The 2016 Pilot Could Place Honda Among the Chart Toppers - Motley Fool
Their sibling, the midsize SUV Pilot, isn't doing too badly, either. Pilot sales are up 36% from January through June, and with the launch of the redesigned 2016 Pilot last month, there's a strong case for the SUV to become one of the top sellers in the midsize SUV segment. Honda launched the Pilot in 2002 and impressed Americans with its fuel efficiency and sturdiness. The Pilot's sales peaked in 2006 at 152,154 units, but by 2008, high gas prices and a battered U. S. auto market hit SUV sales hard, and Pilot sales declined to 96,746. In 2009, the SUV's sales fell further, stabilizing somewhat over the next... However, Pilot sales slumped 14% in 2014, a year in which rivals Ford Explorer and Toyota Highlander registered record sales. One big reason for Pilot's bad performance was its truck-like looks while other SUVs turned sleeker. Toyota gave Highlander a complete makeover in 2014 and the all-new model was lapped up by buyers, giving the SUV its best sales year in more than 10 years. After launching the fifth-generation Explorer in 2010, Ford came out with a sports trim in 2012. Pilot was given minor facelifts in 2011 and 2012, but hadn't done a total makeover since. Source: www.fool.com
