Over the first quarter of the year, the brand registered 40,499 units in Europe – up by 16.3% compared to 2012. This follows the announcement today by the ACEA that overall new car registrations in the EU were down 9.8% compared to the first three months of 2012.

Honda also reported a positive start to the year in the UK, with registrations up 23.0%.

The company added that its sales performance has been underpinned by strong customer demand for recently launched models. The new British built Honda CR-V has been well received by customers while the new 1.6 litre i-DTEC diesel engine has helped to support a growth in Civic sales.

Honda Motor Europe president, Manabu Nishimae said: ‘Economic conditions in Europe remain very challenging. Nonetheless, we have been encouraged by good customer demand for our new models such as the CR-V and the 1.6 litre i-DTEC Civic.’



Honda added that it will continue to strengthen its range in Europe with the introduction of the 1.6 litre i-DTEC engine to the CR-V in autumn 2013 and the launch of the new Civic Tourer model in early 2014. Both these new derivatives will be built at Honda’s manufacturing facility in Swindon.