Honda said on Friday it plans to start production of its Accord sedan in Taiwan in October and aims to start marketing the model there in November, Dow Jones Business News reported.
A Honda spokesman reportedly said Honda would produce 10,000 Accords annually in Taiwan.
With Taiwan’s car market recovering after hitting bottom two years ago, Honda aims to boost its sales there by expanding its car lines and increasing the number of dealers, the spokesman told Dow Jones.
Although Honda previously provided technological assistance to Taiwan’s San Yang Industry to manufacture and sell Honda cars, it didn’t renew the contract with San Yang when it expired in June 2002, Dow Jones noted.
After purchasing a car production plant from a local joint venture between [Subaru maker] Fuji Heavy Industries and Taiwan Vespa, Honda started its own production in Taiwan last January, currently producing 10,000 units of the CR-V sports-utility vehicles a year there, the report added.
The spokesman told Dow Jones introduction of the Accord isn’t expected to require a large amount of new capital expenditures, as Honda’s production lines are flexible.
After dissolving the alliance with San Yang, Honda has also been aiming to expand its dealer networks, Dow Jones said, adding that the number of dealers, which currently stands at 20, is expected to rise to 30 by the end of this year and to 40 by the end of next year.
The spokesman also told Dow Jones that Honda also plans to further expand its car line-ups in Taiwan, but no concrete plans have been made yet.
