Honda Australia Pty Ltd director Carolyn McMahon has been promoted to vice president and appointed to the board of directors for Honda New Zealand Limited.
McMahon has served the Honda brand in Australia for more than 28 years.
She became the first person to hold these dual titles and was previously the first female to be appointed Honda Australia director in 2017.
According to Go Auto, following a short stint away from the brand, Robert Thorpe returned to Honda Australia as general manager of automotive, and business services general manager Nicholas Beattie was promoted to company secretary.
Honda Centres happy with agency model
According to Drive, McMahon recently told a media briefing that Honda Australia’s move to the agency model more than three years ago was a matter of survival for the brand in Australia.
“One of the reasons we changed our business model was because if we didn’t, the franchise’s survival was under a big question mark,” McMahon says.
Under the agency model, Honda Australia owns the new vehicle stock and offers nationally fixed pricing. Each Honda Centre is paid a set fee per sale.
McMahon says the Honda Centres are happy that they don’t have the costs of funding floorplan finance, unlike conventional franchise dealers who are dealing with the rising expense of interest rates and slow-moving inventory.
Honda sold fewer than 14,000 vehicles in 2023, and McMahon says it was due to a short stock supply in the first half. The brand sold more than 4600 vehicles in the first quarter of 2024, which McMahon says is the pace Honda intends to set for the remainder of the year.
According to McMahon, Honda has no desire to return to the large volumes of old and be a top ten player. She says the business has consolidated to a more sustainable position and will concentrate on effectively making the current model work.
Telstra powers Honda’s connected car offering
Telstra has been announced as the connectivity partner for Honda Australia, powering the next generation of technology in the all-new Accord.
Launched in the market this month, the car introduces a new and improved upgrade to the Honda Connect service and the first integration of Google built-in, enabled by Telstra SIM and powered by Telstra’s mobile network.
“We’re entering a new era of technology and innovation in the automotive industry”, said Jon Young Flores, Telstra Industry Executive.
“By bringing together our connectivity expertise, including the largest mobile and IoT networks in Australia, our partnership with Honda is about delivering the best-connected car experience for new Honda Accord owners in Australia – one that is more convenient and enjoyable.”
Among the enhanced connectivity capabilities made possible by this partnership, Honda can securely access the vehicle’s telemetry data, which collects, transmits and analyses vehicle data including engine performance, fuel efficiency and environmental conditions for improved vehicle maintenance and diagnostic monitoring; new and improved infotainment system with entertainment, navigation, and weather updates.
On the future roadmap, Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) technology connects smart devices to the car and allows the vehicle to interact with things around it.
New Honda Accord owners will also experience Honda’s first-ever Google built-in integration with access to the latest apps and services, including Google Assistant, Google Maps and Google Play.
This connectivity means seamless navigation and live traffic updates integration, hands-free help from Google Assistant for in-vehicle voice control of functions such as the car’s temperature, and the ability to download music, podcasts and audiobooks.
