of a press conference at Haneda
international airport in Tokyo on
April 23, 2015.
It's a very different kind of vehicle
Honda's luxury play has traditionally
been the Acura. But the latest high-
priced offering from the auto maker
will be an ultrafast jet.
The Japanese company is awaiting
final approval from the U.S. Federal
Aviation Administration to sell a
seven-seat business jet called the
"HondaJet." The price? Around $4.5
million.
The Wall Street Journal took a flight
in the jet with Honda Aircraft CEO
Michimasa Fujino, who has worked
on the project for decades. "This
airplane is my art piece," he said in
an interview.
Honda is taking the jet on a road
show, kicking off in Switzerland and
eventually demonstrating the plane
across several other key European
markets. Honda's entry into aviation
makes it an upstart member of an
exclusive club of airplane makers.
The jet also adds to an aerospace
renaissance for Japan, which has long
supplied parts and materials to the
aviation industry but hasn't recently
made its own planes. In addition to
Honda, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries
is separately developing its own
plane.
The jet is Honda's first commercial
aircraft, produced by its North
Carolina-based Honda Aircraft
division. The potential FAA approval
puts the plane on pace for delivery to
customers around the middle of this
year, the Journal reports.
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