Honda to launch new cub bike ‘fit’ for Pinoys’ taste

For years, Honda Philippines has searched for a motorcycle that would catch the fancy of most Filipinos. It tried the Trendy, a moped that it launched in the early ’90s, with actress Gretchen Barretto as image model. It was a big hit, but not big enough. It tried the C70, the world’s bestselling bike, but didn’t get the response it was aiming for. It tried again with the Dream, then the Wave, yet still, there seems to be a missing ingredient.

Now comes another bike – the XRM 110. And Honda is hoping that this could be "it."

Honda is launching the XRM 110 this Friday in Cebu City as the newest and "most Pinoy" among the solo or cub models in the market.

Honda is keeping mum on the XRM 110 so as not to spoil the launch. But observers believe the new model could further tighten Honda’s stranglehold of the number one spot in the cub market segment that is presently experiencing a tremendous growth.

The cub market rose by a substantial 17 percent last year, with the so-called Big 4 – Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki and Kawasaki – selling a total of 51,422 units. Of this number, Honda accounted for 57 percent, with its C100 Dream registering the most number of units sold at 17,064 units.

The Dream’s performance for 2001 was lower, however, when compared to the 22,376 units Honda sold in 2000. But the discrepancy was well covered by the NF110 Wave which sold 11,614 units last year, an almost 500-percent increase from the 2,347 figure in 2000.

Max Sartaguda, Honda’s marketing manager, refused to talk about the new XRM 110 but he said the company hopes the growing trend in the cub market would continue this year.

"Cub models are selling because they are still the cheapest bikes in the market," he said.

Cub bikes are nothing but bigger scooters which are becoming a favorite among the youth. Their popularity, no doubt, is rising as evidenced by the arrival of new models from companies outside the Big 4 such as SYM and Kymco from Taiwan.

Before the introduction of the Dream, which became a monster hit in 1996 (remember Mikee Cojuangco?), the only scooters known to Filipinos were those that came through the smuggling ports of Ilocos. But after the Dream, names like the Aura of Kawasaki and the Shougun of Suzuki have become bywords among Pinoys.

What made these cub bikes popular? One answer is the traffic problem.

Sartaguda said that as trhe traffic congestion turns from bad to worse, Filipinos have no choice but to either use a bike or walk. Obviously, most have chosen to buy bikes and the best they were able to afford were the cub models.

A cub model ranges from P40,000 to P57,000, depending on the size of the engine. Sartaguda revealed that most buyers get their bikes from financing, which is usually offered by dealers.

He believes that the market would grow further if new financing sources would be available, and if interest rates would be lowered.

"In other countries like Thailand and Malaysia, banks finance motorcycles. But here only dealers are offering financing. How we wish that banks would offer loans also for bikes and that they would lower their interest to 10 percent just like in other countries," he said.

For years, Honda has been trying to promote motorcycles as safe, efficient and fun way of moving around. Its efforts, as well as those of Yamaha, Kawasaki and Suzuki, are definitely paying off, although it still sees so much room for growth.

Will the new cub bike provide the answer? – Junep Ocampo