Whittley Marine Group announce OEM & Dealership partnership with the Honda Motor Company
by Alan Whittley 26 Jun 09:52 BST
Whittley Boats © Whittley Boats
Whittley Marine Group, across its manufacturing, retail, service, and repower divisions nationally, announces a new OEM and Dealership partnership with Honda Marine. The announcement is timely, as Honda is set to release new 150 and V6 250 engine models for Whittley Boat models in Australia.
Signing the agreements together at the Whittley Marine Group manufacturing facility in Melbourne was Honda Motor Co., Vice President Toshio Kuwahara and Honda Australia MPE President Yoshitaka Okamoto. Accompanied by Whittley Marine Group Managing Director Neville Whittley and Director of Sales & Marketing Alan Whittley. The new partnership brings together the world's largest engine manufacturer and Australia's largest national trailer boating Group.
The announcement is a significant milestone for both companies, with Honda Marine investing heavily in new model outboard technology and the Whittley Marine Group continuing to expand its national dealership footprint. The new partnership brings numerous benefits to consumers of Honda-powered Whittley Boat packages, as well as Honda engine service and engine repower customers, aiming to take more Australian families boating with Honda engines and Whittley Boats.
Whittley Marine Group Director of Sales & Marketing, Alan Whittley, had this to say about the new partnership. "This agreement heralds a milestone for both companies, the boating consumer and the overall customer experience and is a significant step forward for the local marine industry and the way consumers buy Whittley Boats and Honda Outboards. Whitley Company Founder Jim Whittley used to talk to me about his admiration for the innovation of the Honda four-stroke product. Moving forward, Honda Marine continues to invest in new outboard engine models and innovative, reliable products backed by the industry's only seven-year domestic marine warranty. It is an exciting time to partner with Honda Marine, with no other brand having more four-stroke experience than Honda on the water."
Building on Honda's winning motor racing history, selected Honda Marine Outboards models feature unique features these include;
BLAST: Technology that enhances low-speed acceleration, particularly when lifting required to lift a boat onto the plane. Via optimizing the air-fuel mixture and adjusting ignition timing to maximize torque during full-throttle acceleration.
V-TEC: A system developed by Honda to improve the volumetric efficiency of the engine. Resulting in higher performance at high RPM and lower fuel consumption at low RPM.
ECOmo: This is lean burn technology that improves fuel efficiency in the engine's optimum cruise speed. When in ECOmo, customers are made aware of this by a green highlight on the Honda engine gauge.
7-YEAR DOMESTIC WARRANTY: The best in the industry with a domestic seven-year warranty for ongoing reliability and support.
Mr. Whittley continued to say that. "Having experienced many engine brand features over a long period. I can say that Honda engines equipped with V-TEC and BLAST technologies provide users with power on demand that you can feel. While also balancing this with the ECOmo and Lean Burn feature, it offers one of the industry's best fuel burn figures at cruise speed. Japanese quality with a best-in-industry domestic seven-year warranty. A Honda should be on your list to power your family's boat into the future."
This year has seen a significant investment by the Whittley Marine Group, with the scheduled release of the largest and most advanced trailer boat ever produced in Australia due later this year. The company also introduced a range of Australian-made, affordable pressed alloy boat models under the Whittley AL series. The release of these new models reaffirms the company's commitment to offering both affordable and high-end boating options to the trailer boat market through the Whittley Boat brand.
The Honda Marine partnership sees not only the fitment of engines at OEM level at the Whittley Factory. It heralds the expansion of the Whittley Service Division, which can now service all Honda Outboard engines. In addition to the introduction of the Honda Outboard Repower Division within the Group, which offers engine repower options nationally across the Whittley Boating Centre's.
All new Honda-powered Whittley Boat packages have been extensively performance-tested to ensure the optimum engine height and propeller are selected, ensuring that every Whittley Boat/Honda Outboard package is turnkey and ready to go from the Whittley Factory, providing optimum performance. Both Honda Marine and Whittley Boats look forward to introducing single-engine bow thruster electric steering offerings to customers late this year, in another progression forward for both brands.
Mr. Whittley continued to say that. "After extensive review of the Honda company and the ongoing commitment to new outboard models coming, the decision was easy to offer Honda nationally. Over the next six months, consumers can expect to see over eighty new Honda engines in stock on Whittley Boat transoms and repower displays across the Whittley Boating Centre dealership network. This will significantly change the landscape of how consumers can see and purchase a Honda Outboard and the trailer boat industry."
The Whittley Marine Group operates via the Group's factory-owned dealership locations, which include; Whittley Boating Centre Sydney: Situated on the picturesque Sydney Harbour at Rozelle Bay, the Whittley Boating Centre is the largest trailer boat dealership in the heart of Sydney.
Whittley Boating Centre Newcastle: Newcastle's flagship marine dealership, Whittley Newcastle, features a large service and workshop for all marine-related services marine-related services and repower works.
Whittley Boating Centre Melbourne: Located within the Whittley Manufacturing facility, the dealership features a large display of Honda engines for repower, as well as a spacious service and new boat sales area.
Whittley Boating Centre Perth: Perth's premier trailer boat destination and the largest display of new fibreglass boats in WA, Whittley Perth offers a unique new boat buying experience.
Whittley Boating Centre Gold Coast: Inside the mega SE QLD The Boat Works facility and the heart of the local industry, Whittley Gold Coast has a growing reputation for new boat sales and service works.
Mr. Whittley finished by saying that. "The national rollout of the Honda Marine Outboard product via the Whittley Boating Centre is part of the Group's strategic long-term plan to continue to expand as the country's largest national trailer boat Group. The Whittley Marine Group team looks forward to highlighting the benefits of
Honda ownership in the marine industry, as it has never been showcased on a national scale before. In the marine environment, reliability is paramount, and no other brand commands the same level of reliability as a Honda. Honda Marine is now available Australia-wide via the Whittley Marine Group."
For more information on the new range of Honda Outboards, please phone 03 8339 1800, visit the Whittley Marine Group website, www.whittleymarinegroup.com.au or visit your closest Whittley Boating Centre in Melbourne, Perth, Sydney, Newcastle or Gold Coast. Whittley & Honda, powerful partners on the water for engine repower, service and the sale of Whittley Boat packages nationally.