The first batch of India made Honda Brio car, consisting of 390 units, which was shipped last month arrived to South African shores earlier this week. The export of the Brio hatchback will not only increase the export revenue of the company but will also help it to utilise its Brio production plant to the full capacity, which was under threat owing to a dip in the demands of petrol car in India.
Hironori Kanayama, CEO & President, Honda Cars India, on the occasion of flagging off Brio from India last month said, "We are delighted to flag off the first ever Brio export consignment to South Africa. The expansion of Honda's export business is the first step towards developing India as another hub for export of certain models. It is also testimony to the quality of Honda cars and their components manufactured at our plants in India. I am proud to say that the Honda Brio that we manufacture here in India is of best quality and ready to be introduced in international market."
Prior to exporting Brio to South Africa, Honda had been mostly focussing on exporting its cars only to SAARC countries and it has in the last 14 months exported a total of 1,028 units to these nations. While the company has already started shipping its vehicles to South Africa, it plans to export its cars to other countries as well.
Jnaneswar Sen, Senior Vice President, Marketing and Sales at Honda Cars India, on the occasion of commencement of shipping told to PTI, “We are first shipping the Brio to South Africa. We are also looking at countries in SADC (Southern African Development Community) such as Tanzania, Kenya, Mauritius and Seychelles.”
Now that the first lot of Brio has arrived in South Africa, it is expected that the much acclaimed hatchback from the stables of Honda would be launched in South Africa in December this year. The India made cars are widely preferred in the African countries; therefore cars like Hyundai i10, Toyota Etios Liva, Ford Figo and Tata Indica Vista are being exported from here to the African nations.
India's once favourite car Maruti 800, which is on the verge of discontinuation in the country is also widely being preferred in the African countries and its sales in the last few months have increased.
