U.S. sales of the Alabama-made Honda Pilot are soaring in 2015, even as the automaker prepares to replace the aging model.

So far this year, sales of the Lincoln-built SUV have reached nearly 60,000, up 46.5 percent over 2014.

The numbers have been fueled by incentives offered by Honda and dealers to move the current generation Pilot and make way for the redesigned 2016 model, which is arriving in showrooms this month.

Last month, Honda's Talladega County plant officially kicked off mass production of the updated Pilot, which is lighter, longer and sleeker than its predecessor.

Meanwhile, other Alabama-made autos also are performing well in the U.S. market.

From January to May of this year, combined U.S. sales of vehicles assembled in Alabama totaled 383,705, a 9 percent improvement from the same time period last year.

Sales of the Mercedes-Benz C-Class sedan, which the German automaker's Tuscaloosa County plant began building last year, are up 28 percent over 2014. The plant's other products -- the M-Class and GL-Class SUVs -- registered 7.6 percent and 8.6 percent growth, respectively.

Honda's other state-made models have seen a slight slide. Sales of the Odyssey minivan are down 2.6 percent from last year, while sales of the Acura MDX SUV have declined 4 percent.

As for the products of Hyundai's Montgomery factory, sales of the Elantra compact are up 7 percent over last year, while sales of the Sonata sedan are flat.

May was one of the best-selling months for the U.S. light vehicle market since the Great Depression, according to Charles Chesbrough, senior principal economist for forecaster IHS Automotive.

Total light vehicle sales topped 1.6 million. So far this year, sales are up 4.5 percent over 2014.

The numbers were not a surprise, he added, and made up for momentum lost in previous months.

"Although economic growth has been relatively weak in recent quarters, many parts of the economy remain strong and this will support a robust auto market through the summer," Chesbrough stated in his analysis. "The stock market remains near all-time highs, consumer confidence continues to improve, housing starts and prices continue to rise and still have a long way to go before reaching pre-recession levels, and interest rates remain near record lows – all these factors will contribute to strong light vehicle market through the year."

Full Article: http://www.al.com/business/index.ssf/2015/06/whos_leading_the_pack_in_sales.html