Honda UK head of car Rebecca Stead has told AM that the Japanese brand’s retail network restructure “delivered everything we said it would”.

But, speaking at the launch of Honda’s new Civic e:HEV hybrid hatchback set to arrive in the UK later this year, Stead also conceded that a future shift to an agency-style retail model was not “completely off the table” as the brand prepared for a new model offensive in 2023.

Stead revealed that the  realisation of a 2019 plan to cut its network from 155 to “around about 100-to-125 with 200 retail sales” had made franchisees more profitable.

On a rolling 12-month basis, Honda UK’s average retailer delivered a 3.6% return on sales, she said, with year-to-date figures showing an even stronger result.

“The results have been really positive,” she said. “The changes delivered everything we said they would and that’s obviously really good news for us and the network.”