GRANDVILLE, Mich.,––The market is changing, and we're glad to say Honda has been keeping graceful stride with the change! SUVs have become the high stakes player in the sales game, while car sales have respectively taken a dive. This change has lead to reports of very steep decreases in car sales and overall sales with other manufacturers. In instance, Ford reported a decrease of 21/2% in car sales.

Despite the slight overall decrease, American Honda's truck division increased in sales by 9.2% year-over-year, leading to a 1.2% increase year-over-year. Let's take a look at the Honda April Sales Report in more detail!

Honda thankfully still saw strong demand for their cars in April, unlike many other manufacturers, despite the drop in year-over-year numbers. The one Honda car that posted an increase? The Honda Fit, which increased by 0.8% with a total of 4,871 units.

Honda also saw strong demand for their trucks. The CR-V posted a year-over-year increase of 26.6% and a month-to-month increase of 13%, which might be thanks to the redesigned 2017 model. The Ridgeline also helped the segment increase overall by posting sales of 3,186 units. Not to mention the HR-V, which posted a month-to-month increase of 22.4%, the Odyssey and Pilot which helped the truck division reach overall sales of 61,114 units!

Formula One comes back with a bang, as the Silver Arrows score double podium in Melbourne. Lewis Hamilton came home in P2 at the Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit to claim his 105th Formula One podium finish. Valtteri Bottas completed a double podium for the Silver Arrows in P3 on his debut for the team, taking his career tally of top three finishes into double figures. Lewis (18) sits P2 in the Drivers' Championship, seven points shy of Sebastian Vettel (25), with Valtteri (15) a further three points behind in P3. Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport (33) trail Scuderia Ferrari (37) by four points in the Constructors' Championship.

Race at a glance

Lewis Hamilton
Chassis No.: F1 W08 EQ Power+/01
Grid: P1
Result: P2
Fastest Lap: 1:27.003 (Lap 44)

Valtteri Bottas
Chassis No.: F1 W08 EQ Power+/03
Grid: P3
Result: P3
Fastest Lap: 1:26.593 (Lap 56)

Strategy

No. 44
Start: UltraSoft
Stop 1: Soft (Lap 17)

No. 77
Start: UltraSoft
Stop 1: Soft (Lap 25)

Weather
Dry, Warm, Clear

Temperatures
Air: 24 – 25°C
Track: 31 - 37°C

Post-race Comments

Lewis Hamilton
A big congratulations to Sebastian and Ferrari. I know this win has been a long time coming for them. This shows we’ve got a real race on our hands this season and it’s a challenge we will relish. It’s going to be great for the fans. We had a really good start which is fantastic. It was nice to get a good getaway. But I was struggling with grip from the get-go. Sebastian was able to always answer me in terms of lap time and just go quicker. Towards the end of the first stint I caught some traffic and that overheated the tyres. I struggled for grip to the point where I needed to come in, plus the gap was closing up and I was sliding around a lot. We made the call to pit, because otherwise I think Sebastian would have come past me anyway. After my stop I got caught in some traffic which was unfortunate but that’s motor racing.

Valtteri Bottas
There are always things that could have gone better on the day but it’s a good starting point for my journey driving for Mercedes. As a team I think we did a really good job with the car we had. But Ferrari were quicker today, there’s no doubt about that. They’ve obviously done a great job over the winter. From my side the main issue was the first stint. I felt like I was always sliding around on the UltraSoft tyre - missing front and rear grip - especially after 10 laps. That wasn’t easy. But once we stuck on the Softs I had a great feeling with the car. It was behaving really nicely and it felt really nice to drive. It’s a shame it was just a bit too late. But overall this race wasn’t a disaster. It’s good to start with a podium with a new team and every position is important for the Championship. There’s a long season ahead. I have my points and I’ll do better next time. I’m looking forward to China.

