Honda trips as premium-priced Accord struggles amid German tide

Honda Motor Co. was so confident the new Accord would be a superstar in China last year that it released an exclusive 3-liter version with a flashy grille and a price tag to rival Volkswagen AG's Audi A4 luxury sedan.The results weren't so stellar.Deliveries of the vehicle that Honda predicted would drive its revival in the world's largest automobile market fell 37 percent in the first five months of the year.The Accord -- which until three years ago was the top-selling midsized sedan in China -- dropped to as low as No. 9, in April, as VW's Passat and Magotan models took the top slots.In late February, Honda pushed out a stripped-down Accord that started at about 180,000 yuan ($29,000), compared with more than 200,000 for earlier versions. Sales still sagged."We've already lost faith in it," said Liu Yefei, who runs a Honda dealership in Shanghai. "Honda tried to focus on the higher-end version from the beginning, but they underestimated people's desire for German cars."The Accord's struggles illustrate the challenges Japanese automakers face nearly two years after Chinese protesters torched Honda and Toyota Motor Corp. dealerships and damaged Japanese-branded cars amid a territorial dispute.While sales have rebounded among lower-priced Japanese cars, German brands have strengthened their position among high-end models.Rows of Audis

Honda trips as premium-priced Accord struggles amid German tide

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