Honda doesn’t make KBB’s ‘10 Best New Car Deals’ for August 2016

With August signalling the start of inventory reduction for most makers, why isn’t American Honda Motors or Acura featured on the KBB “10 Best New Car Deals” for August list?

Consumers may ponder why the #1 selling retail car brand in North America hasn’t a single model listed on KBB.com’s “ 10 Best New Car Deals” for August 2016 lineup.

Why we don’t find Honda or Acura in the lineup: The reasons are many, but in truth, American Honda Motors and its dealers may not be as motivated as other makers to move out model year transtion inventory this August, or any August for that matter.

Honda currently presents the fastest selling and most diverse lineup in the maker’s U.S. history -- with 2016 Honda Accord and Civic selling as fast as they’re produced, and the # selling SUV in North America of any size selling at a near all time record clip, You won’t find many, if any factory incentives at Honda. Furthermore, American Honda Motors is very cautious with dealership inventory control, sometimes to a fault.

The positive side of holding MSRP

One need only drop by a neighborhood used car, or Honda certified used sales lot to appreciate the benefit of minimizing factor sales incentives, artificial low lease rates, and other hooks that often leave consumers “upside down” in a car loan or lease at time of trade in or private sale. Historically many Honda models hold the highest long-term residual value in the automotive industry.

We’ve all been up against it! There’s no such thing as “free” when it comes to rolling a “no down,” or deferred 60 to 90 day car payment with accruing interest due and payable on the backside of the loan. This can also be true for a seemingly “too good of a deal. If it seems too good to be true, most likely it is. There’s no free lunch in the car business.

True enough, you will find select purchase discounts, low interest rates, and reasonable lease deals through Honda Finance. But as a whole, American Honda Motors rarely subsidizes new car sales through “factory incentives.” Instead, Honda presents purchase value through “special edition models,” and exceptional standard feature packaging. For College grads and U.S. military veterans, select models qualify for a $500 discount purchase incentive.

10 Best New Car Deals

The #1 spot on KBB’s list goes to Ford Focus with Zero % financing and $3450 cash back. That’s a great deal for buyers considering a reasonably good looking sedan with sport tendency. On the lease incentive side we find Nissan Rogue coming in at #2 KBB’s August countdown: $189 for 36 months with $1899 due at signing. Find KBB.com’s full report here.