Honda wants its new Accord to deliver a ‘no hassle’ experience for both customers and dealers.

Rather than bring Honda retailers in to the Honda Academy for product training, the carmaker is going out into the network ahead of Accord’s June launch.

Bernard Bradley, general manager cars, said Honda has worked closely with its dealer council to ensure the best value is gained from the product course.

“We’re going to take the training to the dealers, with several teams going around the country and providing training on-site. It minimises the time that the dealer’s staff are out of the business, and we’ve found it creates more excitement and more buy-in about new product this way,” he added.

Accord has been benchmarked against the BMW 3 Series and Audi A4. Bradley said it will be a premium product at a premium price, and he needs Honda dealers to provide a premium ownership experience to match.

He described Accord as a “great opportunity in terms of customer retention”.

Although it will be priced higher than previous models, Accord should attract more Honda dealers’ customers. Bradley said there is a loyal following which will be impressed by the car.

Accord’s main market will be the business and fleet sectors. Honda will work with dealers on their business-to-business programmes in order to generate leads and secure sales to their local companies and fleets.