From May, Honda New Zealand customers will be able to purchase a new vehicle online, directly from the company.
It's another development in the brand's agency business model, which it pioneered in the NZ market 21 years ago. It means that dealerships do not own the cars they sell, but are instead acting as agents for the brand, ensuring all customers have access to the same products regardless of location.
Honda's move to an agency model went hand in hand with its Price Promise no-discount strategy, guaranteeing all customers are paying the same price for new vehicles.
A similar model was adopted by Toyota NZ in 2018 (aka "Drive Happy") and other brands are moving in the same direction, including Mercedes-Benz.
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Honda will continue with its dealerships from May, but they will change to one of three types.
The full "Honda Stores" will cater to customers as they always have, but purchases will made directly from the brand - not from an independent agent as before.
"Honda Service Stores" will have a brand ambassador, demonstrator vehicles and service facilities. "Authorised Service Stores" will service Honda vehicles.
Online purchasing is an extension of the direct selling that will take place in Honda Stores and will be undertaken via a new e-commerce platform.
"Our independent Honda agents have served the Honda brand incredibly well over many years, and we have greatly valued these relationships during this era,” says Honda NZ managing director, Nobuya Sonoda.
"By making these changes we are placing our customers at the heart of everything we do, and importantly, putting the purchasing power where it belongs - in the hands of our customers. There is a lot to look forward to this year, including the recent launch of our exciting new Honda concept store in the Nelson/Tasman region."
The current national network consists of seven Honda NZ-owned branches and 17 independently owned agents. The latter will transition to one of the three new stores types from May.