The good news for Honda Motor Co. is that it has sold out all 8,600 of its new roadsters (S660) slated for production this year and is fully booked through June. The bad news is that four in five buyers of the US$ 16,000 sports car are over 40.
That is a much older demographic than other models in the lineup and many of these older customers are repeat customers buying the coupe as a second car, according to Misato Fukushima, a company spokeswoman. It’s also a contrast to the last sports car Honda introduced in 1999, the S2000. Back then, only one in five buyers were over 40 years of age.
While the older repeat buyers show Honda has a strong following of longtime fans, a failure to attract younger customers will hurt the prospects for the carmaker in its home market. The problem isn’t confined to Honda. Stagnating annual incomes and an efficient public transportation system means many younger people in Japan don’t see a need to own a car. The number of driver license holders under the age of 40 has fallen 46 percent over the last 13 years.
That is a much older demographic than other models in the lineup and many of these older customers are repeat customers buying the coupe as a second car, according to Misato Fukushima, a company spokeswoman. It’s also a contrast to the last sports car Honda introduced in 1999, the S2000. Back then, only one in five buyers were over 40 years of age.
While the older repeat buyers show Honda has a strong following of longtime fans, a failure to attract younger customers will hurt the prospects for the carmaker in its home market. The problem isn’t confined to Honda. Stagnating annual incomes and an efficient public transportation system means many younger people in Japan don’t see a need to own a car. The number of driver license holders under the age of 40 has fallen 46 percent over the last 13 years.
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