City, Jazz boost Honda car sales

Sales of Honda Cars Philippines, Inc. grew in the first two months following the introduction of new cars in the local market.

 

This was disclosed by Honda president and general manager Hiroshi Shimizu during an ongoing media test drive of the 2009 Honda City in Bohol. "I'd say it's about 12 percent to 13 percent. With the new City, it is much better year on year," Shimizu said.

 

Honda launched the latest City on January 7 and the company sold close to 1,500 units in seven weeks. Shimizu said the introduction of the latest Jazz variants, which were launched in September 2008. Despite positive sales in the past two months, Shimizu said it is too early to predict how the market will behave for the entire year due to lingering economic concerns.

 

"We will concentrate on passenger car segment so we want to expand our market share in this segment," Shimizu said. Official sales figure will be released by the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines, Inc. (CAMPI). CAMPI expects a four percent growth in the car market this year.