The global automotive market is undergoing a generational shift. Chinese EVs are flooding international markets, tariff pressures are reshaping supply chains, and legacy automakers are scrambling to figure out where they fit in a rapidly changing landscape. Honda, a brand that has spent decades earning the loyalty of American drivers, is not immune to the turbulence.

In fact, 2026 has brought Honda a milestone it never wanted — its first annual loss since the company went public in 1957, amounting to a $2.7 billion net loss. Much of the damage traces back to Honda’s costly and ultimately unsuccessful push into the EV market, compounded by a broader industry-wide softening of electric vehicle demand. Honda CEO Toshihiro Mibe has since abandoned the company’s target of going all-electric by 2040, a dramatic reversal that underscores just how difficult the road ahead remains. Still, not everything is doom and gloom for Honda.

Even as the company navigates the fallout from its EV stumble, some of its core models are doing <a href="https://jordangazette.com/what-is-the-us-militarys-longest-range-air-to-air-missile-and-how-far-can-it-go/”>what they have always done — selling in enormous numbers. According to Honda‘s April 2026 sales report, the CR-V led all Honda light trucks with 42,677 units sold, marking its second consecutive month with sales exceeding 40,000 units. That kind of momentum is hard to ignore. Despite the headlines about losses and strategic retreats, the CR-V is quietly reminding everyone why Honda built its American reputation in the first place.

If we dig deeper into Honda’s April sales report, we can see that the brand sold a combined 125,571 units. For passenger cars alone, largely driven by the Civic, Accord, and the all-new Prelude, Honda reported 41,468 units sold — up 19% over April 2025 and the best month for passenger cars since July 2021. Hybrid vehicles also hit an all-time record in April, topping 40,000 units sold.

This brings us to the CR-V, the best-selling SUV in the U.S. so far in 2026. Honda’s light truck sales reached 84,103 units in April, with the CR-V leading the way at 42,677 — meaning the CR-V alone accounted for more than half of every SUV Honda sold that month. The Pilot managed 11,156 units, while the HR-V posted 12,264. Overall, CR-V sales numbers have been on the rise in the past few years. If we look at Honda’s April 2025 sales report, the CR-V sold 41,483, while in April 2024, it was 30,000+, which was itself an increase at the time.

If we take a look at annual totals, in 2023, Honda reported selling 361,457 CR-Vs, while in 2024, Honda reported 402,791 units sold. The 2025 total is reported at 400,000+. To put those numbers into context, the CR-V is not just Honda’s best-seller — it is one of the best-selling vehicles in the entire United States. In 2024, the CR-V’s sales put it behind only the Toyota RAV4 (475,193 units) and the Ford F-150 (460,915 units), making it the third best-selling vehicle in America that year — ahead of every other car, SUV, and EV on the market.

The Honda CR-V’s sales dominance is no mere coincidence, as several factors explain why buyers keep choosing it over a crowded field of competitors. For starters, space and practicality are class-leading — with the rear seats folded, the CR-V offers 76.5 cubic feet of cargo volume. This is more than any competitor in the segment, and the best part is that the CR-V retains that benefit even in hybrid form.

Then there is reliability and resale value, two areas where Honda has built its reputation over decades. Kelley Blue Book, which named it Compact SUV Best Buy of 2025, reported that, compared to its competitors, a second-hand CR-V is likely to fetch up to a couple of thousand dollars more at resale. Safety is another reason the CR-V is so popular: every CR-V comes standard with Honda Sensing, a suite that includes automatic emergency braking, lane-keeping assist, adaptive cruise control, and blind spot monitoring, plus 10 airbags.

In IIHS crash testing, the CR-V earned a Top Safety Pick for 10 consecutive years. Finally, the growing hybrid lineup has significantly broadened its appeal. CR-V hybrid sales now account for 56% of the model’s total sales mix, giving fuel-conscious buyers a compelling option without sacrificing the practicality the model is known for. When we reviewed the 2025 Honda CR-V, we gave it a nine out of ten, saying that there aren’t many rivals that offer such a well-rounded experience.