TOKYO, Oct. 9, 2009 (Kyodo News International) -- Honda Motor Co. (NYSE:HMC) released a roomier and fuel-efficient Step WGN minivan Friday as it aims to boost domestic sales by expanding its lineup of increasingly popular energy-saving models.
Hiroshi Kobayashi, Honda's director in charge of domestic operations, repeated the company's target of selling 655,000 vehicles in Japan during the business year ending next March on the back of robust demand for the Insight hybrid, the Fit compact, and the Freed compact minivan.
''We want to firmly achieve the 655,000 units and if there is a chance, we would like to achieve higher sales,'' Kobayashi said at the Step WGN minivan launch event in Tokyo.
The fourth-generation, eight-passenger minivan, which uses an improved engine and a continuously variable transmission, has a fuel economy of 14.2 kilometers per liter and is eligible for government tax breaks and subsidies for fuel efficient cars.
It has a bigger interior space with an increase in overall length and height and is equipped with under-floor storage, into which third-row seats can be folded.
The full-model change in the Step WGN, which debuted in 1996, is the first in four years as Honda aims to increase its competitive edge against rivals such as Toyota Motor Corp. and Nissan Motor Co.
In addition to the standard Step WGN, Honda will release the sportier Step WGN Spada on Oct. 23. Honda aims for a monthly sales target of 6,000 units in Japan for both models combined.
