Boon Siew Honda motorcycle launches to continue

GEORGE TOWN: Despite the challenging economic environment, Boon Siew Honda Sdn Bhd, the manufacturer and wholesaler of Honda motorcycles and products, is not holding back on its launches this year or next year.

The company is still aiming for a 10% sales growth for 2017 and has lined up a few models to be launched next year to expand its overall market share.

Deputy chairman/deputy chief executive officer, Datuk Seri Tan Hui Jing, said the overall motorcycle industry in Malaysia had recorded a 10% drop in sales but he was optimistic the sector would recover from time to time.

“We need to launch new models in order to record high sales volume, and over the next two months, we plan to launch another scooter model to meet the demand in the automatic motorcycle segment,” he told Bernama here.

Tan also lauded the government’s move to increase the motorcycle loan limit from RM5,000 to RM10,000 for civil servants under the 2017 Budget announced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak last week.

He said the increment would inject more positive signs into the industry and boost the sale of motorcycles next year.

“We are anticipating a higher motorcyle sales next year especially in the cub segment which has contributed about 80% to our total sales, followed by automatic scooter segment at 15% while the remaining is from the big bike segment,” he said.

For Honda motocycles in Malaysia, Tan said the highest sale was still the Honda Wave Alpha, having reached 30,000 units since its launch in November last year.

Meanwhile, the demand for the Honda RS150R launched in June this year has been overwhelming, with over 8,000 units sold to-date.

“We will continue to launch new models to strengthen our competitiveness and strive to provide the products and services which will exceed the customers  expectations in order to boost our sales,” he added.

Boon Siew Honda, a joint-venture between Honda Motor Co Ltd and Oriental Holdings Bhd, started operations in September 2008 with the aim to consolidate motorcycle production and sales in Malaysia. - Bernama