[nakul0888]

Honda’s strategy after 2013 was bizarre to say the least. Honda was a company that had consistent winners in every segment from the city and above. The civic, CRV, accord were top sellers. Most other mainstream car makers could find success only up to the c segment and not above. What Honda had was what Suzuki dreams of at night in its sleep. Instead of maintaining its goodwill and aspirational value and expanding on that, it dropped its quality offerings altogether, and decided to make quick bucks on a short notice by selling half hearted products. And now that the jig is up, instead of trying to fight its way up again, predictably it’s throwing in the towel. No HRV, no decent power train in the Civic or CRV, no accord in sight, no pilot, no hybrids, no nothing.

[YashD]

It just pains me immensely to write this post.
I have been a hardcore Honda loyalist, owning three generations of City, The 2007 Civic & the first gen Jazz. Now, I wouldn't want to own any one of them. Yes, I have the current generation i-vtec but then again, I just miss my third generation. It was better than the current one in every sense.
To be very Honest, the decline of Honda began with the launch of Brio & Amaze. I still cannot understand, why couldn't a manufacturer like Honda who has so much experience failed to understand our market or did they decide to follow the herd, keeping aside their niche.

Why did Honda become greedy and wanted a part of the budget segment when it was doing fairly well labelled as a premium manufacturer in India? It often confuses me, why Honda hasn't changed it's thought process even after having so many failed products in it's portfolio?

The Brio is such an excellent car to drive, even the Amaze has always been quite a decent vehicle but the high maintenance along with poor interior quality simply killed the game for Honda. Furthermore, the Prices of Jazz has never been kept sanely, on top of that, these guys launched the Mobilio & BR-V which are definitely well engineered car but again the interiors, equipment list & overall comfort is where it lacks. That's something you cannot compromise on essentials! The City had always been the only saving grace for Honda but at the current price (17.5 Lakhs) it's simply not worth the price tag it's commanding.

If India is indeed a serious for Honda, they need to completely restrategise their business beginning with operations & dealership experience which frankly leaves a lot to be desired now. Secondly, they need to completely overhaul their portfolio, the new Brio in foreign markets needs to be launched here, Jazz discontinued, The City's price needs to decrease to make it look much more value for money and giving an offer which a potential SUV buyer cannot refuse.

The Mobilio and BR-V should straight up be axed and replaced by one budget SUV along with a new more powerful version for the Civic. They need to launch the Type - R to take on the vRS. The standard Accord ought be launched along with better engine option in CR-V.

Honda needs good looking, powerful vehicles to hit the Indian shores or they too can begin packing their bags cause Indians have matured as customers and competition too have so much to offer that your products look much more inferior than the competition.

[fhdowntheline]

Honda it seems is more interested in the two wheelers than the cars. The BRV, to my mind is a very good car and it could have easily done better sales if it had slightly better interiors (at par with City), good ICE and more airbags. At its core, it is definitely the best 6-7 seater for its price, with adequate ground clearance, ample performance and decent comfort. It appears that Honda doesn't care for its cars beyond a point, except for the City.

[AMG Power]

They say racing improves the breed and this could not be more true in the case of Honda. There was a time when they won Formula One races and had a reputation of building the best engines on the planet. The racing pedigree filtered down into their cars and made them desirable.

It would be unbelievable to many when one says that the first City and the earlier Accord with the 3.6 litre engine were actually very aspirational.

Honda lost the plot after they moved away from the first two models of the City. The Dolphin shape was a shock to many. From then on its been a quick slide from hugely desirable cars to obscurity.

Now its ugly cars, poor engines, cheap build quality, destroyed brand equity and an image that shouts " Look Ma, I told you I'm not an enthusiast, I bought a Honda!"

It's ironical that while one company is using the acronym VRS to announce its decline and a possible exit, another is using it to announce its fastest car yet.

[DrCar]

This is the result you get when you convert yourself from 'Man maximum, machine minimum' to 'Money maximum, machine minimum'.

Signs of people rejecting Honda was already seen when first generation Jazz was not picking up sales as expected. Honda should have realised then itself that overpricing in the name of premiumness will not be accepted anymore by us. Creta too is overpriced but Hyundai haven't compromised on its quality when newer iterations were launched.
This is where Honda made mistakes. They kept upgrading but final products weren't as sorted as the previous generation ones.

Honda use to sell well before because competition didn't have good enough products ready with them. Verna and Ciaz kept improving and outmatched Honda in every departments when they decided to take on City.

Still, Honda can save itself. They have good looking products and performance oriented engines already with them. They just have to fine tune itself and learn from their successes in the past.

I personally don't want Honda to fade away. I always use to adore each and every vehicles running on the roads made by Honda.
Now, Hyundai Elantra, latest generation Verna and Venue grabs my attention. This says a lot where Honda has reached.

[Superleggera]

Originally Posted by DrCar

This is the result you get when you convert yourself from 'Man maximum, machine minimum' to 'Money maximum, machine minimum'.

