Accord will not be saved by consumers’ love for crossovers and SUVs, no matter how brilliant its engineering.
No amount of praise will save sedans from the onslaught by SUVs. All levels of sedan sales are falling, from entry-level models to high-end luxury models. This is because consumers want higher ride heights and fake off-road capabilities. Even America’s most popular sedans cannot escape. Honda will stop production at Marysville, Ohio’s Marysville, Ohio plant due to slow sales of the 2018 Honda Accord. This is according to Automotive News.
A spokesperson for the company told the publication that they are regularly adjusting production at their automotive plants, both up and down. “This is business as usual. We’re adjusting production to match the market conditions at this moment.”
These 11 days will not happen in one go. Production workers will be able to take two days off each month from this month through June. The plant’s annual shutdown will be extended by five days for workers. Non-production jobs, such as maintenance, are available for workers who want to continue working during the halt in production. The workers can also use the unpaid days to take vacation or work as a worker.
“I want to emphasize this,” said the spokesman Automotive News. “If they are interested in coming in and working, we will have work for them on nonproduction days.”
Honda’s slow sales meant that there was a 104-day supply Accords at March 1. This is more than the industry average of 70-day supply. Despite slowing sales, the Accord continues to sell well compared with the competition. Honda sold 322,655 Accords across the U.S. in 2017, a decrease of 345,225 units in 2016. However, Accord sales have fallen year-over-year in the first two months 2018. Sales are down by more than 5,000 units in February 2018. Honda sold 37,420 Accords. In 2017, Honda sold 42 991 Accords during the same period.
Honda’s Marysville plant also makes the Acura IX compact sedan, and ITLX medium sedan.