Honda enters big-bike motorcycle market in Taiwan

Honda Taiwan Co (HTW), a wholly-owned Honda subsidiary in Taiwan, has begun sales of large-sized motorcycle models in Taiwan.

Nine models have gone on sale at four HTW dealership locations, which will open sequentially in major cities in the northern, southern and central regions of Taiwan. The nine models include Integra, CTX700N, CTX1300, GL1800C, NC750X and CB1100EX, which will be imported from Japan, and NSS300, CBR500R and CBR650F, which will be imported from Thai Honda Manufacturing Co., Ltd., a Honda subsidiary in Thailand.

In 1961, Honda began local production and sales in Taiwan of small-sized motorcycles, mainly 125cc-class models, through a technology licensing agreement with a local company (under a technical collaboration agreement). With the dissolution of the partnership in 2003, Honda discontinued its motorcycle business in Taiwan. However, the market for large-sized motorcycles has been expanding due to the fact that the large-sized motorcycle market in Taiwan was liberalized after Taiwan became a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2002, the recent rise in income level and changes in highway traffic laws which will lift a ban on riding large-sized motorcycles on highways. In 2014, industry-wide sales of large-sized motorcycles in Taiwan reached approximately 17,000 units, a year-on-year increase of 24%.