Honda and Acura lineups deliver mixed results
Both new and used vehicle prices have risen rather quickly over the past four years, and they’re showing no signs of stopping. While Honda and Acura’s sales weren’t anything to write home about in August, their year-to-date (YTD) numbers prove that the Japanese automaker is still bringing plenty of heat to the automotive industry. Overall, Honda and Acura’s combined sales amount to just shy of one million vehicles sold in the first eight months of the year, a 4.4% increase compared to the same period last year.
Acura
Honda CR-V and Civic are the most popular models
We’ve proven our love for crossovers and SUVs here in America time and time again, and August was no exception. The Honda CR-V has proven itself to be a favorite of drivers everywhere, and it arrived for the 2025 model year ready to rumble. While the Japanese crossover hit dealer lots with no significant changes, it was the brand’s top seller in August, with more than 34,000 examples sold. While those are certainly respectable sales numbers, it’s still roughly 4,400 fewer models sold compared to August 2024.
Honda
The Civic hit the ground running with a new hybrid variant for the 2025 model year. Priced from $24,250, the Civic managed to sneak into second place with over 21,500 units sold. The hybrid variant proved to be particularly popular, making up 37% of the nameplate’s sales. The Civic also outperformed the 2025 HR-V, which started at $25,400 and saw just 13,663 examples leave dealer lots this past August.
The three-row Pilot was fully redesigned for the 2023 model year, and it gets a new blacked-out trim level in its most recent rendition. The Honda Pilot saw just 10,791 units leave dealer lots this August, down from 14,093 units compared to last year. Year-over-year Honda Odyssey sales also fell by around 500 units, with 6,690 examples sold in August.
Honda
The Honda Prologue’s sales jumped dramatically, with year-over-year sales increasing by more than 73%. In August, Honda sold more than 9,000 examples of the electrified crossover, up from 5,401 units sold in August 2024. Likewise, the Passport saw its sales skyrocket by over 82%, with 5,173 examples leaving dealer lots.
Note, however, that a single month is just a piece of the puzzle. Most Honda models have seen their YTD sales increase, some more dramatically than others. While the Accord, Civic, and Pilot all saw their YTD sales fall, sales of every other Honda vehicle increased. The popular CR-V, for example, boasts a meager 3.7% sales bump. On the other end of the spectrum, the Honda Prologue saw its sales skyrocket by 207% compared to this time last year.
James Riswick
In August, Honda’s sales dropped by 4.9%, with 121,633 vehicles sold. On a larger scale, however, the Japanese automaker’s YTD sales are up 4.6% with just over 903,000 models sold in the first eight months of the year.
Acura ADX steals the show
Honda’s premium brand isn’t exactly a major player, and this past month reiterates that point, with sales down 7.5% year-over-year. Acura moved just over 11,100 vehicles in August, down from just shy of 12,000 units in the same period last year. There’s better news for Acura on a larger scale, with YTD sales up 2.7%. The MDX crossover led the brand’s sales, but it’s the all-new ADX that stole the spotlight this past month.
Acura
A new model for the 2025 model year, the Acura ADX is similar in size to the subcompact Honda HR-V, comes stock with premium amenities, and starts at $35,000. Fortunately, the ADX gets upgraded from the HR-V’s 158-horsepower engine to the Integra’s 190-horsepower turbocharged four-cylinder powerhouse. A major upgrade compared to the HR-V, the ADX saw more than 2,500 examples leave dealer lots in August, bringing YTD sales to 9,521 units. Per Honda, the ADX holds a 20% share of the premium compact crossover segment.
The Acura ZDX is an interesting case as well, having skipped the 2025 model year entirely. Even without a brand new iteration on the market, the electric crossover still managed to move 520 leftover units in August. So far this year, more than 11,500 examples of the EV have been sold, a 466% increase compared to this time last year. The 2026 ZDX is expected to hit dealer lots later this year.
Acura
Final thoughts
While the Honda Civic and CR-V were predictable brand leaders, the rise of the Prologue in particular piqued my interest. Will the electric crossover maintain its momentum, or are its sales largely based on the scheduled end of the $7,500 tax credit this September? The arrival of the 2026 Acura ZDX could help paint an interesting picture in the EV segment, too. I have no doubt that the final months of 2025 are bound to be interesting.
