Honda to launch in Canada

New personal watercraft could be available in late spring

At long last Honda has decided to offer its line of personal watercraft to Canadian consumers.

PersonalWatercraft.com saw prototype models of Honda’s PWCs at recent industry events in Toronto, so we made some inquiries with Honda Canada. But since Honda is still developing its PWC launch strategy, Honda Canada wasn’t able to discuss specifics. After making some calls to Canadian dealers, however, the picture gets a little clearer.

The dealers we talked to seem to think they will begin selling Honda PWC in late May or early June of this year. Some dealers indicated that they may only be available in very limited numbers and sold only by Honda Powerhouse dealers.

As for which vehicles will be sold, the dealers we talked to are expecting the new F-15X line. Powered by a new 16-valve 1,470cc turbocharged four-cylinder engine, the F-15X is Honda’s first completely new PWC since entering the market in 2002. Honda says the F-15X can pump out 200 horsepower, which is a big improvement over its predecessor—the F-12X—and puts it in the same league with many of the other cruisers on the market.

It is worth noting that there could be differences between models sold in the United States and models sold in Canada.

None of the dealers PersonalWatercraft.com spoke to had any specifics in terms of price, but the F-15X has an MSRP of US$13,299 in the United States. Though Honda may have a different price strategy for Canada than Sea-Doo, the 2008 Sea-Doo GTX Limited also costs US$13,299 in the United States at it retails for C$17,599 in Canada.

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2008 Honda F-15X