PERUHonda Selva del Perú S.A
An aerial view of the Honda Selva Del Perú S.A. factory located on the outskirts of Iquitos City.
A Honda Base in the Amazon, Firmly Rooted in the Local Community
Honda’s factory in Iquitos, a city located on the banks of the Amazon river in the fertile Amazon region of northeastern Peru, produces the WAVE 110S, an internationally renowned member of Honda’s Super Cub series of small motorcycles.
The factory’s official name is Honda Selva del Perú S.A. The word ‘Selva’ means ‘jungle’ in Spanish, and this Amazon region, which makes up 60% of the land area of Peru, is referred to as the Selva.
Iquitos is a city of 440,000 people located on an isolated tract of land that’s only accessible by air or river transport. Yet the jungle region is a prime market for motorcycles, and as there are also tax benefits, Honda built a factory in the city to supply products mainly to this jungle region.
In operation producing motorcycles since 2007, the Iquitos Factory consists of factory buildings and a test course for final testing and evaluation. Approximately 210 employees work here.
The Iquitos Factory also produces a unique model for Honda, the 3-wheeled ‘Motokar,’ which is used as a ‘tuk-tuk’-like taxi throughout Peru and has become an essential part of life in the Amazon region.
Though most of the Motokar’s parts are imported from China and final assembly is performed at the factory site, the rear cabin and passenger seats are manufactured in-house.
Honda Selva’s 2017 motorcycle production figures amounted to 16,700 units, of which 30% were represented by the WAVE 110S Super Cub series model. Motokar production exceeded that of motorcycles, at 18,500 units, in 2017.
This wide view of the Iquitos assembly plant shows its clean, intelligently laid-out design.
A WAVE 110S on the assembly line.
The three-wheeled ‘Motokar’ is an original product of the Iquitos Factory. A highly popular model in the Amazon region, the Motokar is packed with Honda quality and style. There’s also a version featuring molded plastic bodywork.
The WAVE is marketed in ways best suited to each region.
The Republic of Peru is located in the northwestern part of South America facing the Pacific Ocean. Its land area is 2.3 times that of Japan, with a population of 33 million. In Japan it is widely known as the heart of the ancient Inca Empire. It is also famed for the ruins of Machu Picchu, a world heritage site.
The WAVE 110S is the main Super Cub series model sold in Peru.
As is widely known, the WAVE series was first created by Honda Thailand, and it has successfully grown in popularity to become a centerpiece of the Super Cub series in Southeast Asia. Interestingly enough, in some countries its name is written as ‘WAVE,’ and in other countries as ‘Wave.’ Peruvians generally prefer the all-caps version ‘WAVE.’
In Peru, Honda has two distinct sales regions for the WAVE. Those sold in the Amazon (jungle) region are produced locally in Peru, while in the coastal region that faces the Pacific Ocean, the WAVE is usually imported from China fully assembled.
The manufacturer’s suggested retail price for local production models is US$1,229 (138,000 yen), while the fully assembled imports are priced around US$1,449 (162,000 yen). (Prices and exchange rates as of mid-July, 2018.)
WAVE110S
■Engine: Air-cooled 4-stroke OHC single-cylinder ■Displacement: 109.1cc ■Fuel Induction System: Carburetor ■Transmission: 4-speed w/ automatic centrifugal clutch ■Dimensions (L x W x H): 1,897 x 730 x 1,083mm ■Vehicle Weight: 102kg
“My daughter chose it!”
“I work as a chef making Peruvian cuisine, and sometimes I have to go to work early in the morning or late at night. The WAVE really comes in handy. It’s compact and saves on fuel costs, plus it also looks pretty good. I wasn’t sure whether to buy a WAVE or a scooter, but my daughter chose the WAVE. Sometimes I take my daughter to school on the WAVE, which makes her really happy.”
“This was a present for my wife.”
“I’m originally from Colombia, and I’m presently working in a company in Lima that imports cosmetics. I’ve always loved motorcycles, and I've been riding them since I was 13 years old. I mainly ride a sports bike now, so the WAVE is for my wife. I know that Honda bikes are high in performance and powerful, so I chose this one as a present for my wife. I’d like to customize our WAVE by giving it an LED headlight and cast aluminum wheels. That would make it look even better.”
“I’m going to buy another for my daughters.”
“We’re a four-person household, with me, my husband, and our two daughters. I work as a nurse, and I love the WAVE as my way of getting around. I used to ride my husband’s motorcycle, but the WAVE looks great and is remarkably easy to ride. Whenever I get an emergency call to go to the hospital, I give my nephew some pocket money and have him take me there while I ride on the back. I’m planning to buy another WAVE for my daughters, who are aged 21 and 16. Mine is white, so I think I’ll get a red one for them.”
“My trusty companion in my active life is my fourth red WAVE!”
“There’s four of us in our family, including my husband and two children, aged 12 and 9. I’m a full-time homemaker, and I’m so proud of my red WAVE. I use it to take my kids to school, to go shopping, and to meet friends. The WAVE is the best companion an active woman like me can have, especially with its stylish colors. The other moms I know say it’s economical, fun-to-ride and just the best there is, so they’re all going to buy one. The only problem is that because they’re so popular they are easily stolen. I’ve already lost three bikes that way. This is my fourth WAVE, so you can see how much I love this bike.”
“All four siblings share four WAVEs!”
“I’m an electronic equipment engineer, and I live with my parents and three siblings. All four of us children share four WAVEs. They feature both low fuel consumption and rugged construction, so we enjoy riding them any time, and at minimal cost. They even carry us over muddy roads on rainy days without any problems, so all four of us really like the WAVE. We all switch between the four bikes, but the one I like the best is the old WAVE I bought seven years ago. I’ve been using it for all these years, so I really have a soft spot for it. I worry about it getting stolen, though, because WAVEs are so popular here. When I park it in the city I make sure it’s properly locked, and when I bring it home we keep it inside the house.”
