Honda Motor reportedly expects worldwide sales to rise 5% to an all-time high of 3.55m vehicles this year amid booming overseas demand.

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The Associated Press (AP) said Honda expects US sales to rise 3% to 1.51m vehicles in 2006, marking a sales record for the 10th consecutive year.


Soaring US sales of light trucks and SUVs, especially the CR-V, led the overseas increase, president Takeo Fukui told the news agency at a year-end press conference on Tuesday. To meet demand, he said Honda’s Mexico plant would begin making CR-Vs in late 2007, the report added.


AP said the automaker plans to unveil a new Accord sedan and a next-generation sports car at the Detroit motor show in January. For 2007, Honda expects a further 3% increase in sales to 1.56m units in the US.


European sales are seen climbing 8% to 310,000 units this year, and rising 13% to 350,000 in 2007.

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To keep up with demand, Honda reportedly said it would boost output at its British plant to 250,000 units from 190,000 last year, lifting its European production to 300,000 units when combined with its plant in Turkey.


In Asia outside Japan, Honda is forecasting sales to rise 4% to 320,000 units this year and jumping 13% to 360,000 vehicles in 2006, the company told the Associated Press.


However, the report said business was sluggish in Japan, with vehicle sales expected to dip 5% to 350,000 vehicles in 2006 amid tough competition in a market that has been shrinking overall.


The Associated Press noted that a shift to smaller cars in Japan has also hurt sales of Honda’s larger models. Sales of mini-vehicles are forecast to top 2m this year for the first time, and now account for about 35% of Japanese new car sales, according to industry statistics.


“Overseas sales are booming across the board, but conditions in the home market have been difficult,” Fukui reportedly said. “We hope to strengthen our product offerings and revitalise the flagging market.”