(Photo : Honda the ninth-generation Accord)

Japanese car manufacturer Honda Motor Company has unveiled the ninth-generation Accord, a 3-liter V-6 model that will only be available for the Chinese consumers, official state media reported on Sunday.

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The China-only Accord model, which was unveiled in Shanghai, elevates the industrial standard and sets a new benchmark for mid- and high-end cars, said Guangqi Honda Automobile Co President Toshiaki Mikoshiba.

The all-new Accord features new levels of fuel efficiency and fun-to-drive performance in the midsize segment, said Mikoshiba. He said the China-only model will bring delights to Chinese customers.

He added that the all-new Accord, which is exclusive for China, has integrated all the latest Honda technologies and comes with a suggested retail price from CNY206,800 ($33,800) for the 2L EX luxury model to CNY298,800 ($48,829).

Still Struggling with Sales

 The new China-only Honda Accord was launched even as the three biggest Japanese car manufacturers - Honda, Toyota Motor, and Nissan Motor - continue to struggle with sales even as they have generally recovered from the territorial dispute between China and Japan.

Honda managed to post only 4.6 per cent year on year increase last month to 54,564 units, the company's first rise since January of this year.

It also announced plans to manufacturer Acura cars in China by 2016 through a joint venture deal with the Guangzhou Automobile Group Co.

Honda didn't give out details such as production capacity or the area on where it wants to manufacture specific models, but a Beijing-based Honda spokesperson said that it is highly likely that an Acura compact SUV model will be one of those the JV will produce.

Last month, Dongfeng Honda Automobile Co, a joint venture of Honda Motor and Dongfeng Motor Corp announced the recall of more than 400,000 CR-V sport utility vehicles due to piston-rod defects.

According to the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, vehicles that Dongfeng Honda manufactured from 2 March 2010 to 30 August 2012 could have cracks in their piston rods which might pose a hazard.