USA SALES MAY - Another brand and another downturn in sales, the daily sales rate has hit yet another company.

With two fewer selling days this May versus a year ago, American Honda Motor Co., Inc. today reported May sales of 147,108 units, a year-over-year decline of 4.8 percent. However, year-to-date American Honda sales of 653,640 units are up 5.7 percent versus year-ago results as the company remains on track for a second straight year of record-setting sales.

Honda

With balanced demand for Honda cars and light trucks, the Honda brand maintained its lead over last year's all-time record results. Year-to-date Honda brand sales are up 7.1 percent over 2015 results to 585,998 Honda cars and light trucks. May sales were down 2.9 percent to 133,547 units following a five-month stretch of year-over-year gains dating back to December 2015.

• The 10th-generation Civic continues to lead the compact segment with its seventh straight month of year-over-year sales gains, up 2.7 percent to 35,396 in May.
• HR-V posted particularly strong May sales of 7,392 units, a 15.8 percent gain over last year as consumer awareness and supplies of the popular subcompact crossover continue to strengthen.
• On a daily selling rate basis, Honda saw positive results, with total sales up 5.2 percent and positive gains for Civic, up 11.2 percent; Accord up 6.9 percent; HR-V, up 25.5 percent; Odyssey, up 3.1 percent; and Pilot, up 3.6 percent.

"We continue to see solid demand for Honda cars and light trucks, and all indicators point to a strong summer selling season for Honda," said Jeff Conrad, senior vice president and general manager of the Honda Division. "With our balanced lineup and an all-new Ridgeline pickup and restyled and reengineered 2017 Accord Hybrid launching this summer, we remain bullish on our prospects for a third consecutive yearly sales record for the Honda brand."

Acura

Coming off a successful sell-down of the outgoing 2016 RDX SUV and facing regional shortfalls in inventories of the MDX seven-passenger SUV, Acura posted a 20.4 percent decline in May results on sales of 13,561 Acura cars and SUVs.

"Inventory issues and a challenging market for luxury sedan sales took the wind out of our sails in May, but with the excitement of the NSX now coming to market and the restyled and significantly refreshed 2017 MDX arriving later this month we look to continue our growth this summer," said Jon Ikeda, vice president and general manager of the Acura division.