HONDA Cars Philippines, Inc. (HCPI) is expecting to hit its sales target of 300 units a month for its newly launched sixth-generation Honda CR-V starting in October.
“Because of the newness of this model, I think we are going to achieve the [sales] target of 300 units per month. And the composition [will be] more or less 30% for electric vehicles and 70% for the petrol cars,” said Louie C. Soriano, HCPI vice-president and sales division general manager, on the sidelines of the vehicle’s launch on Wednesday.
The latest generation of the Honda CR-V is the first model to receive the company’s e:HEV technology, which is the latest generation of its full-hybrid system.
“But while I said that we could achieve that, I would also like to mention that e:HEV will just be available next month, while the petrol cars are already available in our dealerships,” Mr. Soriano said.
The company is optimistic about reaching the sales target after receiving early interest from prospective buyers, he said.
“We had a pre-selling campaign [where] we received a lot of bookings. And we over-achieved our target for pre-selling bookings because I think the existing booking now is more than 200,” he said.
The pre-selling campaign started running three weeks prior to the car’s launch. The company had expected the pre-selling bookings at 100, Mr. Soriano said. The new product line is said to cater to luxury-seeking business owners and professionals.
The sixth generation Honda CR-V will have three grades with a suggested retail price of P2.1 million to P2.59 million depending on the product grade.
Meanwhile, HCPI President Rie Miyake said that the company had set its eyes on network development and expansion with three more dealer stores bound to start construction soon.
“[Our] sales performance is a testament to the unwavering commitment of our dealer partners. [With that], we are moving forward with the network development efforts and expansion,” she said.
She added that new stores will follow a store in Sta. Rosa, Laguna which is set to open by the end of September to bring the network to 38 dealerships nationwide.
“We also have three more dealers set to break ground in new locations soon,” she said.
In the first half of the year, HCPI’s sales stood at more than 11,000 units, a growth of 21% compared to the level in the previous year, Ms. Miyake said. — Justine Irish D. Tabile
