Honda Cars Philippines Inc. (HCPI) is targeting to sell more than 40 units per month of the newly introduced City Hatchback.
On Tuesday, the local arm of the Japanese automaker Honda Motor Company Ltd. launched the all-new City Hatchback, the latest offering under the company’s B-Segment hatchback category.
HCPI General Manager for Sales Louie Soriano said during a virtual briefing that the company aims to surpass the monthly sales of Honda Jazz to corner the market.
“Right now, we are selling 40 units of Jazz every month. And if we want to dominate the market, you know what figures we have in mind. Basically, we are going to sell more than the number of Jazz,” Soriano said.
“We believe that the City Hatch will be a worthy alternative to the iconic Honda Jazz, but moreover, it will be a model that will make its own mark in the automotive landscape,” HCPI President Masahiko Nakamura added.
Soriano said the model is imposed with the safeguard duty amounting to P70,000 per unit.
“What we are going to do is require the customers to deposit P13,000. So basically, we are making the customer, giving them less of a burden, with respect [to] passing of the duty,” he added.
In January, the Department of Trade and Industry imposed provisional safeguard duties in the form of a cash bond amounting to P70,000 per unit for imported passenger cars and P110,000 per unit for imported light commercial vehicles.
“With its sleek hatchback body style, spacious and flexible interior capabilities, advanced technologies and powerful yet efficient engine, the All-New City Hatchback aims to provide a sporty yet versatile and cool vehicle that would complement the diverse needs and active lifestyles of our customers,” HCPI Executive Vice President Ryohei Adachi said.
HCPI introduced two new models, the New CR-V and the All-New City, in October last year. Nakamura said the All-New City has sold over 1,700 units already. Tyrone Jasper C. Piad
As of the first quarter, the car company sold 3,450 units, which is 17.5 percent lower than the 4,180 units sold last year.
Honda saw its sales plunge by 42.4 percent to 11,711 units last year from 20,338 units sold in 2019. It accounted for 5.23 percent of the market share in 2020.
Last year, Honda closed its production facility in the country amid the global slowdown arising from the trade spat between the United States and China, which was exacerbated by the pandemic.
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