Honda targets 45 lakh units to be sold in 2014-15

Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India is planning bigger and better, it has projected to sell out 45 lakh units in the fiscal 2014-15, which is an increase of about 21% over the last year.

"Honda achieved highest ever sales of 37.21 lakh units in 2013-14. The target for the current fiscal is to sell around 45 lakh units with a growth of 21 per cent," Yadvinder S Guleria, HMSI Vice President-Sales & Marketing told reporters here after the launch of its first 'traffic park'.

Stating that the sales performance so far this year has been as per the plan, Guleria said Honda is hopeful of meeting the target set for this year, having strengthened its position as India's second largest 2-wheeler company.

Referring to expansion plans, he said Honda is setting up a new fourth plant at Ahmedabad in Gujarat in order to serve customers more efficiently with speed. The new plant is likely to start operations in 2015-16 with initial annual capacity of 1.2 million units, he said. This would take Honda's cumulative production capacity to 5.8 million units, Guleria said adding the existing plants are at Manesar in Haryana (1.6 million units), Tapukara in Rajasthan (1.2 million units) and Narsapura in Karnataka (1.8 million units).

Encouraged by rising demand for its two-wheelers, the company seeks to spread its presence in the vast rural belt by expanding its network, introducing right product, launching aggressive campaign in an innovative way, he said. Last year, the company added 800 networks across the country last year and this year it plans to create 1,000 new networks, he said.

Highlighting the company's emphasis on safety, Guleria said from more than a decade, he said Honda has been promoting safe riding activities across India. The initiative by the company to spread road safety awareness is establishing 'traffic park for the first time in East India. Honda has simultaneously inaugurated two new traffic parks in Odisha at Bhubaneswar and Cuttack, Guleria said.

To success the event, Honda has shook hands with the Regional Transport Authorities of Bhubaneswar-II and Cuttack. Location of the new traffic parks are as follows: Bhubaneswar (Driving Testing center, Chandarshekharpur) and Cuttack (Driving Testing center, Sector 6, CDA). "As a good corporate citizen Honda understands its responsibility to contribute towards road safety promotion and this Park is a significant step towards meeting our commitment of making 'safe riding' an everyday habit of all two Wheeler riders," he said.

Source: ET