- Honda’s new chief has steered the carmaker away from a policy of targeting aggressive volume growth in an effort to rebuild a brand tarnished by quality lapses over the past year.
- In his first news conference on Monday since his appointment last month, Takahiro Hachigo struck a cautious tone that mirrored that adopted by rival Toyota following its own recall problems in 2010.
- But Mr Hachigo offered few new initiatives on how Japan’s third-largest carmaker would overcome lacklustre sales and thrive in a market increasingly dominated by bigger players.
“Instead of a numerical target, my top priority is building Honda-like products that deliver dreams to our customers,” Mr Hachigo said on Monday. “We need to strengthen communication with people on the ground.”
For Effective Production
- Mr Hachigo said Honda would manufacture in Japan its Fit model for export to North America, and its Jazz model for Europe, while its new Civic 5-door hatchback would be made in Europe. The next-generation CR-V would be made in Canada and exported to Europe, he added.
Production In Nigeria
The company also said it planned to produce about 1,000 units of its Accord sedan per year in Nigeria, which will be the first time for Honda to assemble automobiles in Africa.
“Honda Will Produce In Nigeria, The First In Africa” reads the headline. But the last sentence has “…which would be the first time for Honda to assemble automobiles in Africa”. Manufacturing and assembling are two different things. Your headline is misleading to your audience as Nigeria will start manufacturing Honda cars whereas Nigeria will just assemble cars.