BATU KAWAN, Sept 5 — Boon Siew Honda Sdn Bhd expects the recent fuel price increase to boost its motorcycle sales and help achieve its target of 240,000 units in the next 12 months.

Its Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Satoshi Okada, said when the fuel price was increased in 2008, its motorcycle sales rose by about 20 to 30 per cent.

“It's hard to estimate how much the increase will be, but we are optimistic of achieving our target over the next 12 months,” he told reporters after unveiling the new Honda Wave Dash R and S series here today.

Okada said the company expected the newly-launched Wave Dash to contribute about 15 per cent to the company's total motorcycle sales in the next 12 months.

“I foresee the demand for motorbike to remain stable amid global economic uncertainty and we are eyeing sales of about 40,000 units of the Wave Dash for the next 12 months,” he said.

He said the EX5 motorcycle remained the company's top selling motorcycle which contributed more than half of the company annual total sales.

Okada said the Wave Dash R and S were inspired by Honda Racing’s rich heritage in motorsports and were targeted at customers who wanted a bike that stood out.

“The bikes, which feature sporty aerodynamics, styling and performance, are set to raise the bar in the mid-sized cub segment of the local market,” he said.

He said bikes were powered by an advanced four-stroke 110cc engines.

The Wave Dash R and S are available in Vivacity Red, Pearl Magellanic Black, Luminous Orange and Force Silver Metallic while the Repsol Honda-inspired Luminous Orange is exclusively available for the Wave Dash R.

The Wave Dash S is priced at RM5,029, Wave Dash R RM5,289 and the Wave Dash Repsol design RM5,419.

Both series come with a two-year or 20,000 km manufacturing warranty. — Bernama