Here's another thought: I recall reading somewhere that Honda was expecting on selling 44,000 Passports per year (is that right or was it 45k?) Anyway, if you divide 44k by 12 (months), that means they were targeting sales of 3,666 PER MONTH and the 1,848 is nearly 50% LESS that expectations, which is REALLY bad, considering sales should start out high and taper off for a vehicle that lots of people really want.
It would seem that the dealers who are holding out for Max. MSRP are effectively killing Honda's sales goals, while putting an extra $3 grand in their pockets...