Guangzhou Honda Automobile Co., Ltd.
Dongfeng Honda Automobile (Wuhan) Co.,Ltd.
Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
June 9, 2004

The 8th Beijing International Automotive Exhibition, a major auto show held every two years, opens at the Beijing International Exhibition Center, June 9, 2004. Guangzhou Honda takes an active role for Honda again. The 1080m2 exhibition area under the theme “Age of Technology, Comfortable Life” implies providing customers with a more comfortable life through cars featuring the latest technologies in the areas of safety, the environment and energy efficiency.

Mankind has long struggled to advance technology in pursuit of a more comfortable life. Advancing technology give rise to social progress and higher living standards, while progress in society creates an upward spiral for technological innovation. As automakers, Guangzhou Honda and Honda always keep firmly in mind that our research in areas such as safety, the environment and energy efficiency is not simply a source of technological competition, but for the purpose of improving the quality of people’s lives. In this age of technology, the power to advance technology comes from people and, in turn, this technology exists to serve people.

Guangzhou Honda offers two pleasantly surprising points in this exhibition. The first is holding the launch ceremony for the Fit Saloon 1.5L model, and the second is the introduction of the Fit 5-door hatchback prototype. Further, Guangzhou Honda’s popular model lineup will also appear, including the Accord, Odyssey multi-purpose vehicle and the Fit Saloon 1.3L car. At this exhibition, Honda is also exhibiting for the first time in China the concept fuel-cell vehicle KIWAMI, which combines Honda’s latest FC Stack environmental technology with Japanese traditional aesthetics. Honda’s F-1 racing car and the FCX, the world’s first commercially-certified fuel-cell vehicle, appear again. Honda also will exhibit the CR-V urban sport utility vehicle produced by Dongfeng Honda Automobile (Wuhan) Co., Ltd.

In 2003, the Chinese car market continued its growth trend of 2002, realizing a 60% increase. Within the overall market, the 1.1L-1.5L car segment grew most rapidly, increasing 112.4% last year -- with growth increasing in the first quarter of this year by 46%.

Guangzhou Honda provides customers a refined Fit Saloon 1.3L car with good performance at a price that satisfies people’s demand of the small car segment. To meet the increasing needs of young families in urban areas who demand more power and features than 1.3L customers, Guangzhou Honda thought the timing was right to introduce the Fit Saloon 1.5L model. Guangzhou Honda’s pricing strategy is to maintain long term, stable pricing and achieve global competitiveness in pricing. The national sales price is set at RMB109,800 for the manual transmission and RMB119,800 for the CVT model. With its excellent performance, the Fit Saloon 1.5L model offers superior performance and is cost competitive within its segment. This vehicle was launched June 9, 2004 at the Beijing International Automotive Exhibition and is now on sale at authorized sales and service dealerships of Guangzhou Honda in China.

Fit Saloon 1.5L model adopts the newest Honda 1.5L VTEC engine to achieve harmony of high performance, high fuel efficiency, and lower emissions through more efficient combustion technology. Acceleration performance is improved: with maximum power of 79kW/rpm and maximum torque of 143 Nm/rpm. Further, the 1.5L model’s energy saving performance ranks best in class: with fuel efficiency at 90km/h L/100km, the MT is 5.2L and the CVT is 5.1L. The emission levels meet the European Standard III. Guangzhou Honda understands the importance of environmental protection through the vehicle’s full life cycle from production through disposal – with the recyclability of the 1.5L model exceeding 90%.

Continuing Honda’s “MM” design concept found in the 1.3L model, the 1.5L model has added space beyond the imagination of its customers, with more versatile folds-flat rear seating, leather seats and steering wheel and same color interior door lining -- all of which creates an elegant feel; adjustable driver’s seat; and the latest design aluminum alloy wheel. In addition, the 1.5L model has a new color (eternal blue) and added interior trunk lining, which reduces interior noise.

With outstanding performance at a reasonable price, and high quality feel, the Fit Saloon 1.5L model will provide customers with a perfect feel of driving and riding comfort.

After the Fit Saloon 1.3L car was introduced, customers favoring hatchback vehicles began to expect a 5-door Fit model. On 9 June 2004, Guangzhou Honda introduces a prototype Fit 5-door model at the Beijing Exhibition and announces that production of this model will begin in the second half of the year.

The Fit 5-door is based on Honda’s successful Fit and Jazz models which ranked number one in sales in Japan in 2002. As a member of the Fit series, the production of the Fit 5-door in the second half of the year means Guangzhou Honda will soon have both Fit body styles to develop a new market in the small car segment.

In May, Guangzhou Honda’s production and sales increased rapidly compared to the comparatively slow increase in the Chinese car market as a whole, selling 13,886 cars – up 43.9% compared to the same period last year. Through the first five months of 2004, Guangzhou Honda has cumulative sales of 58,864 cars – an increase of 60.2%. As a result, Guangzhou Honda decided to increase the sales target for 2004 from 200,000 units to 211,500 units.

In addition, after trying its best to achieve the 240,000-car expansion, Guangzhou Honda is producing at almost full capacity. Guangzhou Honda will introduce new products and increase production volume based on future market demand.