Takeo Fukui, who yesterday announced that Honda was
considering adding a V8 to its arsenal, told Japanese press on Thursday that his company would not follow the lead of
the Big 3 in the U.S. market with “bargain campaigns”. Fukui stated that excessively lowering prices might “betray the
trust” of current Honda owners. The short article in Japan Today doesn’t elaborate on what Fukui meant by that
statement, although we could speculate he means that Honda’s premium image is too important to its loyal customer base
to be besmirched by lower prices and large incentives. It may be debatable whether or not Honda owners pay a premium
for the brand’s image, although we find it hard to believe they each wouldn’t appreciate a little break on the
price.
Honda not joining Big 3 in price wars
Takeo Fukui, who yesterday announced that Honda was considering adding a V8 to its arsenal, told Japanese press on Thursday that his company would not follow the lead of the Big 3 in the U.S. market with “bargain campaigns”. Fukui stated that excessively lowering prices might “betray the trust” of current Honda owners. The short article in Japan Today doesn’t elaborate on what Fukui meant by that statement, although we could speculate he means that Honda’s premium image is too important to its loyal customer base to be besmirched by lower prices and large incentives. It may be debatable whether or not Honda owners pay a premium for the brand’s image, although we find it hard to believe they each wouldn’t appreciate a little break on the price.