The official data released by Honda recently revealed that in April, its joint ventures in China, Dongfeng Honda and Guangzhou Automobile Honda, sold a total of 58,000 vehicles, a year-on-year decrease of 3.6%; in the first four months of this year, 222,000 units were sold, a year-on-year increase of 10.7. %.
At the Beijing Auto Show in April, Ito Takahiro, president of Honda Tech Industries Co., Ltd. again emphasized the importance of the Chinese market. He said that China will soon surpass the United States and become Honda’s largest single market in the world.
Ito Takao said that in the future, the introduction of resources "will put the needs of the Chinese market first." In the next two years, Honda will strive to double its sales in the Chinese market and increase its market share.
From June 2013, Honda China jointly launched Guangzhou Automobile Honda and Dongfeng Honda to launch “FUNTEC†campaigns and accelerated product introduction. New models such as Lingpai and Jed have been launched. This year, Honda will continue to deepen the localization of its products. In addition, under the background of increasing energy-saving and emission-reduction demands, Honda once again emphasized the importance of hybrid technology.
In response to Honda’s development plan in China, Takashi Ito accepted an interview.
What is China's current position in the global development layout of Honda?
Ito Takahiro: China’s passenger vehicle market is expected to have a scale of nearly 20 million vehicles this year. China is Honda’s most important market in the world, not only achieving the world’s largest market scale, but also launching numerous new technologies for various automotive brands. center of. Last year, the Lingpai launched by Guangzhou Automobile Honda got a higher rating and accumulated valuable experience. At present, we are developing other new models specifically for the Chinese market.
What are the future development directions of Honda Automobile and the development situation in the Chinese market?
Ito Takahiro: I think that there is still great potential for development in the Chinese market. At present, small and medium-sized cars are the first choice for many consumers. Therefore, more characteristic and consumer-friendly products are introduced in the mid-size car market and the compact car market. The product is the key to an enterprise's development. In this market, launching products equipped with FUNTEC's latest technology, having the highest performance and the highest fuel efficiency, while at a very reasonable price, is the direction of Honda's future efforts.
To this end, Honda is not only actively promoting the localization of hybrid powertrains, but is also developing more recent engines. With regard to the launch of new engine technologies, we will put China first.
GM, Ford and other European and American manufacturers have introduced small-displacement engines and are committed to reducing vehicle fuel consumption. How does Honda plan in this regard?
Ito Takahiro: Honda's turbocharged engine is a very important part of Honda's powertrain technology, with the highest level of fuel economy at the same level. In terms of hybrid power, Honda now has the world's leading hybrid technology. All of Honda's new powertrain technologies will be given priority to the Chinese market.
Honda will return to F1 next year and will also launch a new sports car NSX. What does this mean for Honda?
Ito Takahiro: The F1 new rules require very high powertrains for participating vehicles, and the requirements for hybrid technology are also very high. Judging from the current development trend of F1's new rules and automotive technologies, hybrid power technologies in the future are not only technologies for improving fuel economy, but also how to maximize the performance of vehicles and provide more driving pleasure for everyone. .