Honda to import Insight, CRZ, Civic Hatchback to China

Shanghai August 12 (Gasgoo.com) Honda Motor Co recently revealed its plan, through various activities and channels, to start selling two hybrid models, the Insight and the CRZ in China in 2012, and to locally produce a "quantity model", media reported Thursday.

The so-called "quantity model" is likely to be Honda's Civic Hatchback, industry insider said.


Moreover, Honda had said at the Beijing Auto Show in April that it would import the Insight and the CRZ to China in 2012, joining the race to manufacture green cars in the country's domestic market.

Honda will make every effort to achieve Chinese localization on Motors and batteries to lower the prices of the Insight and the CRZ, and if each car's monthly sales can reach 2,000-3,000 units, Honda will likely put the cars into local production, Honda China general manager said in an interview.

In 2009, Honda sold only 620,000 vehicles in Japan, while its sales in China reached as much as 573,000 units. If the growth momentum maintains this year, China is expected to replace Japan to become Honda's second largest market in the world following North America.

As one of the most profitable automakers in the Chinese auto market, Honda has so far launched a batch of models in the country, such as the Accord, the Fit, the CRV, the Civic, the Odyssey, the Spirior, the Accord Crosstour, etc. Not a sinal of them is not a mainstream or dominant model there.