Honda puts hybrid cars on hold (in Indonesia)

As Honda begins construction of a second factory in Indonesia on Monday, its executives say the giant Japanese carmaker has no immediate plans to produce hybrid cars in Indonesia even as the government pushes for fuel- and environmentally-friendly cars.

“It would be difficult to produce hybrid cars in Indonesia , as we need to invest in the technology first,” Honda Prospect Motor (HPM) marketing director Jonfis Fandy said at the ground-breaking ceremony for Honda’s newest plant in Karawang, east of Jakarta.

The Indonesian market was not ready for hybrid cars due to a lack of knowledge about the technology, he said, adding that work was needed to inform the public about how hybrid cars operated and how they could benefit from them.

For hybrid cars to truly contribute to Indonesia ’s energy conservation efforts, they had to be available in both the low and high ends of the market, he said. “How much [energy] can we realistically save if hybrid cars are only available for high-end users which make up 30 percent of the automobile market here?” he asked rhetorically.

Honda introduced the Honda Civic Hybrid in Indonesia in 2007 but pulled it off the market because of lack of interest. Honda is currently building a plant in Thailand to produce Jazz Hybrids and the first cars will roll out in 2013.

Industry Minister MS Hidayat said on Monday that he would call on all carmakers in Indonesia, including Toyota and Honda, to push them to start producing hybrid cars, detik.com reported. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono last month said the government planned to offer various incentives to carmakers to make them affordable.

Honda’s second factory in the Mitrakarawang Industrial Area has been earmarked to build the Brio at the lower end of Honda’s range. The plant will produce the hatchback version, which is already sold in India and Thailand, and the newer MPV model, which will be launched in 2014.

Honda’s operation in Indonesia is a joint venture between Honda Motor Co. of Japan and PT Prospect Motor of Indonesia. The original plant, opposite the new factory, produces Jazz, CR-V and Freed models. Once completed in 2014, the second plant will triple Honda’s production capacity in Indonesia to 180,000 cars per year from 60,000.

“Indonesia is an important market for Honda,” Takanobu Ito, the CEO of Honda Motor Co., said at the ground-breaking ceremony. “With a growing market and more conducive environment for economic growth, this country has a lot of potential.”

Ito said the Indonesian operation was one of Honda’s strongest both in terms of sales and production in the Asia-Oceania region and it topped sales among Southeast Asian markets last year.

Honda has chosen Indonesia as one of its production hubs in Asia, along with India and Thailand. It plans to use more materials from local suppliers, adding a further 45 local suppliers to its current 85.

The new factory will be built by construction company PT Takenaka Indonesia. (han)

Source;
http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2012/06/05/honda-puts-hybrid-cars-hold.html

Honda developing new MPV based on Brio hatchback

The Brio-based MPV will be built in Honda's upcoming plant in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Just weeks back, we had reported that Honda is developing a new 7-seater MPV based on Honda Jazz for India, codenamed '2NH' that is expected to arrive in the country by 2014. 

Today, while announcing the commencement of construction work of Honda's new plant in Indonesia, the company also revealed that the Brio hatchback and a MPV based on the Brio would be also developed at this new upcoming plant in the suburbs of Jakarta. 

"Designed based on the Brio hatchback, the new MPV will enhance the Honda line up of MPV models, which account for the majority of passenger vehicles sales in Indonesia." an official press release states.

Honda is planning to launch the Brio in the Indonesian market before the end of 2012, by importing the hatch from its market in Thailand. Honda will then begin local production of the Indonesian-spec Brio at the existing plant before the end of 2013, which will be transferred to the new plant in Jakarta that is expected to become operational in 2014.

Unfortunately, there are not many details about this Brio-based MPV. But rest assured we would dig further on this and get you more details as soon as we possibly can. 

Source;

http://www.oncars.in/Car-News-Detail/Honda-developing-new-MPV-based-on-Brio-hatchback/2507

Honda developing 7-seater MPV for India; codenamed '2NH'

Honda Freed

The new MPV based on the Honda Jazz platform is expected to arrive in India by 2014.

Honda Siel Cars India is reportedly, working on a new seven-seater MPV for India, which is codenamed as '2NH' that will challenge the likes of Maruti Suzuki Ertiga, Mahindra Xylo and the Toyota Innova. 

The new MPV will be developed on the same lines as the current Malaysian-spec MPV called Honda Freed, which in turn is based on the same platform as the next generation Honda Jazz with three rows of seating for 7 adults. The Malaysian-spec Freed with be Indianised, localized and in the process is bound to ditch some of its features before it lands on the Indian shores. 

The Honda 2NH MPV for India will come with a wide range of engine options for both petrol and diesel variants, with more emphasis on the diesel version owing to the higher demand of diesel powered vehicles in the Indian market and also the much awaited Honda's Earth Dreams series of diesel engines is expected to debut in the coming months. 

The current Honda Freed MPV packs in high quality of interiors, much like the Honda Jazz and is distinct for its small engine compartment and large cabin space for passengers and luggage. It will certainly be interesting to see, how the Japanese automaker re-shapes the Freed into the India-spec 2NH and also the price tag it will bring along to compete with one of the lowest priced MPV, the Ertiga in India.

The Honda 2NH MPV is expected to arrive in the Indian market by 2014. 

Source;

http://www.oncars.in/Car-News-Detail/Honda-developing-7-seater-MPV-for-India-codenamed-2NH/2403