Honda Term Paper
Honda
Introduction and Overview
Honda Motor Co. Ltd. was incorporated in 1948 and originally manufactured and sold motorcycles (Whiston, 2012). Today, Honda is known for its manufacturing of many items – motorcycles, power products, engines (boat, generators and lawnmowers); and even private jets and robots (Whiston, 2012). For purposes of this research, however, we 'll focus on Honda 's auto-manufacturing abilities. During fiscal year 2012, Honda sold 15.7 million cars and motorcycles; automobiles constitute a little more than 70% of the company 's revenue (Whiston, 2012). Honda has developed over the years. There are a wide varity of products avalialabe that serve many different purposes from the small general purpose engines to specialty custom made sport cars and now scooters. Honda has a earned the company a very good reputation from customers all over the world. From when the company was established until now, Honda has be on the leading edge by creating new value and offering many different products of high quality at a family friendly price, for its worldwide customer satisfaction.
Honda is certainly on the list of many consumers, especially as we 'll see in this paper, consumers are interested in reliability, quality and fuel efficiency. The problem Honda faces, however, is that it 's seen as a "practical" car, one that someone will buy to save gas or to ensure safety in a crash This is something that has been pounded into consumers ' heads, as many Honda ads in the past have touted its high quality ratings in crash tests. What Honda is missing, however, is the "coolness" factor. It can 't even embrace the "tree-hugging" picture which would be a natural with its fuel efficiency, as Toyota 's Prius and the electric cars (think Chevy Volt and Nissan Leaf) have already taken on that visual. The trick here is to brand Honda as an up-and-coming, gotta-have car, while not taking away from its well-known attributes, namely fuel efficiency and reliability.
Introduction and Overview
Honda Motor Co. Ltd. was incorporated in 1948 and originally manufactured and sold motorcycles (Whiston, 2012). Today, Honda is known for its manufacturing of many items – motorcycles, power products, engines (boat, generators and lawnmowers); and even private jets and robots (Whiston, 2012). For purposes of this research, however, we 'll focus on Honda 's auto-manufacturing abilities. During fiscal year 2012, Honda sold 15.7 million cars and motorcycles; automobiles constitute a little more than 70% of the company 's revenue (Whiston, 2012). Honda has developed over the years. There are a wide varity of products avalialabe that serve many different purposes from the small general purpose engines to specialty custom made sport cars and now scooters. Honda has a earned the company a very good reputation from customers all over the world. From when the company was established until now, Honda has be on the leading edge by creating new value and offering many different products of high quality at a family friendly price, for its worldwide customer satisfaction.
Honda is certainly on the list of many consumers, especially as we 'll see in this paper, consumers are interested in reliability, quality and fuel efficiency. The problem Honda faces, however, is that it 's seen as a "practical" car, one that someone will buy to save gas or to ensure safety in a crash This is something that has been pounded into consumers ' heads, as many Honda ads in the past have touted its high quality ratings in crash tests. What Honda is missing, however, is the "coolness" factor. It can 't even embrace the "tree-hugging" picture which would be a natural with its fuel efficiency, as Toyota 's Prius and the electric cars (think Chevy Volt and Nissan Leaf) have already taken on that visual. The trick here is to brand Honda as an up-and-coming, gotta-have car, while not taking away from its well-known attributes, namely fuel efficiency and reliability.
References: Rechtin, M. (2012, September 17). At American Honda, Storytelilng Takes a Front Seat. Automotive News , p. 22. Taylor, D. (2010, April 30). Banama-bama, Fo Honda . . . In Brand-Name Game, Honda has Style. Central Penn Business Journal , p. 19. Vara, S. (2012, January 27). Honda Targets Life Stages with New Leap List Campaign. Retrieved February 5, 2013, from Kherize Five Advertising & Marketing: http://kherize5.com/honda-targets-life-stages-with-new-leap-list-campaign/. Whiston, D. (2012, October 31). Honda Motor Co. Ltd. Retrieved February 5, 2013, from Morningstar Investment Research Center: http://library.morningstar.com/Stock/stock-analyst-report?t=HMC®ion=USA&culture=en-US.