Honda S660

**Mguy** · August 7th, 2015 03:26 PM

Any chance this would be sold locally? I hear they are selling like hotcakes.

Hondaï¿½s Hit: $16,000 Coupe Sells Out After First Production Run

Honda Motor Co. has sold out all 8,600 of its new roadsters slated for production this year and is fully booked through June. The only problem: four in five buyers of the $16,000 sports car are over 40.
That is a much older demographic than other models in the lineup and many of these older customers are repeat customers buying the coupe as a second car, according to Misato Fukushima, a company spokeswoman. Itï¿½s also a contrast to the last sports car Honda introduced in 1999, the S2000. Back then, only one in five buyers were over 40 years of age.
While the older repeat buyers show Honda has a strong following of longtime fans, a failure to attract younger customers will hurt the prospects for the carmaker in its home market. The problem isnï¿½t confined to Honda. Stagnating annual incomes and an efficient public transportation system means many younger people in Japan donï¿½t see a need to own a car. The number of driver license holders under the age of 40 has fallen 46 percent over the last 13 years.
ï¿½It will be a big challenge for Honda to lure younger buyers,ï¿½ said Yoshiaki Kawano, an analyst at IHS Automotive. ï¿½If you compare the demographic feature and average income with 20 years ago, I would say the motivation for young people to buy such a car could be quite limited.ï¿½
Honda expected the S660 to be popular among older customers but believes the proportion of young buyers will rise gradually, said Fukushima.
Maverick Image
With the S660, Honda is betting that its risk-taking -- the car is designed by a prodigy in his 20s with no engineering experience -- will revive its image as a maverick among the major carmakers, a producer of interesting cars rather than just nondescript mass-market compact models.
Demand for the S660 has been brisk and Honda plans to restart taking orders from October.
For Hitoshi Arai, 66, driving his brand-new S660, top down, through the countryside two to three times a month feels like a breath of fresh air, literally. The retired bank employeeï¿½s two adult sons, both in their 30s, havenï¿½t shared in the rides.
ï¿½The elder one has shown some interest but the younger one just has no interest in cars at all,ï¿½ said Arai, who also owns a Honda sport utility vehicle. ï¿½He would rather ride his bicycle.ï¿½

Hondaâ€™s Hit: $16,000 Coupe Sells Out After First Production Run - Bloomberg Business

**jaypee10** · August 7th, 2015 03:43 PM

walang kwenta..

isa lang ang maisasakay dyan eh..

joke!!

pero ang ganda kung may mag bibigay sa akin tatanggapin ko ng buong kasiyahan..

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walang kwenta..

isa lang ang maisasakay dyan eh..

joke!!

pero ang ganda kung may mag bibigay sa akin tatanggapin ko ng buong kasiyahan..

**dos2** · August 7th, 2015 03:49 PM

Interesting car!

Posible na pinagiisipan pa lang ni Honda, kakaibang niche kasi to kung sakali.

Not sure if Pinoys are fond of very short vehicles. at 3,395 mm it is shorter than the ALTO.

The small engine might also be a dilemma. Knowing pinoys, mahirap ipagmayabang ang 0.66 engine with a 140kph top speed although may plan to release daw sa US ang 1.0 turbo engine with 125hp.

Pero at $16,000 (Pho 720K), malay natin may market. Maganda review sa handling nya. If I can own a nice handling sports convertible at below 1M (including taxes), why not.

But then, there's the Mazda 3.

**Newcomer123** · August 7th, 2015 04:07 PM

Originally Posted by dos2

Interesting car!

Posible na pinagiisipan pa lang ni Honda, kakaibang niche kasi to kung sakali.

Not sure if Pinoys are fond of very short vehicles. at 3,395 mm it is shorter than the ALTO.

The small engine might also be a dilemma. Knowing pinoys, mahirap ipagmayabang ang 0.66 engine with a 140kph top speed although may plan to release daw sa US ang 1.0 turbo engine with 125hp.

Pero at $16,000 (Pho 720K), malay natin may market. Maganda review sa handling nya. If I can own a nice handling sports convertible at below 1M (including taxes), why not.

But then, there's the Mazda 3.

make it $32,000 here, or 1.4million [emoji51]

**dos2** · August 7th, 2015 04:41 PM

Originally Posted by Newcomer123

make it $32,000 here, or 1.4million [emoji51]

Uu nga pala, Honda eh. Edi mag Mazda Miata na lang brod or base Toyota 86.

**Mguy** · August 7th, 2015 05:05 PM

If it goes above 1M, you would consider talaga yun MX-5 which is a beaut. pero say 900 thousand-ish, I think this would be a fun toy for young peeps.

**Troy Inovero** · August 7th, 2015 05:49 PM

Honda S660

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http://www.9tro.com/features/new-cars/honda-s660-the-new-beat

**dos2** · August 11th, 2015 09:33 AM

Autoindustriya's article on this car:

http://www.autoindustriya.com/auto-i...-in-japan.html

"Honda has sold out all 8,600 units of the S660 kei car in Japan during its first production run and is fully booked until June next year.

Bloomberg reports that four in five customers are over 40 years old which is much older demographic than Honda expected.

According to company spokeswoman Misato Fukushima, most of the customers were returning clients and bought the S660 as a second car. With the positive unit sales, Honda is still bothered because they opt to attract younger customers to buy the S660.

The reason being is that young people in Japan don't consider owning a car due to the efficient public transport system. In fact, the number of driver license holders in Japan under the age of 40 has dropped to 46-percent over the last 13 years.

Honda adds they expected the S660 to appeal to older customers, but the company also hoped that the percentage of young buyers will rise. The Japanese automaker plans to restart taking orders from October."

The following phrases hit me:

1. ...fully booked until June next year - I guess we couldn't expect this in our shore in both the near and far future.

2. ...young people in Japan don't consider owning a car due to the efficient public transport system - Is this the reason why our government is not fixing the horrendous traffic, to promote car sales?

Well, lahat naman tayo (NCR) may kasalanan sa lumalalang traffic dito sa atin driver man o pasahero lang.