Market reports – Fabrice Recoque (Honda): the Forza 125 represents 25% of our sales – Used HONDA

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Fabrice Recoque (Honda): the Forza 125 represents 25% of our sales

Market reports - Fabrice Recoque (Honda): the Forza 125 represents 25% of our sales - Used HONDA

With 22,159 registrations, Honda posted an increase of 7.4% on the French motorcycle market. Fabrice Recoque, director of Honda France Moto, establishes for Site the 2015 report of the Japanese brand and reveals its objectives for 2016. Interview.

Site: Do you consider that the announcement of the end of the law of 100 horses had a negative effect on the market in general, on your results in particular? ?
Fabrice Recoque, Motorcycle Division Director at Honda France: This announcement has certainly prompted some customers to wait and see. But as it was announced at the end of the year – these are two low months in volume and customers often wait until January to register – the impact has not been so severe. Moreover, after a month of, the month of .

MNC: On the contrary, will it boost activity in 2016? ?
FR. : We think that this news will finally push the sales of big engines during the 2016 season. Maybe not from January or February but more certainly during the season..

MNC: Can the Paris Motor Show at the end of 2015 also stimulate the market at the start of the year? ?
FR. : The was a great success considering the tragic events that had occurred a few days earlier (). It was a great success for Honda which was able, through a high quality stand, to highlight its range and its new products, including the. We recorded inquiries that were 50% larger than our forecast. Proof that the interest is there and that it will most certainly result in firm orders in 2016.

MNC: How do you interpret the current success of "neo-retro" motorcycles? ?
FR. : Neo retro is fashionable in motorcycles as in many areas … At Honda, we were pioneers with the, which was released in 2009 in Japan and in 2013 at home in Europe. We also see many Cafe racer style preparations based on legendary Honda products..

MNC: What is your opinion on the ban on motorcycles before 2000 in Paris from this summer? ?
FR. : This measure seems very unfair. Our motorcycles, even those produced before this date, are low-polluting machines. If with an equivalent engine, motorcycles are in theory indeed more polluting than cars, their travel times in large cities can be 4 to 5 times shorter than cars, which makes the use of a motorized two-wheeler. much cleaner than you think. And the users of these machines often keep them under a "vintage" aspect … It is not at all sure that they decide to buy a new motorcycle. !

MNC: How do you feel about the overall evolution of the French motorcycle market in 2015? ?
FR. : The year has been more stable than expected. Admittedly, with a slight growth of + 1.2%, but thanks to the growth of the market 125 mainly (+ 7.5%). Sales of motorcycles larger than 125 cc fell by -2%. 2015 will have been a stable year, still close to low market levels.

MNC: What is your assessment for your brand in 125 and large cubes? ?
FR. : 2015 was a very special year for us. The market is made up of a third of 125 cc, but our sales volumes in this category will be 54%, ie the reverse of the market. This result is due to the exceptional success of which represented 25% of our total sales. We therefore had a weak year in large displacement due to the renewal dates of our range. 2016 will be very different…

MNC: Which models have performed particularly well this year?
FR. : Undoubtedly the since it has become the best-selling two-wheeler in France, all categories included! This had not happened since 1999 … 16 years ago! In the roadster category, the one which had missed its first season because it had arrived a little late in June 2014, this time had a very good year with more than 2000 registrations. La has stabilized its sales at a very high level (550) in its 40th year of sales: France remains the third most important country for Goldwing sales in the world !

MNC: Who are those who have stayed behind? Why ?
FR. : We missed half of the year, which is very penalizing on this important segment of roadsters. We also had supply concerns on other key models such as the .

MNC: Did your new products for 2015 reach their commercial objectives? ?
FR. : Overall yes, we are really in line with our goals! Honda is up 8% on the total two-wheeler market, the best growth of the year with a 1% gain in market share, it was our roadmap announced to the network. On the other hand, we had been a little optimistic in forecasting a market of around 145,000 units … 4,000 too many compared to the final result.

MNC: What was the pleasant surprise of your 2015? And the less good ?
FR. : The good surprise was the one which, with new colors, suddenly regained volume in the heart of the season … The worst comes from sales of, which were below expectations despite their undeniable qualities..

MNC: According to you, what was the highlight of 2015 in the world of two-wheelers? ?
FR. : Undoubtedly the officialization of for motorcycles to 2002/24 standards … and the long awaited retrofit.

MNC: What are your good resolutions for 2016 ?
FR. : 2016 will be a different year for Honda, which will focus its objectives on two main points: the return to business on the sale of large engines after a year 2015 focused on the Forza125, and a concentration on our network with quality as the watchword. .. Quality of the concessions, quality of the work of the salespeople with new and modern tools such as CRM, and quality of the results where our requirements will become even greater with our dealers..

MNC: What are your major events in 2016 ?
FR. : The most important thing for us is the launch of the with enormous luck, it arrived on January 16 in concession! There will be no downtime. The motorcycle was launched at an event with the wide-ranging network in Spain. In sport, we will tackle the reconquest of our lost pilot title in. And at the start of the year, we looked carefully at our HRC team on the Dakar and more specifically our French teammate, Mickaël Metge..

MNC: To conclude, what Honda ordered from Santa Claus this year ?
FR. : 2000 AfricaTwin registered in 2016 !

Interview by Matthieu BRETILLE

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