Toto Wolff, Head of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport
Some races you win, some races you lose, and when the days come where another team has done a better job, you need to accept that with humility and recognise their performance. Today, Sebastian and Ferrari were well-deserved winners. From the early stages of the race, it was clear that Sebastian was very quick because Lewis wasn’ t able to pull away. Sebastian came into the window where the undercut was possible and we had the feeling at that point that the tyres were not lasting. It was the team’s impression on the pit wall looking at the data and Lewis’ in the car, too. So that was when, with all the clear risks of coming out in traffic, we took the decision to come in. We were between a rock and a hard place, really, and we went for it. But Ferrari played it very well – and they had the quicker car today. After that, we seemed to pick up in performance on the Soft tyres. Lewis managed everything perfectly and I must compliment Valtteri, too – he showed really good pace, made no mistakes through the whole weekend and got his first podium with the team in his first race. Now, the job for us is to learn the lessons from this race, understand why we didn’t perform to our maximum today and keep working hard to improve the car in every area.

James Allison, Technical Director
If it wasn’t already clear after qualifying, then it’s certainly clear now that this is going to be a season of very small margins. We got a good getaway from the flag. But credit to Ferrari today, they had a very quick car and we just weren’t quite good enough to stick with them. We won’t panic, though. It’s race one of a long season and we scored some very good points with both cars today. We’ ll be determined to come back stronger in China and make sure those small margins go our way next time.















Credits: Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport

Copyright © 2017, Mercedes-Benz-Blog. All rights reserved.

The Silver Arrows team were on top after qualifying at Melbourne as Lewis Hamilton took pole position ahead of Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel. Lewis Hamilton today took his 62nd career pole – his sixth at the Australian Grand Prix. Valtteri Bottas will start his first race for the Silver Arrows from third. Both drivers ran the UltraSoft compound tyres throughout Qualifying.

Qualifying at a glance

Lewis Hamilton
Chassis No.: F1 W08 EQ Power+/01
FP3 stats: P3
Q1 stats: P1, 1:24.191, 5 Laps
Q2 stats: P2, 1:23.251, 3 Laps
Q3 stats: P1, 1:22.188, 6 Laps

Valtteri Bottas
Chassis No.: F1 W08 EQ Power+/03
FP3 stats: P2
Q1 stats: P4, 1:24.514, 4 Laps
Q2 stats: P1, 1:23.215, 3 Laps
Q3 stats: P2, 1:22.481, 6 Laps

Weather
Dry, Mild, Clear (AM), Overcast (PM)

Temperatures
Air: 27 – 30°C
Track: 31 – 40°C

Post-qualifying Comments

Lewis Hamilton
It’s been a fantastic weekend so far. It’s amazing to be here for the 11th time. It feels like only yesterday that I came here for my first race in 2007. I’m just incredibly proud of the team. The rule change has been huge – it’s been such a massive challenge and the guys have worked so hard to get the car to where it is today. To be up here representing them is fantastic. I'm looking forward to the race. I think it’s close between us and Ferrari. Tomorrow is about putting all of the work that’s gone on over the winter and over testing into practice. I think Valtteri did a fantastic job in his first qualifying session, which is great for us.

Valtteri Bottas
Third position is not ideal. I couldn’t quite get a perfect lap in, so I’m not quite satisfied with the result. But what I’m really proud about is the team of people who built this car. I only saw a very small part of the preparation for this new era of Formula One – but it’s really nice to see that all of the work has paid off. Tomorrow is the day that matters and my race starts have been quite strong, so hopefully we can keep that going.

Toto Wolff, Head of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport
P1 and P3 is a really good way to start the first race after a winter with so many changes. Under new regulations, there were no guarantees for us and we knew from testing that Ferrari were very strong. It was exciting to have that close battle for pole, right down to the wire with the final laps in Q3, and it’s clear that we have a big fight on our hands with Ferrari. Lewis has been flying all weekend so it’s great to see him put it on pole. For Valtteri, he might be a little disappointed to miss out on P2 by just a few hundredths. But you cannot expect everything perfect on the first weekend. He improved with every run and there is still more to come, no doubt. Now we need to get our heads down, do the homework and see what tomorrow brings us. Whatever happens, it will only be the first part of the answer to how the competitive picture looks. But I hope most of all that we see a great battle for the fans to enjoy, to begin this new era for the sport.

James Allison, Technical Director
That was an exhilarating session. Massive credit to all the people in this team who, after such a strong year in 2016, have created a car to a new set of regulations, come back a year later and put it on pole again. It’s a splendid effort from the entire team. But what is clear is that it’s very close. We’ve got some serious competition and this could be the start of quite a memorable season. We’ve just got to make sure that it’s us who keeps our nose ahead in the development race. I’ve joined a very strong group of people here and it’s a privilege to be part of this team.












