Honda Owns "Car Wars" Report

The auto industry is essentially an arms race, with every automaker on the face of the planet constantly trying to one-up the competition by offering more features in newer models with updated technology and improved efficiency and safety. It’s not easy to stay ahead of this curve, but Honda always does a good job giving consumers a nice balance between cost and value, which is why it wasn’t all that surprising to see Honda do so well in this year’s Merryll Lynch “Car Wars” report.

The 2016 Honda HR-V - "Great Thinking Inside"

All-New Honda HR-V Crossover Advertising Campaign Gets Everything Right

• Unexpected car advertising unveils all-new HR-V Crossover brand personality by walking down Honda's memory lane and brand's commitment to innovation
• Campaign utilizes the magic of CG to introduce the versatile HR-V Crossover

In sync with the launch of the all-new 2016 HR-V Crossover, Honda is launching an original advertising campaign illustrating the brand's history of innovation that led to this crossover that gets everything right.
The campaign is made up of two distinctive TV spots, "Give and Take" and "Great Thinking Inside." "Give and Take" takes a lighthearted approach to depict a literal molding of people's faces, stretching and pulling ears, chins and foreheads to express the truth that it's difficult to get everything just the way you want it. The HR-V Crossover has found that no-compromise sweet spot where everything is perfect.
"Great Thinking Inside" appeals to Honda enthusiasts' sense of nostalgia. With the Honda Prelude, del Sol, Element and others set in Russian-nested-doll fashion, the advertisement shows how one good idea leads to another, and how Honda's continuous building on past successes have arrived at its latest iconic car, the HR-V Crossover. Sammy Davis Jr.'s "Gonna Build a Mountain" provides a classic, memorable soundtrack.
"The versatility, sleek design and advanced technology of the all-new HR-V Crossover provides a multi-dimensional element that will appeal to a variety of people," said Jeff Conrad, senior vice president and general manager of the Honda Automobile Division of American Honda Motor Co., Inc. "The vehicles in ‘Great Thinking Inside' are iconic Honda models that demonstrate our evolution of thinking, while ‘Give and Take' illustrates our dedication to innovations, and we're proud to continue this track record with the all-new HR-V."
Simple, eye-catching print work conveys the idea that big isn't the only way to versatility. Print insertions will be seen in Road & Track, Autoweek, MotorTrend and more and will be in the form of magazine fold-ins. Unfolded, the car stretches out to show a bigger vehicle. Folded in, the ad depicts the HR-V Crossover and all the cargo items it can transport.
The campaign will incorporate a wide mix of media, kicking off with home-page takeovers on Yahoo! and YouTube, along with a presence in network primetime, cable and a variety of sports. Digital support will be featured across various partners, helping to bring to life unique interactive experiences. Notable digital efforts include: sponsoring the brand new Amazon 3D printing store that features a sweepstakes to give users a chance to win an actual 3D printer, collaborating with Thrillist on a Culinary Road Trip event, sponsoring the National Geographic Wanderlust Instagram contest with a chance to win a Nat Geo Yosemite Expedition and custom videos and a personalized interactive post on Buzzfeed.
In addition, the all-new HR-V Crossover is being supported with a completely redesigned model section at http://automobiles.honda.com/hr-v. Every 2016 Honda model will showcase this new look and feel.
About Honda
Honda offers a full line of reliable, fuel-efficient and fun-to-drive automobiles for American car buyers through approximately 1,000 independent U.S. Honda dealers. The Honda lineup includes the Accord, Crosstour, Civic, Fit, CR-Z and Insight, along with the Pilot and CR-V sport/utility vehicles and the Odyssey minivan.
Honda has the longest-lasting cars1 of any mainstream automotive brand in America, and more models achieving an IIHS TOP SAFETY PICK+ rating than any other automotive nameplate.
Honda has been producing automobiles in America for more than 30 years and currently operates 16 major manufacturing facilities in North America. In 2013, more than 94 percent of all Honda vehicles sold in the U.S. were made in North America, using domestic and globally sourced parts.
<sup>1 Longevity based on IHS Automotive, Polk U.S. vehicles in operation registration statistics 1988–2012 for Honda and non-luxury competing brands.

Source: Honda News</sup>

2016 Honda Pilot Gets Big Update

With all the attention that Honda SUVs have been getting over the course of the last several months, it would be easy to miss that the 2016 Honda Pilot is slated to receive a generational upgrade and will feature a slew of great new additions ranging from design to technology to features. The HR-V is the buzzy new kid on the block and the CR-V is the best-selling All-Star, but this new Pilot, big enough to seat eight passengers comfortably, is more than good enough to warrant plenty of attention all on its own.

American Honda Reports May 2015 Sales: Gateway Models Power Honda Light Truck and Sedan Sales; Acura Continues Momentum as Sedan Sales Accelerate

• Honda Fit again impresses with an 82-percent gain to lead strong Honda sedan sales
• New HR-V debuts with incredible 6,381 units sold in half a month to lead record May Honda light truck sales with a 10.6-percent year-over-year gain to 63,979 units
• Acura's first-year TLX continues to drive Acura sedan sales increases with second  consecutive 4,000+ unit month for a 43.5-percent year-over-year sedan sales hike
• Upgraded RDX first full sales month punches well over 5,000 units smashing May 2014 numbers by 24.3 percent and setting a new all-time monthly sales record
• Top Acura performers accelerated the luxury brand sales by a substantial 16.1 percent

