For the first time ever, Honda (UK) has sold over 100,000 cars in 12 months. A record final month of the 2006/07 financial year saw total sales of Honda cars top 100,300 between April 2006 and March 2007, during which time Honda (UK) also set a record market share of 4.66%.

“In 1994 we set ourselves the huge target of achieving 100,000 units in a year,” says Jeff Dodds, Head of Marketing at Honda (UK). “Back then, we sold under 30,000 cars, and the only markets to sell 100k were America and Japan. Just 13 years later, we’ve realised our dream – and it’s a fantastic achievement for everyone involved. But we’re not resting on our laurels: the next target is 150,000 cars, which will be just as tough a challenge.”

The record sales year for Honda (UK) coincides with a predicted record year of production at Honda of the UK Manufacturing (HUM) in Swindon. In 2007, over 200,000 cars will be built at the plant – rising to 250,000 cars during 2008.

- For the fourth time in a row, Honda has topped the in the latest Union of Concerned Scientists’ rankings as the USA’s greenest car manufacturer, ahead of Toyota. Hyundai-Kia, Nissan and Volkswagen came third, fourth and fifth, respectively. Ford and General Motors, meanwhile, were at the back, and DaimlerChrysler placed last, earning the ‘Rusty Tailpipe Award’ for the ‘dirtiest automaker’.

“There is a huge gap between the cleanest and dirtiest automakers,” said Don MacKenzie, author of the report and a vehicles engineer with UCS. “The winners are using clean technology across their entire fleets. The losers are installing it piecemeal, or not at all.”

MacKenzie analyzed the performance of 10 classes of vehicles produced by the eight manufacturers which accounted collectively for 96% of the U.S. car and light truck market in model year 2005. Each was rated on how its vehicles compared to the industry average on global warming gas and smog-forming emissions.

(www.ucsusa.org)

(this article was taken from autoindustry.co.uk)

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