Honda dealers are optimistic as they await a bevy of promised new products and guidance from the automaker on its plans to offer more hybrid and electric vehicles.
They just want it faster, acknowledged Mike Kistemaker, assistant vice president of sales for American Honda Motor Co., after the Honda make meeting Saturday.
"As excited as they are, everybody wants more because everybody could really make some gains with this hotter product right now," Kistemaker told Automotive News.
"For CR-V and Accord, hybrid will take on a much bigger role than it is today" as the automaker transitions to battery-electric vehicles, he said. American Honda executives used the meeting to give a sneak peek of what retailers can expect for the next year.
"We're in a unique position because we have a dealer meeting here in two months, so we don't want to give too much stuff away at the moment," Kistemaker said.
"We have an incredible year, a product cadence coming, and basically our entire SUV line is getting made over," he said. "It's just a really exciting time to be a Honda dealer."
Kistemaker said Honda will give retailers more details on its electrification plans from a dealer facility standpoint in the coming months.
In the meantime, Honda dealers remain focused on vehicle supply and production disruptions as well as availability.
"We have, give or take, a seven-day supply on virtually everything, and we were very honest and transparent today," Kistemaker said. "We said, it's going to be like this for the end of the year and longer."
Taz Harvey, owner of Tracy Honda in California, said he's confident in Honda's management team.
"We would like to see more product, just as everybody. But I think Honda is doing a fantastic job working their pipeline and making sure that their customers are getting the vehicles that they need," he said.
Jason Courter, who owns Honda Auto Center of Bellevue and Honda of Kirkland, both in Washington, said dealers are in good hands.
"Honda has always had a plan, which we've been excited about, and [is] illustrating what their plan is and staying to the course that we've learned over the last couple years," he said. "What our future looks like is very bright with the EVs coming our way."
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