Honda sold fewer Accords in 2024 but says it's fine
As it turns out, the issue stemmed from changes at one of the automaker's Ohio plants.
The Accord used to be a consumer staple of Honda’s lineup; its bread-and-butter, the bee’s knees, the ace in the hole. Not so much these days.
Honda has turned to the CR-V as its breadwinner, with the Civic selling nearly a quarter million units. The Accord, meanwhile, is seeing sales tumble, but Honda isn’t panicking just yet.
Production priorities shift to EVs
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So, what do the numbers tell us? Honda moved 162,723 Accords in 2024, or 35,000 less than the prior year's 197,947 units. Although this is concerning, Honda says it’s all part of the plan.
The reasoning for the sudden drop stems from Honda consolidating the production lines in its Marysville, OH factory from two to one in anticipation of readying it for EV production later in 2025.
"We anticipated a decrease in Accord volume last year with this line consolidation taking place at Marysville Auto Plant," a Honda spokesperson told Motor1. "With that, we are adding Civic production capacity, and with the introduction of a Civic hybrid, we will be able to offset that production loss."
The bigger picture isn’t so bad for the Accord
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While sales figures may seem bleak, the Accord retains its spot as the second bestselling midsize sedan in the U.S., with none other than the Toyota Camry sitting at the top with 309,976 units sold. In fact, the Accord was still the fourth most popular passenger car of 2024.
In the mid-size segment, Chevrolet ranked a distant third, selling 117,319 vehicles. The Nissan Altima followed closely behind with 113,898 units sold, while the Korean brands trailed at the bottom of the list. Hyundai sold 69,343 Sonatas, and Kia sold 46,311 K5 sedans.
Honda thrives elsewhere
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Besides the Accord, other models in the lineup had a stellar year. Civic sales improved by 21 percent, reporting nearly a quarter million units moved in 2024.
The CR-V's popularity rose to new heights, selling 402,791 examples in 2024. Honda claims over half of those, around 203,000, were hybrids. This is reportedly the first time a Honda model has sold more than 400,000 units in a given year since 2001.
The Odyssey, Pilot, and HR-V all saw volume gains, while the Chevrolet Blazer EV-based Honda Prologue outsold any EV sold by General Motors.
Final thoughts
Declining sales often signal concerns about a model’s future. However, making adjustments in production can be a wise choice for Honda if it aims to enhance the appeal of alternative models.
As someone who put 180,000 miles on an Accord, I would hate to see its nearly 50-year-old legacy end. As the lineup continues to evolve and Honda puts a bigger accent on EV and hybrid powertrains, the Accord’s fate may not be set in stone.
