That means checking the sales and financial reports of Honda Motor Corporation (NYSE: HMC) is a great way to measure the economic health of the American middle class. The Honda yardstick indicates the American middle class is doing well, American Honda broke an all times sales record for the third year in a row, a press release indicates. Honda sold 1.641 million vehicles in 2017, and some of its models including the Civic, CR-V, and HR-V hit sales records.