In last week’s The Wall Street Journal (Dec. 20, 2007) it was reported that Honda Motor Co. is expected to increase U.S. sales 3% next year. Honda also expects to increase sales all over the globe in 2008, mostly in the emerging China market. They think the increased business will be from the fuel efficient Honda Fit & Civic. As fuel prices further increase in the states over the next year their predictions just might come true. Honda isn’t the only Japanese auto maker with ambition; Toyota announced today it is expecting a 5% increase in sales in 2008. However, that is a 5% increase over the globe, not just in the U.S. Toyota is expecting about 6% decline in U.S. sales.

So what does that mean to Credit Union Indirect Lending? To keep your numbers on a steady increase, you need to sign up dealerships that are selling what people want. If you have Honda dealerships that are not sending in business, try to foster a better relationship with them.