A solution for the housing crisis?
American Honda (7267.T and NYSE: HMC) today outlined its 2026 U.S. automobile business outlook during its annual media briefing. It also showed a prototype of the Honda Base Station, a towable travel trailer developed by engineers and designers at its U.S. R&D centers. Basically the Japanese company is going to focus on lower cost models with package and trim changes because of the affordability crisis that is an industry-wide problem.* [The briefing also underscored another industry problem, the decline of traditional auto shows since it occurred during a media preview day of the Detroit Auto Show. -AutoCrat]
“Nearly all of our Honda and Acura models have been redesigned or upgraded in the last 18 months, giving us one of the freshest lineups in the industry heading into 2026,” said Lance Woelfer, Vice President of Sales. “For American Honda, we are focused on delivering the right mix of gas-powered and hybrid vehicles to meet customer demand for affordable, high-value products. With average new car prices hitting record highs across the industry, cost is a growing concern, and we want the Honda and Acura brands to continue to be recognized for delivering incredible value to our customers,” said Woelfer.
“American Honda is maintaining a flexible and balanced strategy to stay competitive and adapt to evolving market conditions. In 2026, to meet customer needs for affordability, the company will increase production of more value-oriented trims of core Honda models (CR-V, Civic, Accord) and gateway Acura models (ADX and Integra).”
American Honda Automobile Sales Highlights
- American Honda posted sales of 1,430,577 units in 2025, its best year since 2021, a year over year increase of 0.5%. The sales increase was achieved despite the impact of changes in market conditions and a microchip shortage that contributed to leaner inventories in the 4th quarter.
- Honda CR-V achieved record sales, with the model posting over 400,000 units for the second consecutive year, with hybrid models comprising 54% of sales.
- Electrified models, which include CR-V Hybrid, Accord Hybrid, Civic Hybrid, all-new Prelude and the all-electric Prologue, combined to deliver record sales for the third straight year.
- The company is preparing for a more competitive market heading into 2026, with industry SAAR forecasted in the high 15-million to low 16-million-unit range.
- In 2026, American Honda is projecting total sales of 1.5 million units, up 4% compared to last year.
- Both the Honda and Acura brands are anticipating modest sales increases in 2026, with Honda topping 1.35 million units and the Acura brand targeting sales of around 135,000 units.
- American Honda enters 2026 with a lower-than-average days’ supply as the company continues to recover from supply chain disruptions that occurred in the fall of last year.
Honda Product Revisions
- The refreshed 2026 Honda Pilot began arriving at Honda dealerships in mid-December with a significantly larger touchscreen, improved steering feel, a quieter cabin, bold new styling and upgraded safety features. The collection of meaningful upgrades will maintain the Honda Pilot as the benchmark in the midsize three-row SUV category.
- The Honda S+ Shift feature, introduced on the Prelude, will be added to the Civic Hybrid later this year. S+ Shift simulates a performance transmission for an enhanced electrified driving experience.
- The Civic Type R will receive updates this year, including exterior and interior styling changes.
Acura Product Revisions
- The Acura RSX electrified SUV will arrive in the second half of 2026. It will be the first Acura EV model produced at the Marysville Auto Plant in Ohio, on the same flexible production lines that build gas and hybrid vehicles.
- The high-performance Integra Type S will receive exterior and interior improvements.
- MDX will see additional product enhancements in the second half of 2026.
- The next generation RDX, currently under development, will feature the brand’s first application of a two-motor hybrid system when it comes to market within the next couple of years. The current RDX, which was introduced in 2018, will suspend production this year. RDX originally debuted in 2006 and has achieved cumulative U.S. sales of nearly 740,000.
Click for more illumination.
Acura released a partially a blackened teaser of the next-generation RDX, and confirmed plans for a two-motor hybrid-electric powertrain – a first for the brand.* The all-new fourth-generation compact SUV is in development and planned for market introduction in the next couple of years. The addition of the RDX hybrid is part of the brand’s strategy to offer a mix of gas-powered, hybrid and EV models to meet the needs of Acura customers. In anticipation of the first hybrid RDX, production of the 2026 RDX will be suspended later this year. RDX is currently built at the East Liberty Auto Plant in Ohio with the Acura MDX.