American Honda Motor Co., Inc. today reported May 2015 Honda and Acura vehicle sales of 154,593 units, with Honda light trucks gaining 10.6 percent on sales of 63,979 units and Acura sedans increasing 43.5 percent on sales of 6,278 vehicles. American Honda total sales were up 1.3 percent year-over-year, with the Acura Division gaining 16.1 percent on sales of 17,042 vehicles in May and the Honda Division posting sales of 137,551 vehicles, a decrease of 0.3 percent for the month.
Honda
With the introduction of the all-new HR-V entry crossover further strengthening the perennially popular Honda light truck lineup, the trifecta of HR-V, CR-V and Pilot CUVs proved a winning sales combination in May. The lineup will gain greater momentum with the June debut of the all-new third-generation 2016 Pilot.  The introductory vehicle to the Honda car lineup, the Fit is finding homes with a steeply increasing number of individual buyers, posting an 82-percent gain to 6,342 units in May. Accord and Civic continue to be incredibly popular, topping 30,000 units in sales, along with America's most popular SUV, the Honda CR-V.

• Honda light trucks beat previous May record by 6,144 units for a total of 63,979 vehicles.
• Sales of the second-generation 2015 Pilot increased 17 percent to 11,760 ahead of introduction of the third-generation 2016 model.
• Fit posts third consecutive month of over-6,000 unit sales for an 82-percent year-over-year May increase.

"The new Honda HR-V hit the ground running with an incredible sales performance in just a half month on the market with the all-new 2016 Pilot coming to market this month to further accelerate light truck sales," said Jeff Conrad, Honda Division senior vice president and general manager. "Despite the market trend toward light truck sales, our trio of Fit-Civic-Accord remains popular with individual buyers, and we're looking forward to a summer of hot sales."
Acura
Sales of the new TLX luxury sport sedan and upgraded ILX gateway luxury sedan boosted Acura sedan sales to an impressive increase of 43.5 percent from May 2014 with a total of 4,352 TLX models and 1,673 ILXs sold. Adding to Acura's overall 16.1-percent gain to 17,042 vehicles was the refreshed RDX with all-time record sales of 5,343 units, combining with the popular MDX to produce sales of 10,764 Acura luxury SUVs in May.

• With a total of 17,042 units sold, Acura brand sales gained 16.1 percent in May; every current Acura model up from previous month
• Acura sedan sales up by 43.5 percent for May with a total of 6,278 vehicles driven by TLX sales of 4,352 units and ILX sales of 1,673.
• MDX and RDX both post sales numbers over 5,000 units each for a May record total Acura light truck sales of 10,764 vehicles

"The Acura sedan lineup continues to build strong momentum with an increasing number of luxury customers getting behind the wheel of our TLX and ILX luxury performance models, " said Mike Accavitti, Acura Division senior vice president and general manager. "Together with the benchmark MDX and recently refreshed RDX, both topping 5,000 units in sales, we're on track for a summer of accelerating Acura sales."



Source: Honda News

2015 Honda CR-V Wins Cars.com/USA Today/“MotorWeek” Compact SUV Challenge

2015 CR-V applauded for its optimal balance of family-friendly features, interior room, excellent visibility and rewarding driving experience

The 2015 Honda CR-V, America's most popular SUV for the past decade (automobiles.honda.com/cr-v/), has won the top spot in the Cars.com/USA TODAY/"MotorWeek" Compact SUV Challenge (cars.com/news), with a panel of experts and customers choosing CR-V over six competing models.
"The compact SUV segment is among the most competitive in the industry, and we took nothing for granted with the 2015 CR-V," said Jeff Conrad, senior vice president and general manager of the Honda Division. "The CR-V has been America's top SUV choice for many years now, and it's great to see that real-world customers and experts from Cars.com, USA TODAY and "MotorWeek" agree that the 2015 CR-V continues to live up to their high expectations."
In winning the competition, the CR-V earned praise for its rewarding driving experience, generous interior room and family-friendly features. The 2015 CR-V features upgrades to styling, performance, fuel efficiency and family-friendly technology.
"The 2015 Honda CR-V came out on top because it provided the best blend of good interior room, excellent visibility and a surprisingly rewarding driving experience," said Patrick Olsen, Cars.com editor-in-chief. "The CR-V was also packed with great family-friendly features like easy-to-fold seats, a low load floor, rear air vents and much more."
The Challenge pitted seven of the most popular compact SUVs against each other in a series of expert and consumer testing, which determined that the 2015 CR-V was overall best-in-class. To qualify for the competition, vehicles had to cost less than $28,000 and achieve a combined city/highway EPA fuel economy rating of at least 26 mpg.
About Honda
Honda offers a complete lineup of Honda cars, trucks and service through a network of more than 1,000 Honda dealerships within the United States. Eight Honda auto plants in North America, including four in the U.S., have the capacity to produce 1.92 million automobiles each year¹. In 2014, more than 97 percent of the Honda and Acura automobiles sold in the U.S. were produced in North America.
About Cars.com
Launched in 1998, Cars.com is an award-recognized online destination for car shoppers and owners that offers information from experts and consumers to help research, price and find new and used cars, as well as information around service and repair for car owners. With more than 30 million monthly visits to its web properties, Cars.com offers millions of new and used vehicle listings, expert and consumer reviews, side-by-side comparison, build and price tools, unbiased editorial content and much more. In 2015, Cars.com introduced a new service and repair feature to help consumers find the right service provider and understand how much to pay with the fair-price estimator tool. Cars.com puts millions of car buyers, and now owners, in control of their shopping process with the information they need to make stress-free buying, selling and servicing decisions.
¹Honda products are produced using domestic and globally sourced parts.

Source: Honda Media News

Surfer, Scientist – The HR-V LX Crossover