During the latest round of sea trials, Honda Marine took stock of the situation, at the level of the Italian and international markets, and, above all, unveiled some of the future goals. At the moment there is nothing official yet, so conditionality is a must, but, reading between the lines, some very interesting news can be guessed.
Honda Marine
The opening statement is an important one: in the next 5 years, Honda aims to challenge the leadership in the marine outboard market. How does it plan to do this? With a tight investment plan in the marine sector and all the “firepower” given by the automotive giant it can count on on the research and development side. But it certainly does not start as an outsider. In Europe it boasts a 16 percent market share, and in Italy it is even the second brand, with 23 percent, where it has the absolute highest number of units sold.
Electrification and new, big engines
Among the various announcements, one could not miss the call for environmental sustainability, which Honda wants to achieve with total carbon neutrality by 2030 and the launch of a range of all-electric outboards in the next 3 years. However, Honda sees this as a viable path only for small powers. Looking at the philosophy adopted in the automotive field, where Japanese manufacturers essentially focus on hybrid rather than full electric vehicles, this is hardly surprising. But not only electric: within 5 months-so we imagine by the fall shows-they will launch a new engine, and 6 other new models will follow in the following months. Few spoilers about it, but there has been talk of a possible arrival of a lighter 300 hp, which will use a different block than theBF300’s current V8 (could it be a V6?). It is intended for single-engine installations on smaller hulls, where the power-to-weight ratio is important for efficiency and performance. But given that the market is driven by engines above 300 hp, whose share has risen 50 percent despite the post-Covid contraction, it is more than fair to expect increasing power outputs.
The boat that “self-carries”
But let’s come to the more tantalizing news. Taking advantage of technologies developed by the automotive industry, Honda plans to equip itself with some absolutely unique features. After all, if cars now drive themselves, why not make it possible for boats as well? And here we are not talking about simple autopilots, but a complete, integrated remote boat control system.
Through a suite of sensors and 360-degree cameras, it will be possible to moor the boat as never before, and even cart it from the ground, an operation that is never trivial, especially when solo. Again, details for now are few, but we are told that this is not just a project on paper, but a technology that has already been implemented and is currently being tested.