I agree with your post.
If I had to quote the biggest mistake what Honda has done , then it will be their pricing. All the products that Honda currently sells is well engineered, but over priced at least by 35% in every segment. Imagine if the BRV price was 50K more than Ertiga, it would have sold like hot cakes.

many Indians still consider Honda as an aspirational brand. Honda either needs to reduces the price for their products in the current lineup, or justify the product with the features for the price they are asking for.

[robindsouza82]

Lot of mentions about product planning and pricing blunders, but I do feel that the dealerships and their attitude also has a big part to play for their current situation.

The way they treated their customers at their prime has left a bad taste. I personally have experienced this and do know quite a few people who have vowed not to venture near a Honda showroom ever in their life

[vk007]

Back in 2009 December I purchased my first Honda car. A Honda City. I purchased it from Whitefield Honda in BLR. I still remember walking into their showroom on the weekend. It was around 12 pm. The cleaning lady came and told us to wait for a Delivery Executive. There was pin drop silence. We waited for 10-15 minutes and then a guy came to discuss the cars with us. We were interested in the Jazz initially but then we test drove the City and fell in love with it. I decided to book the car. We decided to exchange our old Ford Ikon 1.6 for the City. From the time I booked the car till the date I took delivery, I received only 1 call from the dealership. That was on the day the car was ready for delivery. At the time of delivery, the GM came and shook hands, handed over the keys and bye-bye. Not even a photograph was taken. My experience w.r.t. the servicing and A.S.S hasn't been exceptional either.

Inspite of all that, I would still say that Honda makes really nice cars, especially the old City and Civic. Their dealers are NOT that good though. Especially WHITEFIELD HONDA. When I was looking out for a new car, my dad asked me to check out the new CIVIC. I called Pride Honda in HYD since they service my City whenever its in HYD. They said they would send the CIVIC over for a TD. It never came. However, I did get a call a few days later asking me to rate the TD that I never took lol.

Sorry if I took this off topic. As a Honda owner, I must say that I loved my City but I hate their dealers.

[fhdowntheline]

I don't know what yardstick people are using to compare something like a Verna with a Honda City. It is superior in many ways excepting the Diesel engine and the ICE (but even that is now corrected with BS6 versions). My issue with Honda is its amazing reluctance to evolve and enhance its leadership in customer value and technology. The Jazz and the City are by far the most comfortable hatch and C-segment sedans in their respective segments. But Honda never bothered to upgrade the Jazz engine or indeed that of the WRV. As a result, the WRV has one of the poorest petrol engines in the compact crossover segment , where the likes of XUV300, Nexon , Venue and Ecosport are ruling the roost. Just plonking the 1.5 iVTEC would have led to some of these scurrying for cover. Knowledgeable Indian buyers have a huge respect for the 1.5iVtec engine in my opinion.

[smileline]

Honda failed to feel the Indian pulse.

A balance of products, price, quality, reach and service, was required which they were unable to achieve, by proactively pursuing the demands of the market.

They failed to deliver products as per the Indian needs and most importantly at an attractive price point.

They don’t seem to be moving at all.

[fearless_IN]

Thank You very much to all the BHPians for actively covering all the topics on regular basis. However, this topic is missed, so I would like to contribute to the Team-BHP forum.

Source: https://www.timesnownews.com/auto/ca...ociates/630209

Honda Cars India rolls out voluntary retirement scheme for office associates.

Honda Cars India Limited has rolled out a voluntary retirement scheme for office associates who are older than 40 years in age or have worked with the company for five years.

The scheme is available for the company's office employees and has been started for the company to achieve efficiency in operations due to the ongoing market scenario. The coronavirus outbreak in India has affected all the businesses and the automobile sector is no exception. The pandemic has made things worse for the carmakers in the country which were already battling a heavy sales downturn. As a result, many carmakers are now forced to function with a leaner workforce in order to maintain financial viability. The voluntary retirement scheme announced by Honda Cars is for the office associates and not the employees involved in the production of cars.

It's a voluntary retirement scheme for associates who are above the age of 40 years or have completed five years of service with the company. The scheme will offer industry-leading financial and health-related benefits if they opt to retire from their service. Honda has also partnered with some internationally acclaimed human resource firms to help these employees towards a smooth career transition. According to Honda, the voluntary retirement scheme offers a win-win situation for the employees as well as the company.

Honda Cars, in its statement, said, "We have rolled out a Voluntary Retirement Scheme for the office associates. The scheme has been made to provide a win-win situation for the associates in terms of the overall benefits as well as the company to be able to enhance efficiency in operations, given the current market demand and industry forecast. It’s a voluntary scheme for associates over 40 years of age or who have completed 5 years of service. The scheme not only offers financial and health security, but associates will also have support from internationally acclaimed HR firms towards a smooth career transition. The scheme is open from 24 July 2020 and is open to all functions."