Honda EK hatckback

[babkalakal]

EK hatch lately ang dami ko nakikita nito meron mga pristine at laspag. Meron puti, pula, itim, blue, may type-r, hindi type-r, rs, vti, may turbo, may hindi turbo. Meron R, Y at B-plates. Meron pa ata converted at orig LHD.

Makes me wonder bakit hinde officially ni-release ng honda philippines ito dito noon. sobra ba laki ng costs para ibenta ng honda yun noon? I mean bumenta naman yung peoples car nilang EG hatch maski nga ngayon madalas padin ako makakita nito. SIR bumenta din namn. Karamihan naman ng parts shared with the sedan maski nga makina d15B o B16 mag papalit palit sila ng sedan ok lang.

EP hatch lang talaga bihira ko makita siguro kasi mahal pa.

[Type 100]

The EG hatches sold well, yes, but in a way the decision not to sell its EK hatch successor was also down to how Pinoys regarded hatchbacks in general way back in the 1990s. Many people pooh-poohed the idea of hatchbacks - and cars like the Kia Pride didn't help its cause.

Remember how the EG hatches were specced vs. their sedan brethren. They almost HAD to be inferior in specification to sell - hence the "low-powered" 1.2L carbureted engine. The EG hatch was also a product of the government's "people's car" scheme whose main aim was to bring cheaper cars...hence its main opposition was actually the Kia Pride, as it was also sold under the same program. The scheme stamped the stigma that hatchbacks were "poor man's cars."

Remember the original Toyota Echo/Yaris? When it was sold in 1998, there were few takers. People were just not ready for the idea of a hatchback good enough to go head-to-head against the more established sedans. It was hard cracking the typical hatchback stereotypes: Pinoys thought they were cramped, low-powered, and unsafe (although the Echo/Yaris was the opposite of those qualities). By then the "people's car" scheme was also no more.

Arguably it took the GD Honda Jazz's introduction in 2005 to get Pinoys to change many Pinoys' minds. After the success of the GD Jazz, everybody and their dog was rushing to cash in on the same formula.

Looking at the price of a GE8 Jazz 1.5V nowadays...it's really rather hard to believe that just 18 years ago, cars of its ilk were considered "poor man's cars"

[babkalakal]

very good point po type 100. thanks, i was enlightened by your post. i guess it was a case of right car - wrong time.

[Type 100]

very good point po type 100. thanks, i was enlightened by your post. i guess it was a case of right car - wrong time.

Hahaha agreed. This is certainly a neat way of summarizing my long-winded post!