Honda targets dog-lovers
June 2, 2008 by Alborz Fallah
The Japanese Domestic Market (JDM) is very different to ours, most Japanese manufacturers build cars specifically for the JDM which we will never see. But we though have some similarities, manufacturers here build cars for specific demographic, be it single women, retiring baby-boomers, successful under 30s, the list goes on.
But now, Honda has sniffed out yet another untapped demographic of potential car buyers in Japan: the dog-lover.
Launching a specific website for canine fans, which lists dimensions for its cars’ cargo space for stashing cages, dog-friendly hotels & cafes, even a rating system that ranks seat fabric for ease of removing dog hair, Japan’s No.2 automaker is chasing a new bone.
Honda is also offering its cars to be test-driven with potential owners’ pups.
“There’s definitely a need there that wasn’t being met,” said Teruhiro Murai, an Internet marketer at Honda who came up with the idea seven years ago to fulfill his own needs as the owner of a golden retriever and miniature dachshund.
You may think it sounds silly to target dog-owners over say, young parents, but with a declining birthrate it makes perfect sense. Japanese now have more dogs and cats than they do children under 15!
Honda is marketing its new Freed minivan for dog-lovers. The Freed has the lowest floor yet among Honda’s minivans, at just 39 cm from the ground to the rear section, while the cargo space is just 48 cm off the ground.
“It’s low enough even for my dog, May,” Isono said, commanding his short-legged, three-year-old corgi to jump in during a demonstration for reporters.
The trend to target dog-lovers may not just be in Japan though. DogCars.com, a website setup to rate cars for dog-lovers has tens of thousands of visitors from around the world who give cars a paw rating.
Was your dog’s needs a contributing factor in your vehicle purchase?
Print it: 
is a factor…..bought a ute
Good choice JP, but it does snow in Japan.
A waste of time for Australia though.
Funnily enough, a few years ago I bought a Honda Jazz because its “magic seats” made it very easy for our ageing Labrador to step in/out.
My most recent purchase; a Citroen C4 Picasso was made with a primary consideration being that a large dog travel crate could fit in the back at the same time as a pram. There was nothing else on the market (that wasn’t an Urban Assault Vehicle) that was suitable thanks to their steeply raked rear windows.
The Jazz was definitely fit for purpose in this regard, and was also a fantastic city car…. but it just wasn’t quite big enough when you add kids into the equation.
I would definitely consider this new vehicle from Honda, purely from a utilitarian perspective.
One further comment after viewing the link to the Honda Japanese website for this vehicle; it seems to be missing adequate ventilation in the rear which is essential in our climate, particularly on longer trips.
LOL, I’m bracing for a plethora of ute owners posting their comments about adequacy of ventilation :D
One of the contributing reasons – albeit very minor – why I have a Volvo XC70 is that they have face-level ventilation vents in the B-pillars – not as per most cars where the rear seat ventiation is either from under the front seats or from vents in the centre armrest console thingy. When I have the dogs on board, the protective covering that covers the rear seats and the back of the front seats would block any of the normal ventialtion sources.
yep,
a dog in OZ would hide his face in anything other than a ute.
(there you go Foggy)