Kuala Lumpur, 19 March 2019 – While the automotive industry remained challenging in 2018, Honda Malaysia recorded a market share of 17.1% to keep the momentum as the No.1 car brand in the Non-National segment for four consecutive years and maintained its No.2 position in overall Total Industry Volume (TIV) for three consecutive years.
Last year, the automotive industry witnessed a series of events that influenced customer sentiment. During the three-month tax holiday period, Honda Malaysia received overwhelming demand from customers, and this in turn made a significant contribution to its total sales. Speaking at the Honda Media Gathering 2019, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Toichi Ishiyama said, “Honda Malaysia sold 102,282 units in 2018, a slight decrease of 6.6% against the 2017 sales result. Even so, it is encouraging to note that we managed to surpass the 100,000 unit-sold mark despite the uncertainties in the market. I would like to take this opportunity to express our gratitude to Honda customers for their trust and support towards Honda Malaysia.”
In terms of sales performance by model, all 7 CKD models namely the Jazz, City, BR-V, HR-V, Civic, Accord and CR-V were segment leaders. The City has recorded the highest contribution, at 32% to the overall sales of Honda Malaysia. The Civic and CR-V were also strong players in their respective segments, recording 16% and 13% sales unit contribution.
Focusing on Honda’s Next Generation Advanced Technology, Honda Malaysia has introduced three pillars of technology known as the Honda SENSING, Turbo and Sport Hybrid i-DCD over the years. In the period since its introduction in 2017 until end of 2018, the Accord with Honda SENSING has contributed 18% to the more than 3,600 units of Accord sold during this time. Meanwhile, the CR-V with Honda SENSING which was introduced in the same year as the Accord with Honda SENSING, contributed 33% to the 20,600 total units of the 5th Generation CR-V sold as at the end of 2018, attesting to the positive acceptance of the advanced safety technology. In 2016, Honda became the first Japanese car manufacturer to introduce a Turbocharged model in C-segment for mass market in Malaysia, and since then, this variant has also been well accepted. One of the most sought-after models, the 10th Generation Civic has sold more than 41,000 units since its official launch three years ago, and the Turbocharged variant accounted for 58% of this sales figure.
Further strengthening its model line-up and value, Honda Malaysia launched the Odyssey last year; this model completes the Honda SENSING trio which are the Accord in D Segment, CR-V in SUV Segment and Odyssey in Premium MPV Segment that offer the advanced safety technology. Models equipped with Sport Hybrid i-DCD such as City and Jazz also received good acceptance from the market last year.
Honda Malaysia has also chalked up 11% growth against the 2017 record in its after-sales service intake, making it the highest after-sales service intake in its history. This increase was complemented by another record in the sales of Honda Genuine Parts, which saw a jump of 25%.
Taking market insight into account, Honda Malaysia anticipated the TIV of 2019 at 580,000 units. Based on this TIV, Honda Malaysia has set its sales target for this year at 95,000 units, translating into 16% market share. In efforts to remain competitive in the challenging market, Honda Malaysia shared its business direction that is designed to help the company achieve its target and grow further in 2019.
The key strategies outlined to help Honda Malaysia maintain its leading position in the market are:
- Improvement of Customer Service Standard
Other than excellent product offerings, Honda Malaysia also keeps the focus on the services. Honda Malaysia is continuing its unrelenting pursuit to raise the bar in the standard of customer service. The company is dedicated to uplifting customer satisfaction by giving first-class hospitality treatment at all dealerships. To offer better customer experience, Honda associates are further trained with emphasis on the provision of thorough and comprehensive services to customers who visit the dealerships. At the same time, Honda Malaysia is providing outstanding benefits and enhanced after-sales services for the customers in order to further elevate the Joy of Buying. - Strengthen Dealership Network
Honda Malaysia has been very active in enhancing and strengthening its dealership network. With a nationwide presence of 120 dealerships including 22 Body and Paint Centres, Honda Malaysia now has 83 dealerships available in West Malaysia and 15 dealerships in East Malaysia. The wide accessibility of Honda dealerships is bringing more convenience to customers in both urban and suburban areas. Honda Malaysia is working closely with the dealers to up the ante in serving customers. - Introduction of New Models
Looking at the positive outlook this year, Honda Malaysia is planning to rev up the market by introducing new and upgraded models. The company kicked off 2019 with the launch of New HR-V 1.8L RS and the first ever hybrid model in the compact SUV segment, the New HR-V 1.5L Sport Hybrid i-DCD in January. The popular compact SUV raised the benchmark to a higher standard while continuing to dominate in its segment. In February, the limited edition Jazz Mugen and BR-V Special Edition were introduced with only 300 units available each. Honda Malaysia believes its existing and upcoming models will help the company sustain its leadership position in each segment.
In light of its 2018 performance, Honda Malaysia is optimistic that the strategic business direction this year will be a stepping stone for the company to meet its 2019 target and go above and beyond customers’ satisfaction. Drawing on the company’s 2030 vision, Honda Malaysia is also committed to continuously extend the joy of mobility that evokes new value creation and benefit people’s lives.
Honda Malaysia Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer Mr. Toichi Ishiyama delivering his speech at the annual Honda Media Gathering 2019.
Honda Malaysia Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer Mr. Toichi Ishiyama reviewing the sales performance of Honda Malaysia in 2018.
All CKD models of Honda Malaysia were the segment leaders with the City being the largest contributor in 2018.
Management of Honda Malaysia taking questions from the media at the Media Gathering 2019.