Honda eyes comeback with revamped car fleet

TOKYO: After being on the fringes for years, Japan’s Honda is charting an aggressive comeback with the launch of as many as ten new cars, including seven SUVs.Honda Motor Co president and CEO Toshihiro Mibe is pivoting the automaker’s global strategy towards India, announcing a dedicated project team, a renewed EV and hybrid plan, and the new models by 2030.

The move marks Honda’s bid to regain lost ground in one of the world’s fastest-growing auto markets.At a media interaction following the Japan Mobility Show, Mibe said India would now stand alongside North America and Japan as one of Honda’s three key growth pillars. “The global auto market has been changing, and market shares of different companies are shifting drastically,” he said. “Especially because of the Chinese OEMs who are encroaching more into the world market.

Honda, of course, is impacted by this trend in China and other Asian markets.

However, our growth markets remain North America, Japan, and India. India is a priority market where we intend to concentrate more efforts going forward.”

Honda, like several global automakers, has struggled with trade-related uncertainty in the US and competitive pressure from Chinese EV makers. Mibe said Honda had set up a project team dedicated to India to frame its EV and electrification roadmap.

“The team is exploring approaches suitable for India, including collaboration opportunities with the two-wheeler segment,” he said. “With many suppliers and OEMs in India, alliances could maximize our opportunities.

”Honda plans ten or more model launches by 2030, covering both mass and premium segments. “For SUVs, which have become mainstream in India, we plan seven models by 2030,” Mibe said. The lineup will include models from Honda’s new Zero Series EV family, previewed at the Japan Mobility Show. The Zero Series Alpha, built at the Tapukara plant that produces the City, Amaze, and Elevate, will also be exported to Japan and other Asian markets.

Mibe said Honda would tailor Zero Series models to regional demand.(The writer is in Tokyo on Honda Motor Co’s invite)