The Indian unit of Japan based leading auto maker Honda is expanding its foot prints in the tier-II and tier-III cities. The move has been takes in a bid to reach more and more Indian families to boost the sales of company’s much awaited small car Honda Brio. The Honda Brio model is slated to hit the Indian roads by the last quarter of this year during Diwali festival season. The small car is expected to be launched in the segment of sub Rs 5 lakh.
In past few months the company has opened its dealerships in a number of smaller cities including Ambala, Mandi, Rohtak and Coonoor. Moreover, the company plans to open another 25 outlets in such cities by the end of this year. The company currently sells its cars through Honda Siel Cars India (HCIL) - a joint venture between Japan’s Honda Motor and Siddharth Shriram Group Company Siel.
In a recent statement, HSCI’s marketing director Seki Inaba said, “Brio is important for the company, as with it we intend to widen our customer base. We want to target upcountry customers with this car.”
While further elaborating company’s India strategy, Jnaneswar Sen, senior vice-president (sales & marketing) at HSCI, said, “At present, nearly 50 per cent of our sales come from the top seven-eight cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Hyderabad. The remaining sales come from 69 cities. So, the potential to increase sales from the rest of the country is huge.”
