Honda CRZ Monthly sales totals

[holeydonut]

The auto lease guide (ALG) has done some post-tsunami analysis and they assert that most auto sales (USA/NAFTA-Region) have been restored to prior levels as of the August/September time frame.

https://www.alg.com/pdf/ND11_IR_US.pdf

The Suzuka plant may have been hit especially hard and the CR-Z is left hanging. Honda also assembles the Fit there, and the Fit is trending back to a "normal" level of day's supply. There is no indication that I can find where the tsunami continues to have an adverse effect on any Japanese assembly/supplier company. That includes all Infinitis, Priuses, Lexus, whatever that is imported to the USA.

I think what is more likely happening is that Honda is wisely not sending their available CR-Zs to the low-profit USA/Canada markets. Maybe after they get dealer-stock in the Rest of the World markets back to a healthy level, they'll send more CR-Zs to the USA. But I bet they'll probably scale back global CR-Z volume in general and divert to the other cars.

Even at the relatively high price point (sub compact in the $20K USD range is considered high), there is no way the CR-Z makes Honda much money. Couple that with a weak dollar and you have a recipe for "bad business case." But the CR-Z is selling okay in Japan/Europe, and vehicle margins (before VAT) are much much much higher there compared to the USA/Canada. The falling Euro has nothing on the fact that an average European customer simply pays more for their cars.

Auto sales (in the normal consumer market segments... not premium luxury) in the USA rely on volume. If you don't have volume you might as well not bother. Unless your name is Mitsubishi - where nobody can figure out why they're still bothering.

Hopefully we'll see a normal 2012 allocation go to the dealers. But I would wager strongly that North American dealers won't be getting many CR-Zs next year either.

[gozoner]

December 2011 number is 564.
Total for 2011 is 11,330 (2010 was 5,249).

Last three months have been:
Oct: 289
Nov: 305
Dec: 564

Badly Formatted Table of Honda/Acura Sales

(slight mistake in the following table, will fix later)

[TCroly]

Sales for January 2012 - 363 sold
Sales of CRZs remain very weak despite a growing supply.

[zoltiz]

Originally Posted by TCroly

Sales for January 2012 - 363 sold
Sales of CRZs remain very weak despite a growing supply.

Who in their right mind would pay $20K for a sluggish 2-seater when you can get a ton more car for a good chunk less money and still have comparable gas mileage? Niche car is an understatement

[Jwarian]

I would

[flamingoezz]

Originally Posted by Varmint

It's a shame. The car is much better than the public believes. Between the bashing it got from sports purists and the snooty response from the eco-weenies, it never stood a chance. The extremes converged and created such a poor image it turned away the more moderate public.

i dont think image has to do with poor numbers..it is practicality.

the car is marketed to a younger crowd - sporty look, cheap price tag. so logic would dictate that a good portion of their potential buyers is in the 25-35 yr old range..coincidentally that is the age range most people have kids. THIS CAR IS A TWO SEATER.

someone at honda really f'd up in the USA. even small seats (suitable for a child seat) would make me go out and buy a crz in a heartbeat but im not ready to commit my early 30s to a car I can't put a child in.

there are plenty of equally sporty models in the same price range with 4 seats (frs, brz, veloster). and with the abundance of hybrids being converted from existing models - everything from lexus to kia, there is not shortage of options there.


i really like this car, but honda is really missing the boat in the US market by having those dumb storage compartments rather than seats. even if they were just big enough for small children it would be enough for me to throw down and get a crz.

[TCroly]

Originally Posted by flamingoezz

i dont think image has to do with poor numbers..it is practicality.

the car is marketed to a younger crowd - sporty look, cheap price tag. so logic would dictate that a good portion of their potential buyers is in the 25-35 yr old range..coincidentally that is the age range most people have kids. THIS CAR IS A TWO SEATER.

someone at honda really f'd up in the USA. even small seats (suitable for a child seat) would make me go out and buy a crz in a heartbeat but im not ready to commit my early 30s to a car I can't put a child in.

there are plenty of equally sporty models in the same price range with 4 seats (frs, brz, veloster). and with the abundance of hybrids being converted from existing models - everything from lexus to kia, there is not shortage of options there.


i really like this car, but honda is really missing the boat in the US market by having those dumb storage compartments rather than seats. even if they were just big enough for small children it would be enough for me to throw down and get a crz.

I believe that it was US safety regulations that nixed the back seats in the CRZ. But I do agree that it would have been practical to design the parcel shelf in such a way that a child seat could be strapped in, even if the area was not designed for use without a Child safety seat I place. But who knows, the safety regulations for strapping in a safety seat are probably stricter than they are for adult passenger seats.

[Varmint]

Originally Posted by flamingoezz

there are plenty of equally sporty models in the same price range with 4 seats (frs, brz, veloster). and with the abundance of hybrids being converted from existing models - everything from lexus to kia, there is not shortage of options there.

Yeah, if only Honda had a sporty 2+2. Maybe one with a bigger engine, like the K series. That model should probably wear an Si badge, too.

You may be right. If you are, then the US never should have sold the original CRX.

[crzmugen]

I usually only enjoy/buy 2 seaters, so the back seat would have been a big deciding factor for me. Plus it's not keeping it "crx or insight" design traditional.

Originally Posted by flamingoezz

i dont think image has to do with poor numbers..it is practicality.

the car is marketed to a younger crowd - sporty look, cheap price tag. so logic would dictate that a good portion of their potential buyers is in the 25-35 yr old range..coincidentally that is the age range most people have kids. THIS CAR IS A TWO SEATER.

someone at honda really f'd up in the USA. even small seats (suitable for a child seat) would make me go out and buy a crz in a heartbeat but im not ready to commit my early 30s to a car I can't put a child in.

there are plenty of equally sporty models in the same price range with 4 seats (frs, brz, veloster). and with the abundance of hybrids being converted from existing models - everything from lexus to kia, there is not shortage of options there.


i really like this car, but honda is really missing the boat in the US market by having those dumb storage compartments rather than seats. even if they were just big enough for small children it would be enough for me to throw down and get a crz.

[xdmitrix]

i'm not having kids, so to hell with practicality