Stafford Motors unveils new Honda motorcycle range

Stafford Motor Company (Pvt.) Limited, the sole authorised distributor for Honda products in Sri Lanka, unveiled the latest Honda motorcycle range at a press conference held at the Ramada, Colombo on 27 September 2012.

The first commercially manufactured Honda motorcycle appeared in the market in 1950 and was named the Honda Dream by its founder Soichiro Honda and carried the initial design of the famous ‘wing mark’ logo on it.

Since then, the Honda motorcycle along with its wing mark logo has evolved and currently holds a very exclusive position in the global motorcycle market. Though Honda originated in Japan, it has spread its wings overseas and currently Honda motorcycles with its wing mark logo are manufactured in 28 countries worldwide, to cater to the diverse consumer needs in the regional markets.

Wing mark Honda is the market leader in the global motorcycle market and sold over 16.5 million units during the last financial year, over six million more than its nearest rival. The wing mark logo depicts a pedigree with superior technology, durability, low maintenance and superior fuel economy.

Irrespective of the country of origin, Honda motorcycles with the wing mark logo carry all attributes that goes with the brand which is held in high esteem by motorcycle lovers worldwide. Honda holds a supreme position in the motorcycle racing arena.

It won all four categories at the MOTO GP in 2011 and is leading in the constructor’s championship and is in the second place at the rider’s championship in the current MOTO GP season.

Honda Research and Development is a very important division of Honda and the company has facilities in most of the countries where Honda products are manufactured. Honda takes pride in their R and D and has developed a personal Jet, a humanoid robot named ‘ASIMO,’ personal transporters and walk assist devices in addition to their famous automobile, motorcycle and power products range.

It has the advantage of sharing technology across all product lines as well as different R and D units owned by Honda. This gives Honda a clear competitive advantage and the unique Honda technology is a result of their superior Research and Development activities.

Stafford Motor Company has been the sole authorised distributor for Honda since 1977 and is one of the oldest in the Honda worldwide network. In the early ‘80s, Honda motorcycles enjoyed a very high market share in Sri Lanka.

However, in the mid-80s due to the macro-economic factors that were prevalent at the time, the price of Honda motorcycles rose to a level which was unaffordable to the average Sri Lankan consumer. Hence, the sale of brand new Honda motorcycles gradually declined to very low levels.

During this period, Honda set up a joint venture with the Hero group to manufacture motorcycles in India. These motorcycles were manufactured under the ‘Hero Honda’ brand which was an associate brand of Honda. The prices of these motorcycles were relatively low compared to that of Honda motorcycles and were able to compete with the other regional brands.

Hero Honda was introduced to the Sri Lankan market in 1987 and since it was an associate brand of Honda, Stafford as the sole authorised distributor for Honda in Sri Lanka, was permitted to import and distribute them. Due to the assured Honda quality and competitive pricing it gradually became popular as a quality motorcycle.  

Some differences arose in the partnership between Honda and Hero Group and the joint venture agreement was annulled in 2011. Motorcycles carrying the Hero Honda brand have ceased to be manufactured but Stafford still carries a fair stock of these motorcycles with them.

They will continue to market them along with the new Honda motorcycle range to satisfy the needs of discerning Sri Lankan motorcycle customers, who look for a quality motorcycle at an affordable price.

 Stafford will continue to maintain these Hero Honda motorcycles and Honda will continue to supply spare parts for them so that the existing as well as future customers of Hero Honda motorcycles should have no fear about the maintenance of their motorcycles.  

With the exit of Hero Honda, Stafford Motor Company is introducing an exciting range of Honda motorcycle models to the Sri Lankan market.

These motorcycles will be sourced from production facilities in the region, owned and managed by Honda, with Honda Motorcycle and Scooters India Ltd. (HMSI) being the main source.  

HMSI is planning on expanding their model lineup to compete with the Indian brands. These will be very competitively priced.

Sri Lankan customers will benefit from this development. They will be able to purchase a quality ‘wing mark’ Honda at a competitive price and enjoy all attributes and features of this wonderful motorcycle brand.