Honda to launch Acura luxury brand in Japan in '08

[conan]

Honda to launch Acura luxury brand in Japan in '08

Wed Dec 14, 2005 3:07 AM ET

TOKYO (Reuters) - Honda Motor Co. <7267.T> said on Wednesday it would bring its high-end Acura brand to its home Japanese market in late 2008, following Toyota Motor Corp.'s <7203.T> Lexus marque into the lucrative premium segment.

Honda's planned entry is set to fan competition in a sector long dominated by European brands such as DaimlerChrysler AG's <DCXGn.DE> Mercedes-Benz and BMW AG <BMWG.DE>, which already face pressure from Lexus' debut in Japan in late August.

It also marks a bold move for Honda, which now sells the 19-year-old Acura line only in North America, where Japanese auto makers have carved out a sizeable market for competitively priced high-end cars.

Rival Nissan Motor Co. <7201.T>, Japan's second-biggest auto maker, had once declared its intention to bring its Infiniti luxury line to the domestic market, but later said it would reconsider given the tough competition, a shrinking population and falling household incomes.

With the planned launch of the Acura brand, Honda said it would also merge its three domestic sales channels -- Primo, Clio and Verno -- into one Honda channel next March, making all models available at each dealership. The number of showrooms will remain the same at around 2,400, it said in a statement.

Honda will initially set up about 100 Acura dealers in Japan.

"This will enable Honda to achieve further growth and take a big step forward in Japan," Honda said, citing its goal of selling at least 800,000 vehicles in Japan every year.

Honda said it did not have a separate sales volume target for Acura. In 2004, Acura sales totaled 743,000 units globally. In the first 11 months of this year, they came to 661,500.

Japan's third-biggest auto maker has said it would also launch an Acura channel in China next spring.

[WP]

Hmm, biasanya ga perlu merek lain buat boil mewah Jepang di pasar domestik mereka. Buktinya selama bertahun-tahun Infiniti, Lexus, dan Acura ga dijual di sana, tapi Honda Legend, Nissan President, Cima, Gloria, Toyota Celsior, Toyota Aristo, dan Altezza laku juga di sana.....

[conan]

Hmm, biasanya ga perlu merek lain buat boil mewah Jepang di pasar domestik mereka. Buktinya selama bertahun-tahun Infiniti, Lexus, dan Acura ga dijual di sana, tapi Honda Legend, Nissan President, Cima, Gloria, Toyota Celsior, Toyota Aristo, dan Altezza laku juga di sana.....

Ya, tapi di sana mobil2 itu tidak dipandang tergolong mobil mewah/premium, hanya model2 termahal dari pabrikan domestik, that's all.