“For nearly two decades, RDX has been one of the most popular Acura models, so it’s fitting that the upcoming fourth-generation RDX will be the first Acura to feature our two-motor hybrid-electric system,” said Mike Langel, assistant vice president of Acura National Sales. “The RDX hybrid is expected to arrive at dealerships within the next couple of years, and we’re thrilled to share this news as Acura celebrates its 40th anniversary—making this milestone even more special.”
20 Years of Acura RDX
- For two decades, and three generations, the Acura RDX has been a cornerstone of the Acura SUV lineup that debuted 20 years after the Acura brand with cumulative sales of a~850,000 units in North America.
- First-generation – 2007 model year: RDX marked the first Acura entry into the emerging compact premium SUV segment. RDX had an all-new turbocharged engine, a first for the company in North America, and the Acura’s torque-vectoring Super Handling All-Wheel Drive™ (SH-AWD®).
- Second-generation – 2013 model year: A naturally aspirated V6 engine was said to broaden the market.
- Third-generation – 2019 model year: Turbocharging reappeared and the latest generation of SH-AWD® and an advanced AcuraWatch™ safety and driver assistance system, and True Touchpad Interface.
*AutoInformed on
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
American Honda Forecasts 2026 Sales as Flat
A solution for the housing crisis?
American Honda (7267.T and NYSE: HMC) today outlined its 2026 U.S. automobile business outlook during its annual media briefing. It also showed a prototype of the Honda Base Station, a towable travel trailer developed by engineers and designers at its U.S. R&D centers. Basically the Japanese company is going to focus on lower cost models with package and trim changes because of the affordability crisis that is an industry-wide problem.* [The briefing also underscored another industry problem, the decline of traditional auto shows since it occurred during a media preview day of the Detroit Auto Show. -AutoCrat]
“Nearly all of our Honda and Acura models have been redesigned or upgraded in the last 18 months, giving us one of the freshest lineups in the industry heading into 2026,” said Lance Woelfer, Vice President of Sales. “For American Honda, we are focused on delivering the right mix of gas-powered and hybrid vehicles to meet customer demand for affordable, high-value products. With average new car prices hitting record highs across the industry, cost is a growing concern, and we want the Honda and Acura brands to continue to be recognized for delivering incredible value to our customers,” said Woelfer.
“American Honda is maintaining a flexible and balanced strategy to stay competitive and adapt to evolving market conditions. In 2026, to meet customer needs for affordability, the company will increase production of more value-oriented trims of core Honda models (CR-V, Civic, Accord) and gateway Acura models (ADX and Integra).”
American Honda Automobile Sales Highlights
Honda Product Revisions
Acura Product Revisions
Click for more illumination.
Acura released a partially a blackened teaser of the next-generation RDX, and confirmed plans for a two-motor hybrid-electric powertrain – a first for the brand.* The all-new fourth-generation compact SUV is in development and planned for market introduction in the next couple of years. The addition of the RDX hybrid is part of the brand’s strategy to offer a mix of gas-powered, hybrid and EV models to meet the needs of Acura customers. In anticipation of the first hybrid RDX, production of the 2026 RDX will be suspended later this year. RDX is currently built at the East Liberty Auto Plant in Ohio with the Acura MDX.
“For nearly two decades, RDX has been one of the most popular Acura models, so it’s fitting that the upcoming fourth-generation RDX will be the first Acura to feature our two-motor hybrid-electric system,” said Mike Langel, assistant vice president of Acura National Sales. “The RDX hybrid is expected to arrive at dealerships within the next couple of years, and we’re thrilled to share this news as Acura celebrates its 40th anniversary—making this milestone even more special.”
20 Years of Acura RDX
*AutoInformed on
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn. He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe. Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap. AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks. Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.