Honda all set to expand its mini sports car range as demand soars in the Japanese car market

Honda Motor is all set to increase its production for the mini cars for its domestic car market of Japan. The Japanese luxury car maker is forecasting that almost half of the company’s total number of vehicles sales in the Japanese market this year will be that of the mini cars. The car market of Japan is increasingly rising on the demand for fuel efficient, low cost mini cars. Thus, in order to cater to the increasing market demands, Honda is to introduce a mini sports car ever since the year 1996.

Honda is all set to unveil its S660 mini sports concept car at the upcoming Tokyo Motor Show in November, 2013, following which the car is to go on sale in 2014. The S660 mini sports car concept’s exterior designer, Ryo Sugiura told the media personals that this two-seater mini car will be a convertible.

In order to answer the market demands, Honda plans to bring out a slew of 6 mini cars in Japan by the year 2015, and the S660 will be one among these. With this range of new small cars Honda is going to give stiff competition to the small car specialists of the market, namely Suzuki Motor Corporation and Daihatsu Motor, who hold around 40 percent of market shares in Japan.

According to the market experts, the demands for the mini cars are expected to increase this year even as the total car market demands has decreased after the government incentives have ceased.

Sugiura says that the highest selling point of the mini cars is the cost efficiency. While declining to comment on the expected price point for the S660, he said that this car’s attraction will be primarily for the sports car lovers.

The mini cars are known as the Kei cars in the Japanese market, and are powered by compact engines of less than 660cc and also enjoy tax benefits.

Honda had an open hooded mini sports car, called the Beat, from the year 1991 to 1996 in the Japanese car market, with a price tag of ¥1.39 million.

Daihatsu, which is Toyota subsidiary, had a mini sports car, Copen that ceased to exist in 2012. Now, the company has plans to launch a new mini car model in 2014.

Honda unveiled its N-Box mini car range back in 2011 and increased its market shares in the category by almost double in a year’s time.

As Daihatsu’s market shares have fallen a bit, Honda wishes to boost its mini car sales further by the introduction of new models and overtake Daihatsu. Suzuki also plans to boost its market shares that accounted for 30 percent.

Honda will also introduce its NSX sports car with the inclusion of the hybrid technology. The Japanese car giant will also launch a new N-series mini wagon at this year’s Tokyo Motor Show that is about to begin on 20^th of November and continue till 1^st of December.