After creating history in FY’2016-17 by becoming the first ever 100% subsidiary of Honda Motor Company, Japan to sell five million units in a single fiscal year, Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India (HMSI) announced its future business roadmap.
In his first public speech since assuming new role as the President & CEO of Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India Pvt. Ltd., Minoru Kato announced the biggest strategy shift in Honda’s business direction. Kato said that In 2016, Honda 2Wheelers India became the Number One contributor to Honda’s global two-wheeler business. The Indian market is at the cusp of its biggest ever paradigm shift. Honda’s vision is to build exponentially over its solid foundation and ‘to become a company that not only Indian but also Asian society and customers expect to exist.
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As part of Honda’s future preparedness, the focus on “Quality” will be through three themes:
1) Drive future business from the Honda’s 30 million Wing riders customer base in India
With replacement period of two-wheelers coming down to five – seven years, Honda’s existing customer base of 30 million valued customers will drive new opportunities of growth. Hence, Honda will innovate with new ways of engaging and delighting customers starting from the ground i.e network.
2) New organization structure to manage seamless transition into BS-VI era
The BS VI emission norms by 2020 will bring in a host of advance technology like PGM-FI fuel injection and on-board diagnostics. Leading the technology curve in India and recognizing the need for advance planning, Honda 2Wheelers announced that it has set up a high-level BS-VI task-force. This task force is ‘cross functional’ from Sales, Engineering, R&D, Purchase and Quality and is working on primary objective of strengthening quality, product planning with cost competitiveness.
3) Enhance Honda technology leadership
Globally, Honda is synonymous with advance technology and owns over 5,000 invented patents which is more than any two-wheeler maker in the world. Out of this already 400 patents are registered in India. Understanding that technology will be a key differentiator in near future as well as BS VI emission norms implementation, Honda is now strengthening its Intellectual Property Rights in India with specialized IPR experts assigned to India for first time.
This team shall be working to protect and enhance Honda technology for its new product introduction in India. Most recently, Honda has already applied for a patent on “Low Rolling Resistance Tyres”. This technology has already been launched in our 2 motorcycle models – Livo and CB Shine SP.