Honda aims to sell 3,600 units of new CR-V

KUALA LUMPUR: Honda Malaysia Sdn Bhd aims to sell 3,600 units of the new Honda CR-V in the first year of launch.

This will enable it to capture 30% share of the non-national sports utility vehicle (SUV) segment, from 11% currently.

Managing director and chief executive officer Yasuhide Mizuno expects the latest model to ride on the success of its predecessors, which had sold 2.5 million units in 160 countries since it was introduced in 1995.

"The first and second generations of CR-V were well accepted in Malaysia, with close to 13,500 units sold since it was introduced in 1996," he said during the launch of the new model yesterday.

In the US, sales of the new CR-V exceeded 20,000 units in the first month of launch.

He added that with a sales target of 3,600 units, the CR-V was not expected to be a significant contributor to revenue.

On the overall sales of Honda cars this year, Mizuno said it had maintained a target of 27,000 units set previously. 

"We expect Honda City to be the main contributor to sales this year, with a target of more than 10,000 units," he added.

Chairman Tan Sri Ab Rahman Omar said although local vehicle sales shrank 11% last year, Honda Malaysia managed to increase its share in the non-national passenger car segment to 30%, from 24.3% in 2005.

The new 2.0 litre CR-V, retailed at RM147,800 on-the-road, is assembled at Honda’s plant in Pegoh, Malacca, with a rollout of 300 units monthly.

Meanwhile, Mizuno announced that he would be taking up a new position with Honda Australia and be replaced by Atsushi Fujimoto effective April 1.