Chart Of The Day: July Marks 11 Months On Top For The Honda CR-V

Beginning in September 2014, the Honda CR-V began a streak as America’s best-selling SUV/crossover, a streak which has now extended through July 2015. Eleven consecutive months is no mean feat — the Toyota Camry’s current streak as America’s best-selling car is only six months long.

The CR-V is strengthening, however. In July, year-over-year volume jumped 11 percent to 31,785 units, 2,532 units more than the second-ranked Ford Escape managed. During this increasingly lengthy period of dominance, no one challenger has really stood up to take the fight to the CR-V.

Since the beginning of 2015, the Ford Escape has been the second-place finisher twice (in January and July), the Toyota RAV4 twice (in February and June), the Chevrolet Equinox twice (in April and May), and the Nissan Rogue once (in March). It’s as though James Harden is shooting around on a basketball court beside some playground in Los Angeles waiting for a one-on-one matchup while kids peeking out from around the corner keep pushing one of their friends out to put up a fight.

Although this particular streak displays special CR-V strength — sales climbed to a record high 335,019 units in calendar year 2014 and are on pace to top 350,000 in 2015 — we’re not witnessing something new from Honda. The CR-V was America’s best-selling utility vehicle for four consecutive years beginning in 2007 and then, after a one-year break, it was America’s best-selling utility vehicle in each of the last three years, as well.

The difference now is the vehicle’s astounding consistency, like a tennis player that not only ends the year as the top-ranked player but also wins every tournament every weekend.

In 2012, when the current annual CR-V streak began, the Escape was the top-selling utility vehicle in America in June, July, August, and September. In 2013, the Escape led in each of the first three months and in May, June, and in September. Again in 2014, the Escape led in January, February, and March; the RAV4 in August.

Now things have changed. Month after month, no SUV or crossover sells as often in America as the Honda CR-V. Moreover, CR-V sales are growing despite the increasing breadth of the SUV/CUV market. In nine of the last eleven months, year-over-year CR-V volume has increased.

Timothy Cain is the founder of GoodCarBadCar.net, which obsesses over the free and frequent publication of U.S. and Canadian auto sales figures. Follow on Twitter @goodcarbadcar and on Facebook.