AP Honda maintains market leadership, launches campaign to meet four challenges
AP Honda, the official distributor of Honda motorcycles in Thailand, on Tuesday announced that its 2017 sales had maintained the maker’s No-1 position in the domestic market for the 29th consecutive year.
Accumulated sales reached 1.424 million units, from an overall market of 1.816 million.
This represented a year-on-year increase of around 4 per cent for the company.
For the big-bike segment, Honda also achieved top position with 12,900 unit sales from a total market of 29,600 units.
The company also announced a new campaign, “What Stop You?”, covering the four challenges it will meet this year in being a sustainable organisation, and introduced two new models – the All New Honda Super Cub and the Honda CB300R.
Yoichi Mizutani, president of AP Honda, said: “This year, we expect the Thai motorcycle market to grow to 1.87 million units, while Honda should reach approximately 1.48 million unit sales. Meanwhile, the big-bike segment is expected to grow continuously to 34,500 units, while Honda projects our sales will reach 15,700 units.
“This year, Honda is planning to introduce 10 new models, including hybrid and electric models, to the Thai market.”
Vice president Suchart Arunsaengroj said: “Market leadership will only drive us forward, under the Vision 2030 statement to ‘serve people worldwide with the joy of expanding their lives’ potential’ and ‘lead the advancement of mobility and enable people everywhere in the world to improve their daily lives’.
“This year, we aim to create new Honda DNA to meet the changing environment, society and technology. Committed to improving our business in all aspects while maintaining the quality of Honda products, we initiate a new campaign – ‘What Stop You?’.
He said the first challenge is to introduce new products and new technology.
The second is to introduce a new business – Cub House, a flagship store which will provide customers with the new experiences of Honda’s unique lifestyle and values.
The first branch is expected to be opened in the Ekkamai area by the end of March, with 10 in total planned by the year’s end.
The third challenge is the creation of a new application for two-way communication and a CRM channel to enhance current service.
The final challenge is to set the new standard for Honda Wing Centre, by rearranging and zoning the current showroom to be more pleasant and convenient for visitors, Suchart said.