Honda Canada Reports Annual Sales for 2011

Civic Remains on Top as Canada's Best-Selling Car for 14^th Straight Year;
CR-V Achieves Annual Sales Record and #1 Import SUV Status

MARKHAM, ON, Jan. 4, 2012 /CNW/ - With sales of 55,090 units in 2011, Honda Civic retained its position as Canada's top-selling passenger car for a 14th consecutive year with a wide margin over its nearest competitor. Since 1973, about 1.6 million Honda Civics have been sold in Canada, making Civic a leader in the Canadian automotive landscape.  All Civics sold in Canada, except the Civic Hybrid, are built at the Honda of Canada Mfg. assembly plants in Alliston, Ontario.

The 2011 calendar year was also highlighted by the Honda CR-V sport-utility vehicle achieving an annual sales record with 25,076 units, which allowed it to regain its position as the number one-selling import SUV in Canada.

"First and foremost, we thank the thousands of Canadians who bought Honda Civic models this past year to make the Civic the number one car in Canada for the fourteenth consecutive year," said Jerry Chenkin, executive vice president of Honda Canada Inc. "Their vote of confidence in Civic underscores its strong value with top-of-class fuel efficiency, safety features and fun-to-drive personality."

"This past year was incredibly challenging because of the Japan earthquake and tsunami in March and the Thailand flood in October. Combined, these two disasters resulted in significantly reduced production due to parts shortages for more than half of the year. Especially hard hit was the new 2012 Civic, which had just launched and was seriously affected by a severe parts shortage for more than half of the year. Our dealers are to be applauded for their great efforts in working under such adverse conditions and we thank our customers for their patience and understanding during these difficult times."

As a result of these shortages, Honda Canada Inc. reported combined annual sales of 123,121 units by its Honda and Acura divisions for calendar year 2011 - down 12% over 2010. Honda division annual sales of 107,849 were down 12%, and Acura annual sales of 15,272 units were also down 12%.

Approximately 96% of the combined Honda and Acura vehicles sold in Canada in 2011 were produced at the company's North American assembly plants in Canada and the U.S., up from 91% in 2010.

Honda Canada Inc. has sold more than 3.4 million Honda and Acura passenger cars and light-duty trucks in Canada since 1973.  Honda Canada has invested more than $2.6 billion in Canada, and annually sources nearly $1.1 billion in goods and services from Canadian suppliers.

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Richard Jacobs [phone]