Honda Motor is staying out of the race to develop ultra-cheap cars, hoping motorists in fast-growing markets like India will pay more for safer, greener vehicles, its president said yesterday.
India's Tata last month unveiled a US$2,500 car, the world's cheapest, which is set to hit the roads there by October. French-Japanese partners Renault and Nissan aim to launch a similarly priced vehicle by 2010.
"Honda will not make cars at such a low price," said Takeo Fukui, president and CEO of Japan's second-largest automaker.
He said he didn't think the firm's "Indian customers buy cars that are cheaper but at the same time poor in quality."
"Whether it is the Indian market or the Chinese market, I believe that state-of-the-art safety and environmentally friendly technologies are necessary for our products," he said.
Tata says its new "Nano" cars are safe, affordable and meet emission requirements in India and abroad. But environmentalists fear they will jam up India's already clogged roads even further and add to choking pollution.
Analysts said the era of ultra-cheap cars will spur the creation of a vast new market segment in India, a nation of 1.1 billion people, where the auto sector is already booming amid rapid economic growth.
"In India, there will be competition between motorcycles and four-wheel vehicles, because India is a hot country and motorcycles don't need to use air-conditioners," Fukui said.
"As for four-wheel vehicles, the battle will be tough," he said.
Honda, a pioneer of environmentally friendly motoring, sees hybrid vehicles accounting for one-tenth of its global sales by 2010.
"Demand for fuel-efficient cars is likely to grow," Fukui said.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said it expected to issue a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-Wong tomorrow, which it said would possibly make landfall near central Taiwan. As of 2am yesterday, Fung-Wong was about 1,760km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, moving west-northwest at 26kph. It is forecast to reach Luzon in the northern Philippines by tomorrow, the CWA said. After entering the South China Sea, Typhoon Fung-Wong is likely to turn northward toward Taiwan, CWA forecaster Chang Chun-yao (張峻堯) said, adding that it would likely make landfall near central Taiwan. The CWA expects to issue a land
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said it is expected to issue a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-wong this afternoon and a land warning tomorrow. As of 1pm, the storm was about 1,070km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, and was moving west-northwest at 28 to 32kph, according to CWA data. The storm had a radius of 250km, with maximum sustained winds of 173kph and gusts reaching 209kph, the CWA added. The storm is forecast to pass near Luzon in the Philippines before entering the South China Sea and potentially turning northward toward Taiwan, the CWA said. CWA forecaster Chang Chun-yao (張峻堯) said
PREPARATION: Ferry lines and flights were canceled ahead of only the second storm to hit the nation in November, while many areas canceled classes and work Authorities yesterday evacuated more than 3,000 people ahead of approaching Tropical Storm Fung-wong, which is expected to make landfall between Kaohsiung and Pingtung County this evening. Fung-wong was yesterday morning downgraded from a typhoon to a tropical storm as it approached the nation’s southwest coast, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, as it issued a land alert for the storm. The alert applies to residents in Tainan, Kaohsiung, Pingtung and Taitung counties, and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春). As of press time last night, Taichung, Tainan, Kaohsiung, and Yilan, Miaoli, Changhua, Yunlin, Pingtung and Penghu counties, as well as Chiayi city and county had
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday issued a sea alert for Typhoon Fung-wong (鳳凰) as it threatened vessels operating in waters off the Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島), the Bashi Channel and south of the Taiwan Strait. A land alert is expected to be announced some time between late last night and early this morning, the CWA said. As of press time last night, Taoyuan, as well as Yilan, Hualien and Penghu counties had declared today a typhoon day, canceling work and classes. Except for a few select districts in Taipei and New Taipei City, all other areas and city
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