Honda launches 3.5 liter Accord in China

Shanghai. March 19 (Gasgoo.com) – Guangzhou Honda launched a new 3.5 liter Accord in China yesterday. The Manufacturer Suggested Retail Prices for 3.5 liter Accord in China market is offered at RMB 339,800 ($47,859), according to Cheshi.com.cn.

 

The 3.5 liter Accord, together with the 2.4 liter Accord which was launched earlier this year, will invade the high and middle end segment of China's sedan market, the report said. The 3.5 liter Accord is offered for corporate executives and the 2.4 liter Accord is offered for private cars consumers.

 

The Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price for Accord 2.4 EX is RMB 229,800 ($32,000 in US dollars) in Chinese market and the MSRP price for Accord 2.4 EXL-Navi is RMB 264,800 ($37,000 in US dollars).

 

Guangzhou Honda also announced the prices of two 2.0 liter Accord vehicles which will be launched in Chinese market later this month. The MSRP for the manunaltransmission 2.0 liter Accord is RMB181,800 ($25,605) and for the automatic transmission 2.0 liter Accord is RMB 199,800 ($28,140).

 

In March, Guangzhou Honda has raised output capacity of Accord vehicles up to 800 units a day, namely 500 units at Zengcheng plant and 300 units at Huangpu plant, Eiji Okawara, president of Honda's venture with Guangzhou Automobile Group Corp said on the ceremony to mark the launch of 3.5 Liter Accord yesterday. "That will satisfy a market demand for 18,000 vehicles a month."

 

Earlier this year, Guangzhou Honda announced a plan to sell 178,000 new Accord vehicles in Chinese market this year, slightly higher than its competitor Toyota Camry, whose sales target was 175,000 vehicles in the same year.

 

Guangzhou Honda sold over 7,400 new Accord vehicles in the first month it started production in Guangzhou, according to National Association of Passenger Vehicles.

 

"If there were no heavy snowstorms in January, we might have been able to sell out 8,000 new Accord vehicles in the first month," a Guangzhou Honda official told China Business News. "In the first week of January, our vehicle shipping routes to Southwest and central China markets were cut off by snowstorms."

 

Currently, Honda has a total annual capacity of 480,000 units in China: Dongfeng Honda, where Honda CR-V and Honda Civic are made, has total capacity of 120,000 units and Guangzhou Honda, where Honda Accord, Fit are made, has a total capacity of 360,000 units.

 

In addition, Honda also have a 50,000 capacity to produce Honda Jazz in Guangzhou, but these vehicles are made for exports, therefore excluded in Honda's capacity in China.