Honda launches dog website

Honda has spotted an unlikely niche in the car market - dogs.

In a bid to win over customers, the Japanese car manufacturer has created a new website called Honda Dog that offers information on dog-friendly cafes, hotels, and dimensions for its cars' cargo space for storing dog cages.

Visitors to the new Japanese-language site can also find about which Honda cars fare better for ease of removing dog hair, learn about events where they can test drive a Honda in the company of their poodle and even view a race where owners and their dogs race each other.

Teruhiro Murai, an internet marketeer at Honda came up with the idea several years ago to fulfill his own canine transport needs. Murai owns a golden retriever and miniature dachshund.

He said: "There's definitely a need there that wasn't being met."

Although it may sound like a barking mad idea, Japan now has more dogs and cats than children under 15 due to a declining birth rate and a recent pet boom.

Honda came up with the W.O.W. concept car at the 2005 Tokyo Motor Show designed especially for dogs: detachable, easy-to-clean seats, wooden floors and a netted, built-in pup-crate in the dashboard.

According to Honda, the canine-friendly website gets 1.5 million page views a month and some of these visits are translating into sales of W.O.W. cars.

A similar site in the US, Dogcars.com, advises owners on the most suitable cars for pets and provides reviews and 'paw' ratings for vehicles.

www.honda.co.jp/dog
www.dogcars.com