After M&M, Honda to build boats in India

NEW DELHI: First Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) and now Honda, the Indian boat building market is suddenly seeing strong currents. The Japanese auto major, through its Indian subsidiary Honda Siel India (HSIL), is planning to foray into the Indian boat manufacturing market and is conducting feasibility studies for the purpose.

"Our power equipment and power products people are studying the Indian market. We know there���s a market and there is potential, particularly on the western side. So, we are studying," Honda Siel president and CEO Masahiro Takedagawa said.

Honda will initially sell outer boat engines in India. It produces small, medium and high horsepower boat engines, ranging from compact 2HP-5HP ones for small inflatable boats, sail boats and fishing boats to large ones up to 225 HP for bay boats and yatchs.

Honda���s boat building arm Honda Marine sells big outer boat engines and personal watercraft, including water scooters, globally. In India, apart from cars, Honda sells generators, water pumps, engines, lawnmowers and brush cutters through its Indian subsidiary Honda Siel Power Products.

These products are manufactured at the Honda Siel plants in Uttrakhand, Puducherry and Greater Noida. Honda will sell the boat engines in an imported form. "Our Greater Noida plant for power products has achieved full capacity and there is no room to produce them here," Mr Takedagawa added.

Indian conglomerate M&M has already entered the leisure boating industry with fibreglass power boats under
the Mahindra Odyssea brand.