The locally-assembled models were segment leaders in all their categories with the City being the best-selling Honda model
In 2018, approximately 590,000 vehicles were sold. Of that, 102,282 or 17.1 per cent were from Honda Malaysia, making it the number one car brand in the Non-National segment for the fourth year running. Honda is the second best-seller in overall Total Industry Volume after Perodua, a position it has maintained for three consecutive years.
Significant demand was generated between June and September 2018 by the tax holiday. All seven CKD models, the Jazz, City, BR-V, HR-V, Civic, Accord and CR-V were sales leaders in their respective segments. The City was Honda’s most popular car, accounting for 32 per cent of overall Honda sales followed by the Civic at 16 per cent, then by the CR-V with 13 per cent.
Honda Sensing safety technology was introduced at the end of 2017 in the flagship Honda Accord and later in the Honda CR-V and then the Odyssey. The Honda Accord with Honda Sensing accounted for 18 per cent of the more than 3600 units sold. The Honda CR-V with Honda Sensing was 33 per cent of the 20,600 units of the SUV sold.
In 2016, Honda introduced the first turbocharged model from a Japanese manufacturer in the C-segment, the Civic. 41,000 units of the Civic have been sold since 2016 with the turbocharged variant accounting for 58 per cent of this sales figure.
After-sales also recorded a growth in service intake, 11 per cent growth compared to 2017, the highest after-sales service intake in its history. This was complemented by a record 25 per cent jump in sales of Honda Genuine Parts.
Strategies employed by Honda Malaysia for maintaining its top-sales position include improving customer service, strengthening the dealership network and the introduction of new models/variants.
These include the HR-V RS and two hybrid models: the Jazz Sport Hybrid and the HR-V Sport Hybrid, both with dual-clutch transmission. A limited edition Jazz Mugen and BR-V Special Edition were also introduced, both with only 300 units of each offered.
Honda Malaysia’s 2019 sales target is a more cautious 95,000 units, taking into account that it is unlikely there will be another tax holiday.
