Honda Accord Turns The Tables On Toyota Camry During Holiday Sales Season

The 2018 Honda Accord finished strong this past holiday sales season, notching an impressive 28,627 units sold in December. More impressive is that the Accord nearly passed the Camry's sales for the month. Toyota's 29,093 Camry sales were just 466 units higher than Accord this past month. What we found interesting about the results this past December, as opposed to last December, is that the Accord grew about 30% for the month and the Camry declined. Last year the exact opposite was true.

Background - 2018 Honda Accord vs. Toyota Camry - Why the Reviewers' Favorite Is Way Behind

Individual monthly sales are not indicative of the strength of a given model in the broader picture. However, Decembers are a little bit different. Every automaker wants to finish the year strong and every dealership does as well. Holiday sales are effective and the spend on promotion leading up to the end of December is massive by comparison to most other times of the year.

The Accord also did well in November. Its sales were up slightly, and 23,367 in a month is a solid result for any non-truck vehicle. With the Accord now posting two solid months of sales, it appears that the model is back to its healthy position among the sedan front-runners in America. Honda does not actively pursue fleet sales the way that some other competitive brands do, so its numbers are always more family-purchase related than other brands. And somewhat more steady.

Last December, the Camry posted up over 43,000 units sold. We may not see those days again for any sedan in America. The Camry is not out of the game yet. With over 343k units sold in 2018, it is as solid a car as exists in terms of sales. With crossovers coming on stronger with every passing month, and with the RAV4 now outselling the Camry by 20% for the year, we would expect to see continued declines in sedan sales overall in months and years ahead.