Market reports – First half of 2014: Honda’s market report – Used HONDA

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First half of 2014: Honda’s market report

Market reports - First half of 2014: Honda's market report - Used HONDA

Honda has just completed the first half of 2014 with a drop of -1.1% and has a total of 12,177 registrations. The director of the Japanese brand in France, Fabrice Recoque, gives his impressions to Site and its readers. Balance sheet.

Site: The French motorcycle market started to rise again in the first half of 2014 … Is this thanks to the good weather, new products, dealers, demo vehicle registrations, poor scores from previous years ?!
Fabrice Recoque (director of the Moto Honda France division): The significant increase over the first half of + 4.9% is due to the many new products presented, supported by longer-than-usual commercial operations in order to allow customers to come and discover these new models which have arrived. one behind the other in concessions, i.e. strong activity over the first four months of the year but with a notable slowdown in May and June.

MNC: For you, what is the highlight of this first half of the year? ?
FR. : The fact that the global market is increasing is of course a striking fact for all the players in this market. The delayed arrival of certain important models for us has somewhat slowed down our increase. The 125 motorcycle market, which has been in continuous decline since 2008, is finally stable thanks to several models in our range, including the MSX125.

MNC: Regarding Honda, what is your assessment of your first six months 2014 ?
FR. : Overall our market share of 15% is close to our forecasts in a market which is certainly recovering but remains fragile as shown by the results for May and June. The late arrival of important models in their respective categories like PCX125, CB650F or VFR800F did not make it easy for us to contribute to this increase. DCT technology takes an increasingly important part of our sales with a unique technology available on several segments and displacements. One of the iconic models in our range, the VFR800F, received an extremely positive reception from the press and customers, proving that the Sport Touring market is still there..

MNC: How is your second semester going? ?
FR. : The coming weeks will be decisive for seeing a truly positive year. We will be present at the major European trade fairs this fall. All the teams are working hard, from R&D to within the dealerships, to ensure that 2014 is the year of recovery. Our combined 125 and large-displacement market share should increase to return to values ​​close to last year thanks to the models we discussed previously. At the start of September, we will have CB650F and CBR650F in 35 kW after installation of a transformation kit.

MNC: Finally, lowering speed limits on the roads make you fear a decrease in the attraction of the French for motorcycles and scooters? ?
FR. : Two-wheelers will always save time on the usual modes of transport for daily urban uses and they are second to none for getting away from it all and having fun. If this regulation – which to date is only seen in the form of experimentation – is successful, it will affect all users and not only the population using two-wheelers and we will therefore always have a clear advantage over the automobile. in terms of fluidity and time saved. The motorcycle market has always shown resistance to the times by the contribution of new technologies such as DCT for example or by new concepts. In addition, access to structures allowing full use of the capabilities of your machine in complete safety is increasingly easy, as during our customer days on circuits, the Honda Days..

Interview by Matthieu BRETILLE

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