Honda Canada marketing boss speaks out

ONE OF HONDA Canada's top brass has said the country's bike industry has "hit rock bottom".

Warren Milner, marketing manager for Honda Canada's motorcycle division, revealed his take on the country's flagging motorcycle trade to a packed press conference.

Milner, a trusted employee of the largest motorcycle manufacturer in the world said: "As far as we're concerned, the motorcycle business (in Canada) is bankrupt. We've hit rock bottom, so now we're going to rebuild."

Milner goes on to say the problem also affects the company's three main Japanese rivals: Kawasaki, Suzuki and Yamaha, who he claims "are losing huge money. And projections for the next two years are that they'll lose huge money."

The source of Honda Canada's problems has been attributed to the fact the company been selling machines at greatly reduced prices in order to shift ever-increasing stock left over due to the recession. Experts also believe the company policy of selling motorcycles through a network of car franchises is a major mistake: 

"The product itself is not the problem," said Milner. There are some holes in the lineup, but that's easy to fix. They don't like Powerhouse and they don't like 'Honda'. They feel it's run by a bunch of car people who don't care about motorcycles. We have an image problem."

The company are looking to address the problem fast with a new hard-hitting campaign.

Milner concludes his synopsis of the situation with the sobering words: "It's over unless we can do this."

Source: Wheels.ca