The Philippine Star

Honda launches all-new Legend Sport Hybrid

- By LOUISE MAUREEN SIMEON

Honda Cars Philippine­s Inc. (HCPI) has raised the bar for the luxury vehicle segment with the launch of the all-new Legend 3.5 Sport Hybrid SH-AWD model that further enhances the carmaker’s brand image in the local vehicle industry.

Honda’s new flagship model with a price tag of P4.4 million, will revolve around the “Smart Exhilarati­ng Luxury” concept that will showcase Honda’s highest level of craftsmans­hip as it imprints its mark in the local luxury car segment.

The all-new Legend is a fusion of three customer values – pride and prestige of ownership, advanced features and technology, and exhilarati­ng driving experience, company officials said.

Despite its price, HCPI president and general manager Toshio Kuwahara said the Philippine market is ready for this new kind of vehicle.

“The market is growing. There are many prominent rich segments in the Philippine­s. So we thought it is the right time to bring in the car to the Philippine­s and to bring something new and something latest,” Kuwahara said during the launch Tuesday night.

On the other hand, given the numerous internatio­nal brand competitor­s of Honda in the country that offer a similar luxury line, Kuwahara said he does not expect to sell a large number of units for the All-New Legend.

“I’m not expecting that this car will sell a lot compared to the other products lined up for Honda. But I’m expecting that it will definitely raise the brand image of Honda through providing cutting-edge technologi­es,” he added.

The All-New Legend adopts a highoutput and fuel-efficient hybrid system that combines one engine with three electric motors that enable the vehicle legend to deliver a total maximum output of 380ps at 6500 rpm and 47.1 kg-m at 4700 rpm of torque, making it the most powerful Honda car to date.

The all-new Legend also boasts of the advanced driver-assistive system called Honda Sensing that aids the driver to prevent or effectivel­y respond to dangerous driving situations. Other vehicle safety systems are the multi-view camera system with four wide angle cameras located on the front grille, right and left door mirrors and tailgate, Blind Spot Informatio­n (BSI), and Cross Traffic Monitor (CTM).

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