Honda Civic Type R

Honda CR-V

Honda Jazz

Honda Civic

tough-2011-could-mean-big-discounts

Honda is a company that doesn’t like to follow the crowd. So, while it competes in most of the traditional sectors of the car market, in each case it does something a little bit different.

The Jazz, for example, might look like just another rival to Britain’s best-selling car, the Ford Fiesta, but it’s actually much more practical than its rivals, with a flexible boot and Tardis-like interior.

The bigger Civic is also a practical choice, but it’s mainly distinguished by having eye-catching, love-it-or-hate-it styling, despite competing in a sector of the market that’s usually more conservative than a blue rosette.

And while it may not seem so radical now, Honda’s large SUV, the CR-V, was one of the first to forego any pretence of being an off-roader and instead focus on on-road driving dynamics.

HONDA

Car makers are bracing themselves for a difficult sales market in 2011 meaning customers could be in line for big discounts. Initial sales figures for September have confirmed that car sales are continuing to fall in the wake of the end of the scrappage subsidy and economic uncertainty, prompting Honda's managing director, Dave Hodgetts, to predict tough times ahead. 'We're certainly not predicting growth for next year, it is looking very tough,' said Hodgetts. 'There's the VAT rise coming, public sector job losses and general uncertainty about the economy.'

Car makers traditionally respond to falling demand by offering greater incentives to customers, both in terms of outright discount and by providing better finance deals. Hodgetts added that the most optimistic predictions are that car sales won't recover to the record levels of 2007 until 2015.

Car makers are bracing themselves for a difficult sales market in 2011 meaning customers could be in line for big discounts.

Initial sales figures for September have confirmed that car sales are continuing to fall in the wake of the end of the scrappage subsidy and economic uncertainty, prompting Honda's managing director, Dave Hodgetts, to predict tough times ahead. 'We're certainly not predicting growth for next year, it is looking very tough,' said Hodgetts. 'There's the VAT rise coming, public sector job losses and general uncertainty about the economy.' Car makers traditionally respond to falling demand by offering greater incentives to customers, both in terms of outright discount and by providing better finance deals. Hodgetts added that the most optimistic predictions are that car sales won't recover to the record levels of 2007 until 2015.