|
|
|
|
Automotive News: Fukui says sales have reached bottom, will recover in 2nd half of 2009
|
Date: May 19, 2009 16:07
Submitted by:
JeffX
Source:
Automotive News
Credibility Rating:
Not Specified
In a story on AutomotiveNews.com (registration req'd), Takeo Fukui has been quoted as stating that he thinks the sales slide has reached its floor, and that vehicle sales will gradually start to improve this quarter and next. Of Japan's 3 largest automakers, Honda is the only one that managed to eek out a profit last year, and a hidden factor in that is said to be a drastic reduction in warranty costs. Fukui says an initiative to fix quality issues began under his predecessor's tenure has finally started to show results.
Also mentioned in the story is a bit of technology news. First up, reversing themselves, Honda has recently hinted that they could be shifting back towards a hybrid approach to improve the efficiency of their larger vehicles. They had previously stated that they thought diesel was the best option for these vehicles. This article mentions a new twin-motor hybrid system that "would be better than Toyota's", and likely to be found in future versions of vehicles such as the Odyssey and Pilot. Fukui also mentioned that Honda is working on a new dual clutch transmission, which could possibly be teamed up with a future hybrid system.
Last edited by JeffX on
May 19, 2009 16:34
|
|
[fancy]
[flat]
[simple]
|
|
|
|