"With the holiday season upon us, it's a good time to reflect on the year for our Honda and Acura automobile brands.
In the showroom, Honda stands ready to notch a second year as America's retail #1 passenger car brand, with Civic leading the charge as the single most popular model – car or SUV – with millennial, first-time and multicultural buyers. We'll also mark a full decade of steady growth in Honda SUV sales, supported by a new Passport and a refreshed 2020 CR-V. A second straight year of record results for Honda electrified vehicles in 2019 is set to grow even further with the arrival of the new CR-V Hybrid in early 2020.
Acura continues to sharpen its focus on our Precision Crafted Performance DNA. Acura MDX and RDX took the retail #1 and #2 positions in their competitive sets, and Acura is on track for its second consecutive light-truck sales record. The redesigned 2020 ILX took over the retail #1 position as the fastest-growing model in its segment, while the TLX and MDX PMC Editions showcased the new ways we're serving Acura enthusiasts with our Ohio supercar factory. The Type S Concept gave the world a glimpse into Acura's design future, which we'll pay off in 2020.
Finally, as something of a racer myself, I have to exult a bit over the tremendous success of Honda and Acura motorsports in 2019. Honda returned to the F1 winner's circle with three wins, eight podiums, and a third-place Drivers' Championship finish for Red Bull's Max Verstappen. Here at home, we added our eighth IndyCar manufacturer's title, the most of any OEM in American open-wheel racing, and earned multiple wins for Civic in TCA and TCR competition. Acura Motorsports dominated U.S. sports car racing, with our NSX GT3 Evo earning Drivers' and Manufacturers' Championships in SRO GT and IMSA GTD classes, and our Acura Team Penske ARX-05 DPi taking both titles in IMSA DPi racing. We are immensely proud of our racing efforts this year, and 2020 promises to be another winning effort.
There's more in store, but it will have to keep until the new year. For now, on behalf of everyone at Honda and Acura, we wish you and your families a wonderful holiday season filled with memories, and a Happy New Year!"
Sage Marie
Assistant Vice President, Public Relations
American Honda Motor Co., Inc.
