Civic Steers Honda to Record European Sales in 2006

Photo: Honda

Honda has achieved its third consecutive record year for car sales in Europe with final figures for the calendar year of close to 310,000 (actual 309,867), an increase of 8.4% on 2005. This remarkable result contrasts with figures from industry sources which show that the overall car market grew by less than 1%.

Key to Honda's success in 2006 has been strong demand for the new Civic. The UK-built Civic 5-door model, which went on sale at the start of the year across Europe, has enjoyed a very positive sales introduction thanks to its sporty design and overall performance. Sales of the Civic range increased 33.4% to 105,313 cars in 2006.

The increasing demand for Honda's award winning diesel engine across Europe is demonstrated by a 36.6% increase in sales of its diesel models, which reached 84,427 and accounted for one in four of all car sales.

In 2007, with the new UK produced CR-V and Civic 3-door models to be added to its line up, Honda expects its European sales to further grow by 13% to 350,000.

(Jan. 17, 2007)