Honda launches new automatic bike
Zenjiro Sakurai, president of AP Honda, poses with models at the launch of the company’s latest model the Air Blade. The Air Blade will go on sale for Bt51,500.
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AP Honda yesterday launched the Air Blade, the latest addition to the company's automatic motorcycle line-up following the Click.
The Air blade will be priced higher than the Click, with prices ranging from Bt51,500 to Bt56,000.The company hopes to sell 70,000 Air Blades by the end of the year. "The Air Blade, along with the Click, will help the company increase its share in the automatic motorcycle market," said Zenjiro Sakurai, the president of AP Honda. "It is targeted at young, stylish customers from teenagers upwards. We see a considerable amount of growth for automatic motorcycles in the future." The Air Blade features a 110cc water-cooled engine similar to that available in the Click. Special features include buttons to open the fuel cap and storage area under the seat. The Combi brake technology distributes braking power between the front and rear wheels eliminating the need for the driver to apply the foot and hand brake. The Air Blade also features a parking brake to prevent the motorcycle from rolling away if parked on an incline. Other safety features include a parking stand that prevents the engine from being started until the stand has been tucked in. The Air Blade will be marketed under the theme of "Beyond Sport Utility". Honda officials said they expected the majority of buyers to be male. Despite Honda being the latest - after Yamaha and Suzuki - to join the automatic party, sales have already reached 25,000 units per month since the launch of the Click. Honda officials said they did not expect the automatic market to grow so fast, which is why the company was late to join the fray. Sakurai added that he expected the total market to reach 2.15 million units this year, which is a 3-per-cent-growth over last year. AP Honda hopes to sell 1.5 million units this year. Vijo Varghesen, The Nation
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