Mar. 10, 2008 – Honda’s North American industry sales drop

Honda’s third-quarter new unit sales in North America declined compared to the year before.
Honda reported a 4.6 percent drop in its fiscal third quarter, which includes a three-month stretch that ended Dec. 31. The sale of 102,000 new units in North America includes motorcycles, ATVs and PWC.
For motorcycles alone, Honda’s sales in North America fell 13.3 percent in its third quarter to 52,000 units.
The company’s sales through its first nine months of its 2007 fiscal year are down in double digits. Its overall powersports new unit sales in North America of 303,000 dipped 10.6 percent compared to the year-ago period. For motorcycles, Honda’s sales have fallen 14 percent.
In its first nine months, Honda also has seen motorcycle sale decreases elsewhere, including Europe (down 3.4 percent compared to the year-ago period), Japan (5 percent) and in its largest market, Asia (19 percent). However, it has seen steady growth in Latin America and in its other developing regions.
Overall, Honda’s motorcycle sales through its first nine months totaled 6.9 million units, a decrease of nearly 13 percent from a year ago.
Looking at the company’s North American powersports market, Honda has declined in total new unit sales in each of its past three years. This year’s sales of powersports new units shows a 25 percent decrease compared to two years ago. For motorcycles, the nine-month total represents a 25.5 percent downturn compared to two years ago. psb