31.9 percent versus last year, set a new May record, surpassing the previous high of 43,589 set in May 2004. The CR-V set a new May mark of 19,959, exceeding the previous record of 19,513 set in 2007. Honda Division reported truck sales of 47,556, a decrease of 11.4 percent. Year-to-date Honda Division sales are up 5.4 percent to 590,361.

Acura Division sales totaled 14,893. Sales of the completely redesigned 2009 TSX sports sedan increased 53.7 percent and set a new all-time record of 4,564, exceeding the previous record of 3,911 set in April 2006.

American Honda reported May truck sales of 53,201, a decrease of 12.1 percent. Year-to-date American Honda sales increased 3.1 percent to 655,819.

(1) All percentages in this release reflect the daily selling rate as calculated with 27 days for May 2008, versus 26 for 2007. Year to date, the daily selling rate is calculated with 129 days for 2008, versus 127 for 2007.

For more information about Honda vehicles, please visit www.honda.com. For media inquiries, please go to www.hondanews.com. For more information about Acura vehicles, please visit www.acura.com. For media inquiries, please go to www.acuranews.com.

[visuelz]

This sucks. I do not understand why anyone would buy a car with less horsepower than prior generation.

[AcidLotus]

This sucks. I do not understand why anyone would buy a car with less horsepower than prior generation.

Most people are new buyers, not repeat buyers. They are trading in their gas hogs in droves, and see all the neat technogadgetry the new TSX has and they have to have it. The looks are subjective to us in the previous gen TSX community since we happen to like ours more, but we can't pin that same tail on their donkeys.

[pdpgps]

i think some of it is driven by marketing. new body new design, some people just want to be the first to have that "new" car. could also be related to people dumping their SUVs and purchasing 4cyl vehicles that have a luxury appeal. other then the bmw 1 series, i also dont know of any newly designed cars in that entry level luxury class that have come out recently. so good timing on acura's part, since the bmw 135 starts well over $30,000.

[ChinchillaX]

I am thinking a lot of them are 2008 models. Around here the Acura dealers still have several 2008s and they are discounting them as 2009s come in weekly. I think the same goes with anywhere else in the country.

Wow to Honda Civic sales, over 53k sold last month!:eek:

[TSX69]

I suspect some of the sales were 2008s that were sold below invoice to make room for the 2009s.

I think that the 4hp power drop is probably negligible to the general population as opposed to enthusiasts.

Look @ Honda go. The Civic/Accord/Fit flew off the lots last month. Not sure who is still selling Accord Hybrids tho. I am amazed that the CR-V still sells like that.

The Civic outsold the Camry last month by like 2,000 ....

[AcidLotus]

I am thinking a lot of them are 2008 models.

I suspect some of the sales were 2008s that were sold below invoice to make room for the 2009s.

I don't get that from the article...

In its first full month of sales, the all-new 2009 Acura TSX posted its best month in the model's history with 4,564 units sold

That sounds to me like it's all 09's.

[ians]

I suspect some of the sales were 2008s that were sold below invoice to make room for the 2009s.

I think that the 4hp power drop is probably negligible to the general population as opposed to enthusiasts.



I agreed 4hp wasn't a big deal but the retard front grill is absouletly a deal breaker!!!! 1 of my friend was keep waiting to see the 09 in person and once he saw it, he made an offer on the TSX right away... I meant the left over 08! Too bad he was too late... no more 08 and the sales guy told him that once the looks of the 09 were released, the 08 sell like a hot cake! Now he is driving an IS250.

[Colin]

I'm sure those numbers are for combined 08 and 09 sales. Still it a strong start for the car. It could possibly be the perfect car for the times. The new larger size allows it to cater to a wider audience and this makes it an option where the smaller previous gen car might not have been. People may want to downsize, but they don't want a Civic sized car.

[Age]

Looks like the general public has a different opinion of the 09 TSX than the "enthusiasts". Good for Acura.

[zildjonkim]

This sucks. I do not understand why anyone would buy a car with less horsepower than prior generation.

I think you should drive the car before you go saying things like that...
FYI i chose the 2008 over the 2009 so i'm not trying to bash you.

the 2009 yes has less peak horsepower, but it has more torque at a lower rpm and has more horsepower and torque throughout the mid section of the RPM band.

So yes, you lose a little bit of horsepower at the High RPM (are you really going to notice 5hp?) but you gain it back throughout the rest of the spectrum (where you'll actually use it on a day to day basis and you will definitely notice it).

with that being said, I still love my 08...

