Matrix is responsible for boost in Corolla sales
Matrix is responsible for boost in Corolla sales
from the car connection:Accord Moving In At East LibertyHonda Motor Co. announced that it will cut Civic production at its East Liberty, Ohio, plant in order to make room for a limited amount of Accord production at the plant, starting next month. Currently, Accords are not made in East Liberty, but excess capacity of the slow-selling Civic and increased demand for the Accord and its Acura TL counterpart - which is made alongside the Accord in Marysville, Ohio - is pushing Honda's hand in the matter. Honda claims it has the ability to spike Civic production at the plant at any point thanks to its highly touted flexible manufacturing system. Civic sales of 299,672 units were down nearly five percent in 2003, from a segment-leading 313,159 in 2002. While Civic lost steam, its chief competitor Corolla has been gaining, up 21 percent in 2003 to 257,696 from 204,050 in 2002 thanks to the strength of the Matrix sport wagon . -Jack Gilbert