Honda isn't exactly giddy yet, but the Japanese automaker has been pleased with demand for its light trucks lately, and views the uptick as a sign that the U.S. economy is on the rebound.
Inventory is down to 42 days for light trucks at the beginning of April, reports Automotive News, down from 47 on March 1. Honda's light truck lineup, by the way, includes the Pilot, Odyssey, CR-V, Element, Ridgeline, and Crosstour. If you think counting the Crosstour as a light truck is wrong, consider that the government classifies the Chrysler PT Cruiser and Chevrolet HHR as SUVs.
"We're very short of inventory on the light-truck side," said John Mendel, Honda's U.S. executive vice president, to Automotive News. "That seems to be growing for us and the industry. Demand seems to be stronger than the car side."
One look at Honda's sales results from April confirms this. Every light truck from Honda and Acura has sold more year-to-date than for the same period in 2009 -- even the Honda Element, which registers a 0.9 percent increase year-to-date. If the Crosstour was considered a car, Honda's light truck sales would still be up about 30 percent.
Part of this success is no doubt due to Honda's incentive spending for the month. While other automakers have been slapping far more money on the hood of each vehicle lately (see Toyota), with Honda's Civic and Odyssey are nearing the end of their product cycles -- not to mention the Element and Ridgeline -- there are deals to be had on Honda dealer lots.