Honda Gets It Right, All Over Again

Newsweek, August, 2008 by Caitlin McDevitt and Keith Naughton

How do you know your ride is hot? When it’s not only the most popular car on the road, but also the favorite boost among thieves. That’s the case with the Honda Civic. In 2007, Americans bought 331,000 of them, and stole 51,000—more than any other model. This year, Civic sales are up 16 percent, and in May, the 36-mpg car supplanted Ford’s hulking F-series pickup truck as America’s favorite ride. In this summer of Detroit’s discontent, the Civic has become Honda’s engine. With GM losing $15.5 billion in the second quarter and even Toyota slashing pickup and SUV production, Honda is in high gear, reporting record profits and sales up 3 percent this year, while overall U.S. auto sales are down by 11 percent.

Fueling Honda’s joyride is the same $4-a-gallon gas that’s sent...

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