Honda will rely on minivehicles to make up half of its 2012 sales

Things aren’t going too well for Honda, exports aren’t as profitable as they used to be due to powerful Japanese Yen so Honda Japan has decided to ramp up domestic production of minivehicles and has also set a goal for half of its domestic sales for they year 2012 to come from minivehicles.

The first minivehicle to come out of this this plan is the ultra minivan, N Box+ which is the second new model released for the most popular minivehicle in Japan, the N Box. It is popular among families with young children for its relatively large interior space. The car has sold about 106,000 units in Japan between its release late last year and June.

The N Box has been at the top of domestic minivehicle sales in the monthly rankings since April. It marked the first time in about eight years that Honda has grabbed the No. 1 spot in the minivehicle category.

Honda’s share in the minivehicle market grew from around 8 percent until the end of last year to 16.6 percent in May, rising to third place after the two domestic leaders in minicars, Daihatsu Motor Co. and Suzuki Motor Corp.

Another minivehicle is currently under development by Honda which is planned to be launched in October this year to meet Honda’s plan to sell 356,000 minivehicles in Japan, more than double the sales of last year.

The Honda N Box + aims to cater to a multitude of transportation needs, which means that the car comes with multiple features that allow its interior to be configured for luggage or passenger and even comes with a bed mode and an optional aluminum ramp.

N Box + has a 660 cc three cylinder petrol engine. Prices commence from $16,900 but the vehicle will be offered only in Japan.