With a market that is in constant fluctuation and automakers on the brink of bankruptcy, it’s rare for a company to ride the wave, but Honda has managed to do that. So far, Honda is not only holding its own, but is setting itself up for an amazing year in 2020. So how did the Japanese automaker fair in 2019? Let’s take a look. 

Honda dominated the market in 2019

It’s the goal of every business, whether it be an automaker or a jewelry maker, to make more profits at the end of the year than they had the previous year. That doesn’t always happen, but Honda did it.

According to Best Selling Cars, “In 2019, American Honda sales increased by 0.2% in the U.S. with Honda brand trucks selling at record levels.” It sold a total of 1,608,176 cars and SUVs in the U.S.

Very few automakers can make the same boast. In fact, Ford is struggling to remain afloat. With the demolition of it’s sedan division, Ford was counting on SUVs like the Explorer to keep it above water, but the current sales aren’t looking so great. 

Honda’s SUV and truck divisions hit record numbers in 2019. In fact, there was an increase of 3.4%. The Honda CR-V and HR-V were some of the top performers for the Japanese automaker, and helped to make it an amazing year. 

How do Nissan and Hyundai compare?

Nissan and Hyundai are direct competition for Honda, but after last year, that might be changing. According to Autoblog, Nissan had a particularly dismal year. Sales are rapidly declining. In fact, they dropped 9.9% in November alone. 

If you look at individual sales, the outlook for Nissan gets even bleaker. The 1.9% decline the Armada took was the smallest blow the Japanese automaker took. The Rogue and Rogue sport lost 15% in sales. The Murano was down 18%. And the mighty Titan lost 37.5% of its sales from 2018. In a market where trucks are flying off the sales floor, it’s simply mind-boggling that the Titan took such a hard hit.

Hyundai came out better than Nissan and Honda. The News Wheel reports that Hyundai sales actually went up 3%. Given how hard the auto market was hit in 2019, especially the sedan division, this is huge news.

Part of this was due in large part to Nissan’s decision to focus more on SUVs, and it might have saved the Japanese automaker. In fact, 53% of the sales came directly from SUVs. The Palisade and the Venue were smart additions to the Hyundai lineup that drew in new consumers.

The Tucson sold the most vehicles of all, even though it was down 3.4% from 2018. The Elantra also sold quite a few vehicles and helped Hyundai rise above the competition.

How is Honda doing so far in 2020?

With everything going on with the Coronavirus (COVID-19), it’s really impacting the auto market, but so far, Honda is holding its own. In fact, you might say that Honda is dominating the auto market. The Civic especially is having a great year in 2020. While other automakers are deciding whether to cut their sedan line, Honda is on fire. 

Only time will tell if the Coronavirus will have a major impact on Honda sales. Even Tesla is feeling the heat, so it’s only a matter of time before it impacts all automakers. According to CNBC, Honda has closed several plants in the U.S. and Europe, so it’s bound to take a hit. Still, Honda was off to a solid start this year, so it might weather the storm better than the competition.