[Patron]

Keep in mind the current Acura lineup is old sans TSX. It's not a good comparison, the all new TL is due shortly. The MDX is even older, the RL was never a volume unit neither is the RDX.

[gerardo]

everywhere I turn theres a TSX commercial...

[TSX69]

everywhere I turn theres a TSX commercial...
Acura was given its own marketing team away from Honda's ... glad to see that they are actually doing some work.

It took them forever but it looks like Honda is getting serious about making Acura a Tier 1 luxury brand. They may want to hurry up w/ the diesels considering today's market: large cars & gas guzzlers like the MDX & RDX are on the way down & smaller cars like the TSX are on the way up. A diesel would probably help move the RDX off lots ... that thing has never met Acura's expectations & really should be selling more.

Perhaps Acura should consider a dedicated hybrid. Rumor is that Lexus is getting their version of the Prius ... maybe even a dedicated compact CUV hybrid.

[VQ30GTR]

I think you should drive the car before you go saying things like that...
FYI i chose the 2008 over the 2009 so i'm not trying to bash you.

the 2009 yes has less peak horsepower, but it has more torque at a lower rpm and has more horsepower and torque throughout the mid section of the RPM band.

So yes, you lose a little bit of horsepower at the High RPM (are you really going to notice 5hp?) but you gain it back throughout the rest of the spectrum (where you'll actually use it on a day to day basis and you will definitely notice it).

with that being said, I still love my 08...


I believe if you look at the specs, they changed 2nd gear from 1.52 to1.61 on the 09' auto, and the Manual almost all gears changed. So less HP, but better driveability and like 1 more mpg.

[gerardo]

Acura was given its own marketing team away from Honda's ... glad to see that they are actually doing some work.

It took them forever but it looks like Honda is getting serious about making Acura a Tier 1 luxury brand. They may want to hurry up w/ the diesels considering today's market: large cars & gas guzzlers like the MDX & RDX are on the way down & smaller cars like the TSX are on the way up. A diesel would probably help move the RDX off lots ... that thing has never met Acura's expectations & really should be selling more.

Perhaps Acura should consider a dedicated hybrid. Rumor is that Lexus is getting their version of the Prius ... maybe even a dedicated compact CUV hybrid.

yep today's market is looking for economic luxury, thats why Chevy is taking their suburban and other SUV's out of the market. (a large sum of their factories are shutting down I believe) But yes its good seeing Acura in the spotlight, even more now that the NSX is approaching.

[visuelz]

I think you should drive the car before you go saying things like that...
FYI i chose the 2008 over the 2009 so i'm not trying to bash you.

the 2009 yes has less peak horsepower, but it has more torque at a lower rpm and has more horsepower and torque throughout the mid section of the RPM band.

So yes, you lose a little bit of horsepower at the High RPM (are you really going to notice 5hp?) but you gain it back throughout the rest of the spectrum (where you'll actually use it on a day to day basis and you will definitely notice it).

with that being said, I still love my 08...

I'm sure I would love how the 09 drives. However, we all know that with every major change there should be an increase in power. You guys waited 5 years for it and didn't get that. I just felt like they quickly decided on something last minute and decided to put it on production.

[IronChefCJP]

I'm sure I would love how the 09 drives. However, we all know that with every major change there should be an increase in power. You guys waited 5 years for it and didn't get that. I just felt like they quickly decided on something last minute and decided to put it on production.

I think Acura looked at those that were buying the car and saw that most of them were the 20-30 somethings looking for a near-lux near-sport sedan which was good for the money. Those that join the forums, while want more power, are a small segment of those that actually get the car. The tq bump will help with everyday driving, and a peak 5hp loss isn't that big of a deal for most people. I agree with you, however, when I think "new model" I think new and improved in every way, but in reality when I think about it, how often am I going to drive the car near redline where the HP loss is?

Also, I think the Honda/Acura pride themselves on the "car as whole". Not excelling in anything in particular, but delivering a car that just...feels right.

[i64X]

I bought my TSX over a TL because the mileage was better and the car was (IMO) more fun to drive since it feels a lot smaller. I drive 40 miles one-way to work every day... mileage was important. I average over 30 in the TSX... can't ask for more than that in a of car this size/weight/hp.

[visuelz]

Also, I think the Honda/Acura pride themselves on the "car as whole". Not excelling in anything in particular, but delivering a car that just...feels right.

That's why I believe they will never be able to compete with BMW, Lexus, etc.