Petaling Jaya, 26 July 2007 - Honda Malaysia Sdn. Bhd. in a review, today announced that sales outperformed the targets that the company set for the first six months of 2007. The sales volume increased by 6.4% as compared to the corresponding period last year, which makes up to a total of 14,711 units sold despite the fact that Total Industry Volume (TIV) decreased by 12.5%. This translates to a TIV share of 6.4% for Honda in the first six months, which is higher than its targeted 5.5%.
Honda Outperforms Targets For First Half of 2007
This positive performance can be attributed mainly to the success of the all-new CR-V, which was launched in March. Sales of the new CR-V have exceeded expectations and Honda has received a backlog of bookings of more than 4000 units, which has already exceeded Honda's yearly target for the CR-V. Besides the CR-V, the 8th Gen Honda Civic with its recent value added features remains a popular choice amongst customers. The Civic also contributed to the robust sales in the first half of 2007.
Besides selling cars, Honda Malaysia also had a busy first half of the year in its commitment to give back to the society where it exists. The partnership with WWF-Malaysia in saving the Sumatran Rhino population in Malaysia entered its 2nd year. Honda Malaysia continues its commitment by kick-starting a school programme in January to raise awareness and educate Malaysia's future custodians of the importance of environmental preservation.
In April, Honda Malaysia supported 20 young promising underprivileged Malaysians in their quest to achieve their dreams. Through the Honda Dreams Fund (HDF), Honda Malaysia provided full scholarships to 20 youths, supporting them discover the joy and fulfillment of realising their dreams, their true potential and to build a brighter future.
In the motorsports arena, Honda continues to share the excitement, passion and challenges with Malaysians through the Formula 1 in April, and the recent Super GT. As our founder, Mr Soichiro Honda aptly puts it, "Without racing, there is no Honda" - it is indeed Honda's reasons to exist.
Not forgetting its commitment to achieving No.1 in Customer Satisfaction, Honda Malaysia continues its Safety Driving Courses for customers. Besides that, Honda Malaysia appointed 5 authorized stockists in March to guard customers' interest in the area of reasonable prices for spare parts and assurance of genuine Honda parts.
Honda Malaysia's commitment in fulfilling customer's expectations and achieving customer satisfaction earned two prestigious awards in the first half of 2007. The first award Honda Malaysia received was the Initial Quality Study (IQS) award trophy from J.D. Power Asia Pacific in February. The IQS award was for the winning Honda Civic in the midsize segment. The second accolade came in May when Honda Malaysia was presented with the Reader's Digest Asia Gold Trusted Brand Award 2007 in the car category in Malaysia.
Other notable milestones in the first half of 2007 include the shipment of its 1,000,000th set of Constant Velocity Joint (CVJ) in May, marking the ability of Honda's Pegoh Plant to deliver on producing CVJ that meets the export quality and strict quality management system. Also in May, Honda together with customers and media undertook a fuel efficiency challenge of their i-DSI engine, under the watchful eyes of officials from Automobile Association of Malaysia (AAM). The Fuel Efficiency Automobile Test (F.E.A.T) took the participants on a road trip stretching 660 km, using less than 42 litres or one tank of petrol.
Honda started the 2nd half-year with the launch of the "Experience Honda 3S Campaign", which is recently ongoing until end of August. The campaign aims to enable Malaysians to experience the total package and convenience of Honda's 3S (Sales, Service and Spare Parts) facilities and at the same time enjoy special perks. Honda also introduced a new colour, the striking Helios Yellow Pearl for the Honda Jazz (VTEC) range in early July. Honda Motor Co. Ltd. recently announced that worldwide cumulative sales of the Honda Jazz (or Honda Fit as known in some countries) reached 2 million units at the end of June 2007.
With all these exciting events, and results for the first half of 2007, what else can we expect for the 2nd half of 2007? Hang on to your seats, for Honda Malaysia has more in store - in motorsports and a thrilling CBU line-up.
Stay tuned!