Tokyo – Honda Motor Co., Japan’s third-largest automaker, said redesigned MDX and CR-V sport utility vehicles may bolster its sales of light trucks to a record in the U.S. this year.
The company may be able to sell 664,400 light trucks in the U.S. in 2006, 5.8 percent more than last year, said executive vice president Satoshi Aoki.
“Light trucks will account for about 44 percent of our total sales in the U.S. this year, up from about 43 percent last year,” Aoki in an interview in Tokyo. “The bulk of our sales increase will come from crossover vehicles that have very good fuel efficiency.”
Honda, which uses V-6 engines in trucks and sport utility vehicles, said its image as a maker of small fuel-efficient vehicles may bolster 2006 U.S. sales to a record 1.51 million units, 3.4 percent more than last year. Customers have been attracted to compact cars and light trucks as the price of gasoline has surged.