Credits: Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport

Copyright © 2017, Mercedes-Benz-Blog. All rights reserved.

The 2017 Formula 1 season kicks off with the usual Australian opener at Albert Park, Melbourne. On Friday, it was a game of cards on the table. For the first time, all teams have shown their muscles and early potential. The hidden advantages that were not revealed during the winter pre-season tests have begun to shape up for most of the contender. The new regulations are aimed to boost the show to new heights as the cars are now hugely faster compared to the previous generations.

Mercedes-AMG Petronas quickly emerged as the top team, the one to beat this year, followed by Ferrari and Red Bull Racing, which also showed a remarkable development. The new F1 W08 EQ Power+ Silver Arrows driven by Lewis Hamilton and Valteri Bottas touched the Australian soil for the first time and felt right at home, impressing with their strong pace, overall performance and reliability.

Lewis managed to top both free practice sessions of the day, exhibiting lap times which were, on average, almost half a second faster than the rest. Valteri's first practice rounds in a Silver Arrow proved he is a skilled driver that succeeded in getting accustomed to a new team. He ranked P2 in the morning and then P3 in the afternoon FP session. Both drivers ran all three compounds in the morning session. Lewis used the Soft and UltraSoft in the afternoon, Valtteri the SuperSoft and UltraSoft.

Free Practice at a glance

Lewis Hamilton
Chassis: F1 W08 EQ Power+/01
FP1 stats: 22 Laps, 1:24.220, P01
FP2 stats: 34 Laps, 1:23.620, P01

Valtteri Bottas
Chassis: F1 W08 EQ Power+/03
FP1 stats: 25 Laps, 1:24.803, P02
FP2 stats: 34 Laps, 1:24.176, P03

Weather
Dry, Mild, Clear (AM), Overcast (PM)

Temperatures
Air: 20.7 – 23.1°C
Track: 27.2 – 36.0°C

Post-practice Comments

Lewis Hamilton
It’s great to be back in Australia and I’m super happy to be back in the car – particularly after a first day like that. It was 99 per cent perfect. After struggling with some issues in Barcelona, we didn’t know if we’d have the same thing here. What’s really encouraging is that we’ve arrived at the track just a week later and the car is exactly where it should be. It’s feeling great out there and the guys have done a fantastic job. We’ve shown good form so far on both the long and short runs and we got every lap done that we wanted to. The tyres performed really well today too. Coming into today, we really didn’t know where we’d be. We knew from FP1 that the Ferrari’s weren’t at their maximum. Of course, in FP2 all of a sudden they were quick. We’ll see tomorrow how it really stands. I feel very much at home in Melbourne. There’s always a great buzz here and a lot of support. I’m just really happy to see everyone and receive their positive energy. I’ll be pushing as hard as I can to win this race.

Valtteri Bottas
It was great to be back on track after Barcelona and overall it was a good day today. We still have work to do with the car balance but we got all of our running completed without any issues. From my side I definitely feel like I can make a step forward tomorrow. It’l l be a busy evening for us tonight looking through all the data to see where we can improve but it’s a reasonable start. In terms of our pace, it is only practice, so tomorrow we’ll find out exactly where we are. These tyre compounds are the right choice for this race. The softer compounds all felt good. Everyone is pushing to the limit, as we saw a few times out there today. This track is always quite dirty at the start of the weekend, but we’ll get used to it.

James Allison, Technical Director
It always seems like a bit of a cliché to say that we were pleased to get through our programme smoothly. But in the first practice sessions of a new season – particularly under new regulations like these – it’s especially important to achieve that and also to leave the car intact for Saturday. On both counts, I think we can say that today was a smooth day. Our programme focused on trying out the various tyre compounds that we have available this weekend to see what kind of pace and degradation we can expect from them. We also worked to ensure the car has a reasonable balance with race fuel and lower fuel. Our long run pace looked decent but it’s harder to tell where we stand at this stage in terms of single lap pace. We’ll find out tomorrow. Overall the car seems strong, so we’re looking forward to seeing what we can do with it.





















Credits: Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport

Copyright © 2017, Mercedes-Benz-Blog. All rights reserved.