March 2016 Sales: Honda, Nissan See Gains, Toyota Down 2.7 Percent

Honda and Nissan sales were up during March 2016 with gains of 9.4 percent and 12.7 percent, respectively, compared to the same time last year, while Toyota sales were down 2.7 percent.

The Honda division climbed 10.5 percent overall, while its Acura premium division gained 1.2 percent. Nissan sales were up 13 percent and Infiniti was up 10 percent overall. The Toyota brand, including Scion, was down 2.7 percent, while Lexus was down 2.8 percent for the month.

Honda

Total Honda sales in March equaled 138,221 units with the Honda brand accounting for 123,369 units and Acura the remaining 14,852 units. Total SUV sales accounted for 64,453 units – an increase of 5.7 percent, while total car sales were up 13 percent for a total of 73,768 units. Honda car sales totaled 68,314 (up 13.7 percent) and Honda truck and SUVs sales totaled 55,055 (up 6.9 percent). Acura sold more SUVs than sedans last month with SUV sales totalling 9,398 units (down 0.7 percent) and sedan sales at 5,454 units (up 4.8 percent).

Winner: Honda Civic (21.8-percent increase, 32,855 units)

The Honda Civic sedan was the company’s number-one best-selling model at 32,855 units sold, representing an increase of 21.8 percent. With production of the coupe still ramping up, most of those units are the new sedan. The Honda Accord sedan and coupe was the second best-selling model with 30,523 units sold (up 17.3 percent). Other notable increases include the Acura TLX sedan (up 9.9 percent, 3,768 units) and the Acura RDX SUV (up 24.1 percent, 5,310 units).

Loser: Honda Fit (33.5-percent decrease, 3,647 units)

While Honda and Acura have many models in flux (including discontinued cars, new models, and name changes), the subcompact Honda Fit hatchback took the biggest hit for an unchanged model. With 4,771 units sold, Fit sales were down 33.5 percent. The popular Acura MDX SUV had a noticeable drop in sales last month too. Sales were down 25.7 percent for a total of 4,088 units sold. The CR-Z was also down 36.1 percent with 163 units sold, while sales of the Honda Pilot SUV were down 11.3 percent to 10,593 units. Sales of the slow-moving Acura RL/RLX premium sedan are down 33 percent at 130 units.

Nissan

Nissan sold a total of 163,559 Nissan and Infiniti vehicles last month. The Japanese automaker sold 149,784 Nissan-branded models and 13,775 units from its premium Infiniti division. Nissan car sales accounted for 88,278 units (up 15.6 percent), whiles its trucks and SUVs accounted for 61,506 units (up 9.4 percent). Infiniti sold 6,294 cars (down 11.0 percent) and 7,481 (up 37.2 percent).

Winner: Nissan Sentra (23.1-percent increase, 26,201 units)

Sales of the Nissan Sentra sedan were up 23.1 percent to 26,201 units in March. Although Nissan sold more Altima sedans (up 8.9 percent, 34,856 units), the Sentra’s higher percentage gain is bucking the trend of small cars losing ground to crossovers. On the larger end of Nissan’s car lineup, sales of the Nissan Maxima were up 138.7 percent to 6,588 units.

Loser: Nissan Leaf (31.4-percent decrease, 1,246 units)

Sales of the fully-electric Nissan Leaf were down 31.4 percent to 1,246 units last month, possibly influenced by low fuel prices. At the other end of the spectrum, sales of the company’s flagship supercar were down 62.3 percent to 66 units. Sales of Godzilla could be affected by a refreshed 2017 model announced at the New York auto show earlier this month. Other notable losses include the 370Z sports coupe at 24.1 percent (576 units) and the Armada SUV at 22.5 percent (981 units).

Toyota

March sales for Toyota were down 2.7 percent to 219,842 units. The Toyota brand (including Scion) sold 189,644 units, while the premium Lexus brand accounted for 30,198 units. Although Toyota (down 2.7 percent) and Lexus (down 2.8 percent) were down overall, car sales were hardest hit with Toyota cars down 15.6 percent and Lexus cars down 20.8 percent. Toyota truck sales were down 3.4 percent, while Lexus truck sales were up 1.4 percent.

Winner: Toyota RAV4 (6.5-percent increase, 29,045 units)

While sales of most Toyota and Lexus models were down in March, the Toyota RAV4 SUV saw gains of 6.5 percent to 29.045 units. The Highlander also saw gains of 6.2 percent to 14,949 units. Despite a sales drop of 16.1 percent, the Toyota Camry sedan was the number- one selling model with 36,991 sales followed by the Toyota Corolla sedan down 15.2 percent to 32,556 sales.

Loser: Toyota Tundra (19.5-percent decrease, 10,002 units)

While truck sales across the industry were strong in March, sales of the full-size Toyota Tundra were down 19.5 percent to 10,002 units. Sales of the Sienna minivan were also down 13.6 percent to 11,996 units. Sales of the Lexus GS were also down 40.6 percent to 1,524 units. In a conference call, Toyota said sales were affected by the timing of Easter this year, as many dealerships were closed. A Toyota spokesman also told us the results could show a shift from cars to light truck, SUV, and crossover sales. “Our light truck sales were up, just not enough to counter the decline in passenger cars,” he said.

Source: The Automakers

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