Honda unveils full-size SUV Pilot

Honda Cars Philippines Inc. (HCPI) finally unveiled yesterday its full-size sports utility vehicle Honda Pilot which will retail at P2.6 million.

During the same launch, Honda also presented its redesigned Honda Sports Accord sedan which will be available in two variants and cost P1.47 million for the 2.4 liter iVTEC model and P1.69 million for the 3 liter V6 model.

However, according to Takashi Sekiguchi, president and general manager of HCPI, Honda will only start receiving reservations for the Honda Pilot starting today, but delivery of the full size SUVs would still be in November.

Sekiguchi noted that the Philippine market equates value with size and thus tends to favor the much larger American vehicles.

Sekiguchi reiterated that HCPI is trying to hold on to the No. 2 spot in overall automotive sales this year with the presentation yesterday of Honda’s complete line up from the new Honda Pilot and redesigned Accord to its more affordable lines that include the Honda Jazz model, Civic City and its popular mid-size CRV as well as its concept car, the Wonderful Open-hearted Wagon or WOW.

All of the Honda models are currently on display at the Glorietta Activity Center in Makati until Sunday.

Sekiguchi expressed confidence that HCPI would likely hit its 20-percent sales growth target this year, selling 12,000 units. Last year, HCPI sold a total of 9,797 units.

As of end-May this year, Sekiguchi reported, HCPI has already sold 5,016 units, just 1,000 units short of its half year target. For June, HCPI is hoping to sell at least 1,000 units led by its current bestseller the Civic.

Honda is banking on increasing its market share of the economical and lifestyle segment market with its fuel efficient and trendy 2006 hatchback Jazz model.

Honda has been getting its act together and starting to regain market share which it has lost in the past couple of years.