Locally assembled Honda bike on sale
Japanese auto giant Honda has begun selling locally assembled motorcycles in Bangladesh. The sale came a year after Honda partnered with state-run Bangladesh Steel and Engineering Corporation (BSEC) to forge a joint venture, Bangladesh Honda Private Ltd (BHL), to cater to the demand of the booming local market. A total of six models, including the locally produced Honda CD80, went on sale yesterday with the opening two authorised dealerships in Tangail and Jamalpur, the company said in a statement.
The BHL began the local production of the popular Honda CD80 in October.
Honda will also offer a wide range of services including the sales of spare parts and the regular maintenance of motorcycles. It also plans to increase the number of dealers in the country in the near future, said the BHL statement.
“We, the BHL associates, are dedicated to increasing the satisfaction of Bangladeshi customers to the maximum level by manufacturing and supplying high value two-wheelers and services far beyond the Bangladeshi customers’ expectation,” it read.
The motorcycle market in the country is rapidly growing with 200,000 units sold in 2012 alone, according to the BHL.
Honda owns 70 percent of the BHL while the rest 30 percent is controlled by the BSEC.
Under the joint venture, a factory with a production capacity of 80,000 units a year has been set up in Gazipur with an investment of Tk 61 crore.
The joint venture is part of Honda’s efforts to bolster its competitiveness and strive to become a leading motorcycle company in the market, said the BHL statement.
-With The Daily Star input
