NAXOS, the new route to excellence signed by Honda Marine and Zar Formenti

Excellence and innovation set sail with Naxos, the new RIB brand born from the newly formed partnership between global outboard propulsion leader Honda Marine and the historic Italian boatyard Zar Formenti.

The partnership is structured from the very early production stages. Naxos models leaving the yard with pre-rigging systems will in fact be powered by Honda Marine engines, allowing the market to be offered a true “turnkey” product, already optimized in terms of balance, performance and integration between hull and propulsion. Benchmark data will be available through the official Honda Marine performance bulletins.

The new brand is ready to debut with two models: the Naxos 19 and the Naxos 23. Both feature clean, elegant lines, exclusively penned by designer Carlos Vidal, and are aimed at owners approaching boating for the first time without giving up the high build standards that have distinguished Zar Formenti’s production for over forty years.

But the agreement goes far beyond a simple technical supply. Honda Marine and Zar Formenti in fact share a Europe-wide commercial vision. The two companies will work in synergy to develop co-marketing activities, leveraging their respective sales networks and an integrated communication strategy involving digital channels, dedicated events and a joint presence at the major international boat shows. Naxos–Honda packages will be at the core of this strategy, with the aim of strengthening brand recognition and accelerating market penetration across different regions.

Naxos: official debut at boot Düsseldorf

The new partnership was officially unveiled at boot Düsseldorf, Europe’s largest indoor boat show, which has just come to a close. Visitors to the German show had the opportunity to see the first Naxos units up close and assess the integration between Zar Formenti hulls and Honda outboard engines.

“We are proud to associate the Honda Marine name with an ambitious project like Naxos – said Francesco Pichelli, Head of Sales Europe at Honda Marine – Zar Formenti’s philosophy perfectly matches our pursuit of technical excellence. Together, we offer a package that represents the ideal synthesis of Italian design and cutting-edge engineering”.

This enthusiasm is fully shared by Piero Formenti, owner of Zar Formenti, who added: “With Naxos we want to speak to a new audience, while keeping intact the quality values that have made Zar famous worldwide. Choosing Honda as our propulsion partner was a natural decision, based on shared extremely high quality standards and on a widespread service network throughout Europe”.

A new course is therefore being charted by Naxos, aiming to redefine the concept of an accessible high-end RIB, under the banner of excellence and innovation.