in power

Two of my neighbors own Honda walk-behind lawnmowers, the gas-powered ones. Tom’s is 35 years old, a hand-me-down from his father. Greg bought his Honda mower about 8 years ago. Today, you could joke about the value of these prized possessions. Like 2×4 lumber during the pandemic. Or eggs during the Biden admin. People who own a Honda mower love their Honda mower. And dealers who have them on the floor, well, they just don’t anymore.

Honda introduced new battery-powered walk-behinds for American homeowners about a year ago. In early July, I called 10 Honda dealers – that is the group within 30 miles of my house – to see who had these new electric mowers in stock. I found two dealers, and I visited Acme Tools (Northern Tool was the other with a single mower in stock). The other eight dealers were out of inventory (it is July) or they stopped carrying Honda walk-behind mowers when the manufacturer quit selling gas-powered mowers. Why did they quit?

First, let’s look at Honda’s recent restructure announcement.

At the end of June, American Honda announced “a restructuring of its Power Sports & Products center (PS&P), aligning its Powersports, Power Equipment and Marine divisions under a unified structure to strengthen product strategy and sales capabilities, and to accelerate future development.” Honda’s powersports and marine divisions eclipsed their sales goals for 2025-’26, while the company’s power equipment division did not. The Power Products group’s unit sales were off 3%, and Honda reported that the operating profit in the “Power Products and other businesses” was down 10.6 billion yen.

The restructuring news release continued: “With this reorganization, Honda intends to continue evolving PS&P toward a self-reliant North American operation. The Marine division will focus on boat builder relationships. The Powersports division will focus on growing its core business while advancing future mobility initiatives. The Power Equipment division is continuing to expand its lineup of battery-powered lawn-and-garden products, growing generator and engine sales and strengthening its e-commerce presence.”

Under the new organization, each business division will manage its own sales, service and marketing functions, according to Honda. John Stevens will lead the new structure as Vice President of PS&P Business & Sales. A 25-year Honda veteran, Stevens most recently served as Director of PS&P Sales Operations.

Each of the three PS&P Divisions is now led by a dedicated Director of Sales, Service and Marketing, with Barry Dlugasz heading Power Equipment. He previously served as Director of the Power Equipment National Sales Division and brings more than 30 years of industry experience, including 20 years with Honda and 12 years in Honda dealerships.

In the release, Stevens said, “Building on the momentum of a successful 2025-’26 fiscal year, this evolution of our Power Sports & Products center will help us strengthen collaboration, accelerate innovation and respond quickly to customer needs. By bringing Marine back into the PS&P structure and strengthening our sales and development capabilities, we’re setting the foundation for sustained growth in North America, while remaining focused on enriching people’s lives through fun and convenience.”

In Power reached out to Honda for more comments on this possible product expansion. We will post that interview after it happens. In the meantime …

Why did Honda dealers quit selling walk-behind mowers?

First, remember that Honda ceased production of its gas-powered walk-behind mowers in 2023, long before it had battery-powered models available. Some petrol-powered inventory remained until recently, and dealers lucky enough to get those products sold them quickly. Today, Honda dealers in my area told me:

• “These new battery-powered Honda mowers are way too expensive.” (Note, Honda gas-powered mowers were generally more expensive than competitor models. But the “too expensive” label has stuck on battery-powered mowers in general, mainly due to the cost of batteries.)

• “The batteries work only in this one piece of equipment and people want more than that today from battery tools.” (Note, consider the way every manufacturer of battery-powered equipment markets their equipment portfolios. Honda said in its restructuring announcement that it plans “to expand its lineup of battery-powered lawn-and-garden products.”)

• “We just don’t sell battery stuff.” (Note, Many dealers have told me this over the last few years. I wonder how real this is, because so many dealers carry Stihl or others with battery-powered products.)

• “I am hearing rumors that Honda is going to reintroduce gas-powered mowers in 2027 and we’ll get back in then.” (Note, Honda has struggled with its electric automobile plan, but that doesn’t mean it will begin selling gas-powered walk-behind mowers in a shrinking market. Plus, with battery tech improving and costs coming down, it makes sense for manufacturers to invest in a broader line of battery-powered equipment and tools.)

How was the Fiscal Year 2026 for Honda worldwide?

Reading Honda’s 2026 financial results (for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2026), two things are clear. First, the global auto business was tough for Honda, due to tariffs, semiconductor supply challenges and its own EV struggles. Global auto sales for Honda were down nearly 9%. By the third quarter, Honda had recorded EV-related losses of 267.1 billion yen. Cancelling the launch and development of EV models it had scheduled for production in North America resulted in additional losses of 1 trillion 310.6 billion yen in the fourth quarter, the manufacturer said.

On a positive note, the global motorcycle market was a big success for Honda in FY 26. It achieved record-high sales volume and operating profit due to increased unit sales, mainly in India and Brazil, said Honda.

The Power Products business for Honda suffered a 3% drop in unit sales for the fiscal year, due to decreases in Asia and North America. With total global sales of 420 billion Yen in FY 26, the Power Products business is a small part of Honda’s overall, compared to the Automobile business of 14,167 billion Yen, and 4,000 billion Yen for the Motorcycle business.

What is the company’s outlook for Fiscal 2027?

That’s what we hope to discuss with Honda’s new PS&P group leader. In the meantime, here is a graphic outlook for 2027.

What In Power is looking for next from Honda:

• How soon can Honda dealers see an expansion of product offerings running the same batteries as the new mowers?
• How are sales of the zero-turn mowers progressing?
• What about robotic lawn mowers for homeowners? I ask because they’re visible online, and the Honda Dealer Locator points to Smitty’s in Kansas for the Miimo Robot Mower, which Smitty’s does not carry.