Honda says its March sales fell just under 1 percent, dragged down by sagging demand for its Acura luxury brand.
The automaker sold just over 137,000 vehicles, with the Honda brand up 2 percent, and Acura sales down more than 21 percent.
Sales were led by SUVs and trucks. The company sold nearly 33,000 CR-V small SUVs, a 23 percent gain.
But Honda said Monday that car sales struggled. Sales of the Accord midsize car fell 12 percent, while the compact Civic was off 4 percent. Sales of the Acura TLX declined over 25 percent.
Despite Honda's sales dip, industry analysts expect a 2 percent to 3 percent increase for the industry overall in March, the first monthly sales jump this year, and possibly the best March sales since 2000.
