Honda Motor Co. is seeking to boost supplies of its CR-V following a sales spurt that propelled the small sport-utility vehicle past Ford's Explorer to become the top-selling SUV in the U.S.
Honda, Japan's second-largest automaker, is reviewing CR-V production plans at its plant in East Liberty, Ohio, said Ed Miller, a Honda spokesman. CR-V sales have climbed 42 percent to 64,591 this year following a redesign in late 2006.
Sales of the CR-V, developed from the frame of Honda cars, are rising as near-record U.S. gasoline prices and shifting consumer tastes have damped demand for bigger, truck-based SUVS. Most notable among them is Ford Motor Co.'s Explorer, which had been the best-selling SUV in the U.S. for most of the past 15 years. This year, it's No. 4.
Honda ``hit the market with pinpoint accuracy with the new CR-V in terms of design, styling, powertrain and fuel economy,'' said Michael Robinet, an industry analyst at CSM Worldwide Inc. in Farmington Hills, Michigan.
Toyota Motor Corp.'s RAV4, another small SUV about the size as the CR-V, has climbed to No. 2 in U.S. sales this year. Ford's Escape is third. All are built on car chassis.
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