American Honda Passes Chrysler as top automaker in U.S market

The Big Three is a term used in the automotive industry for the three major American automotive companies. The former three major automotive companies that dominated in the U.S and Canada are General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler. Not too far behind these 3 automakers is Toyota. Toyota saw success in 2007 when it beat Ford in 2007 and won against GM in sales in 2008. More recently, Honda has been getting in on the “Big Three” action by passing Chrysler as the number 4 automaker in the U.S market. Honda now sits right after Toyota Motor sales and the new General Motors company in U.S sales. Honda’s executive VP John Mendel recently told Automotive News that they made a decision to cut 200,000 from its production schedule this year.

In 2008, Chrysler was able to stay ahead of Honda in sales, but this year Honda has clearly out-done them. Honda has sold about 185,000 more vehicles than Chrysler in 2009 year to date through October sales. Automotive News also reported that through November, Honda has increased its lead with a 200,000-unit edge on Chrysler, at 1.044 million vehicles. This lead can be associated with the automakers manufacturing abilities in the U.S. As of late November, Honda has produced about 655,000 vehicles in the U.S while Chrysler has produced around 425,000 units. Honda has a manufacturing capacity of 1.62 million in North America (including Mexico) including 1.18 million vehicles in the U.S. Some of American Honda’s major manufacturing plants in the U.S are located in Ohio, Alabama and Indiana. Another advantage Honda has over its competitors is that it has the largest auto engine plant in the world in Anna, Ohio. The engine plant can produce 1.16 million engines a year. The company also has a V-6 engine plant in Alabama, a four-cylinder engine production plant in Ontario, and automatic transmission plants in Ohio and Georgia.

There is no doubt Honda is climbing its way to the top of the automotive chain. Honda has also left consumers on their toes with the addition of new models to their lineup, such as the Accord Crosstour and the CR-Z, which is due out next year. Be sure to visit your local Honda dealership to test drive and take home one of Honda’s acclaimed vehicles.