Honda, Yamaha bet on hybrid models in Thai motorcycle market
Honda Motor Co. and Yamaha Motor Co., the world's two major motorcycle makers, are betting on hybrid scooters in Thailand amid growing attention to such vehicles globally.
Honda Motor Co. says it will launch the PCX Hybrid scooter in Thailand in August. (Source: KYODO)
Hanoi (VNA) - Honda Motor Co. andYamaha Motor Co., the world's two major motorcycle makers, are betting onhybrid scooters in Thailand amid growing attention to such vehicles globally.
Honda says it will launch the PCX Hybrid in August while Yamaha releasedthe Yamaha Grand Filano Hybrid last week in the Southeast Asian country. Bothmodels are their first hybrid motorbikes.
The 150 cc PCX Hybrid is equipped with a Japan-made 48-volt lithium-ionbattery boasting fuel economy of 52.3 kilometers per liter, up 2 to 3 percentfrom its standard model, and will sell for less than 120,000 baht (3,600 USD).
A.P. Honda Co., the leading global motorcycle maker's Thai sales arm,aims to sell 2,000 units of the new model per year.
The price tag for the Grand Filano, Yamaha's first hybrid motorcycle,starts at 55,500 baht. Thai Yamaha Motor Co., the Japanese firm's localmanufacturing and sales unit, plans to sell 7,000 units per month.
In the motorcycle market of around 2 million units in Thailand, A.P.Honda and Thai Yamaha accounted for about 80 percent and 15.2 percent,respectively, in the first half of this year, according to the two companies.
The Thai government intends to shift the tax base for motorcycles fromcylinder capacity to carbon dioxide emissions following a similar change forautomobiles implemented in 2016.
The duopoly's hybrid model launches could raise awareness ofeco-friendly vehicles in the country.
Surapong Paisitpattanapong, a spokesman for an automotive group at theFederation of Thai Industries, said that demand for hybrid motorbikes inThailand is expected to gradually grow, like hybrid passenger cars, asmanufacturers need some time to raise recognition about the new technology.-VNA
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Honda Motor Co. says it will launch the PCX Hybrid scooter in Thailand in August. (Source: KYODO)
