Honda Civic of the Sky -- Honda Jet
07-26-2006, 05:16 AM
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Honda Civic of the Sky -- Honda Jet
An Article from Wall Street Journal:
Honda to Sell Small Business Jet
It Hopes Will Become 'Civic of Sky'
By NORIHIKO SHIROUZU
July 26, 2006
Honda Motor Co., which has long nurtured dreams of becoming an aircraft maker, said it plans to sell a new jet that the company's chief executive, Takeo Fukui, describes as the "Honda Civic of the sky."
Honda officials said yesterday that the Japanese auto maker plans to establish a new company to manufacture and market the aircraft -- to be called the Honda Jet -- and create a business alliance with Piper Aircraft Inc.
Honda hopes to tap Piper's established global sales and service network in an effort to crack the market for small business jets in America, which Honda estimates at 200 or more planes a year with a value of as much as $800 million a year.
Honda also may seek engineering help from Piper to obtain official certification for the aircraft by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, said Michimasa Fujino, Honda Jet project leader and vice president of Honda R&D Americas Inc.
Honda said it will start accepting sales orders for the new five- to six-passenger twin-engine jet this fall. Its goal is to obtain FAA certification for the aircraft in about three to four years, after which it will start production in the U.S. It plans to start delivering the jet to customers by 2010.
Experts predict a coming boom in sales of very light jets such as the Honda Jet, the first of a gaggle of which is expected to hit the market in the next year or so. Many of the companies -- including Textron Inc.'s Cessna; Brazil's Empresa Brasileira de Aeronautica SA, or Embraer; and upstart Eclipse Aviation Corp. -- are counting on demand from a nascent and unproven air-taxi industry that aims to ferry passengers between underserved cities. Experts say there may already be too many micro-business-jet companies chasing too small a market, depending on how the air-taxi concept fares.
Honda has invested in plans to create an economical plane for 20 years, pursuing a dream of the company's late founder, Soichiro Honda.
Mr. Fujino said Honda and Piper plan to release performance and other specifications of the aircraft, a pricing strategy and business plans for the new venture at an air show in October.
Still, Honda has said in the past that the company is aiming to create a "revolutionary" aircraft that is designed to achieve significantly better fuel economy than conventional small jets and could make a long-range flight covering as much as 1,100 miles before needing to refuel, both of which should be big selling points for the aircraft, because it would be possible for the new jet to make a cross-country journey with one refueling stop.
"The Honda Jet will be very competitive in all aspects
Honda to Sell Small Business Jet
It Hopes Will Become 'Civic of Sky'
By NORIHIKO SHIROUZU
July 26, 2006
Honda Motor Co., which has long nurtured dreams of becoming an aircraft maker, said it plans to sell a new jet that the company's chief executive, Takeo Fukui, describes as the "Honda Civic of the sky."
Honda officials said yesterday that the Japanese auto maker plans to establish a new company to manufacture and market the aircraft -- to be called the Honda Jet -- and create a business alliance with Piper Aircraft Inc.
Honda hopes to tap Piper's established global sales and service network in an effort to crack the market for small business jets in America, which Honda estimates at 200 or more planes a year with a value of as much as $800 million a year.
Honda also may seek engineering help from Piper to obtain official certification for the aircraft by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, said Michimasa Fujino, Honda Jet project leader and vice president of Honda R&D Americas Inc.
Honda said it will start accepting sales orders for the new five- to six-passenger twin-engine jet this fall. Its goal is to obtain FAA certification for the aircraft in about three to four years, after which it will start production in the U.S. It plans to start delivering the jet to customers by 2010.
Experts predict a coming boom in sales of very light jets such as the Honda Jet, the first of a gaggle of which is expected to hit the market in the next year or so. Many of the companies -- including Textron Inc.'s Cessna; Brazil's Empresa Brasileira de Aeronautica SA, or Embraer; and upstart Eclipse Aviation Corp. -- are counting on demand from a nascent and unproven air-taxi industry that aims to ferry passengers between underserved cities. Experts say there may already be too many micro-business-jet companies chasing too small a market, depending on how the air-taxi concept fares.
Honda has invested in plans to create an economical plane for 20 years, pursuing a dream of the company's late founder, Soichiro Honda.
Mr. Fujino said Honda and Piper plan to release performance and other specifications of the aircraft, a pricing strategy and business plans for the new venture at an air show in October.
Still, Honda has said in the past that the company is aiming to create a "revolutionary" aircraft that is designed to achieve significantly better fuel economy than conventional small jets and could make a long-range flight covering as much as 1,100 miles before needing to refuel, both of which should be big selling points for the aircraft, because it would be possible for the new jet to make a cross-country journey with one refueling stop.
"The Honda Jet will be very competitive in all aspects
07-26-2006, 05:18 AM
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