TOKYO: Honda Motor Co will import cars from the United States and China to sell in its home market as the Japanese carmaker looks to beef up its domestic lineup in the face of mounting losses from its auto business.
The automaker will begin selling two United States-built cars - the Acura Integra Type S and the Honda Passport TrailSport Elite - in Japan in the second half of this year, it said.
Honda said it's taking advantage of a simplified certification system in the wake of US President Donald Trump's push to sell more American cars in the Asian nation.
Separately, the Yomiuri newspaper reported that Honda is also planning to import its own electric vehicles from China, making it the first Japanese carmaker to sell Chinese EVs at home.
A spokesperson for Honda declined to comment on the report.
Honda is reassessing its strategy in an attempt to be more competitive after its auto business logged a ¥166.4 billion (US$1.1 billion or RM4.33bil) operating loss during the first nine months of the fiscal year.
EV-related expenses, including losses and impairments on vehicles sold in the US and write-offs of development assets, have weighed on Honda's bottomline and the carmaker is losing ground to the tech-focused offerings of Chinese rivals.
Honda has also been hit hard by US import duties and its motorcycle business is now the company's key sales driver.
