Honda China sales up 31% to 55,113 vehicles in April

Shanghai, May 12 (Gasgoo.com) Honda Motor said Monday that its vehicle sales in China last month grew 31% from a year earlier to 55,113 units, media reported.

China sales of Honda's Odyssey cars came to 3,961 units in April, up from 2,398 sold a year earlier. But sales of the Accord, accounting for nearly a quarter of the company's total sales in China last month, rose just 1.2% to 13,491 units.

In the first four months of the year, Honda Motor sold 219,514 cars in the Chinese market, up 39.1% year on year. Honda may increase sales in China to 630,000 vehicles this year.

The No. 2 Japanese carmaker sold a record 580,000 cars in China last year, up 22.5%, lagging the overall passenger market's over 50% growth, but its sales has picked up in the past few months.

Joint venture Dongfeng Honda will launch a second plant in Wuhan from 2012 and plans to introduce a new brand, while Guangzhou Honda will start selling a new low-cost car next year.

Honda will start selling its Insight and CR-Z hybrids in China in 2012, and its Acura hybrid model will also be brought to China within three years.