Airport Honda

By DALE JEWETT on 12/03/2010

The 2011 model year is the last one for the Honda Element, Honda said on Friday, marking the end of an eight-year run for the boxy, small SUV.

The reason? Declining sales. Element sales this year totaled 12,960 units through the end of November, down 3.7 percent from the same period last year. Element sales peaked at 67,478 units in 2003, its first full year…

By Alan Ohnsman and Angela Greiling Keane - Nov 10, 2010 9:44 PM ET

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said last month that the ratings are aimed at boosting overall safety and ensuring the results more accurately reflect the crashworthiness of new cars and light trucks. Photographer: Joshua Roberts/Bloomberg

Honda Motor Co.'s Accord received the best possible safety rating among 2011 model-year passenger cars tested for crashes under new U.S. evaluation standards, edging ahead of Toyota Motor Corp. and Hyundai Motor Co. sedans.

The mid-size Accord, Honda's top-selling U.S. model, got an overall five-star rating, according to results posted on the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's website.

Of 40 models tested so far, six rated five stars overall. Accord is the first to get five stars in each of three crash categories tested by NHTSA.

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said last month that the ratings are aimed at boosting overall safety and ensuring the results more accurately reflect the crashworthiness of new cars and light trucks. Changes include the use of female crash- test dummies for the first time, along with male versions, to collect data about injuries to the chest, head, neck and legs.

The 2011 Accord sedan received five stars on side and frontal crashes and rollovers, according to NHTSA.

Honda rose 0.5 percent to 3,045 yen as of the 11 a.m. trading break in Tokyo. The stock has declined 2.1 percent in 2010.

Hyundai's Sonata, with an overall five-star rating, got the top score for side crashes and rollovers and four stars for frontal crashes, NHTSA said last month. Toyota's Camry, the best-selling U.S. passenger car, rated three stars overall, earning three for side and frontal crashes and four for rollovers.

The agency continues to test 2011 model-year cars and trucks and is adding the results as they are completed. The results are available at http://www.safercar.gov.

To contact the reporters on this story: Alan Ohnsman in Los Angeles at aohnsman@bloomberg.net; Angela Greiling Keane in Washington at agreilingkea@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Kae Inoue at kinoue@bloomberg.net