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Japan's third-biggest automaker by sales said in its latest
strategy update that its petrol-battery hybrid, plug-in hybrid,
battery electric and fuel cell vehicles (FCV) would collectively
outnumber its petrol-only offerings in less than 15 years' time.
Plug-in hybrids - which can also be recharged via household wall
sockets - will be "at the core of electrification in the future"
for Honda, said Chief Executive Takahiro Hachigo.
Honda will release a plug-in hybrid in North America by 2018
that shares the same production platform as its Clarity FCV
announced in October, Hachigo said. It will then make plug-in
versions of its major models and raise model numbers, he said.
The announcement makes Honda the latest automaker to set
dramatic long-term emissions-related targets. In October, Toyota
Motor Corp <7203.T> said it aimed to cut new vehicles' average
carbon dioxide emissions by 90 percent from 2010 levels by 2050.
Behind the push are governments globally rapidly raising
emissions standards. But limited infrastructure such as charging
stations make some green cars a hard sell, while low oil prices
have sparked demand for sport utility vehicles and other
petrol-guzzlers.
R&D FOCUS
Honda's new-energy target featured in the automaker's strategy
update, the first under Hachigo. The CEO, who assumed the job
almost a year ago, has restructured personnel and operations to
revitalize research and development (R&D).
On Tuesday, Honda said managing officer Yoshiyuki Matsumoto
would direct R&D, moving on from leading automotive operations.
"Our appointment of a new head of the R&D center is intended to
position R&D at the center of all product development, and make
it responsible for the design and performance of each and every
vehicle," Hachigo said on Wednesday.
The strategy update also included a shift to standardized
vehicle platforms to increase production flexibility - in line
with an industry trend - and a focus on global models such as
the Fit compact, Civic and Accord sedans.
"The key to improving sales is our global models ... which are
so central to the company's brand. If we develop these models to
raise their appeal, it will translate into higher sales,"
Hachigo said.
Separately, Honda repeated at the strategy update that it did
not plan to offer further financial support to long-time
supplier Takata Corp, whose airbag inflators are at the center
of a deepening global recall.
(Reporting by Naomi Tajitsu; Editing by Christopher Cushing)
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