Aiming to boost sluggish motorbike sales in the domestic market, Honda Motor Co. announced Monday it will begin sales of a low-priced 50cc scooter made at its Chinese assembly plant.

The Today, to be released Aug. 8 for 94,800 yen, will carry the lowest price tag in its category in Japan. It is the first time a motorbike made in China will be sold on the Japanese market.

Prices of 50cc scooters, which are popular for commuting short distances or shopping, have averaged between 140,000 yen and 150,000 yen.

Honda President Hiroyuki Yoshino told a news conference that customers have been asking for a more affordable quality scooter with good features.

"This scooter is a real bargain in the Japanese market," he said.

Honda is hoping for annual sales of 100,000 units of the four-stroke Today, which comes in 10 colors.

The low cost of the Today was achieved via assembly at Sundiro Honda Motorcycle Co., a Chinese motorcycle joint venture between Honda and a local partner. The model's research and development was completed in Japan, and Honda engineers were sent to Sundiro Honda to work with their Chinese counterparts, Yoshino said.

About 56 percent of parts are procured by local Chinese suppliers, and 28 percent by Japanese operating in the Chinese market. Fourteen percent come from Japan, and the remaining 2 percent from India, Indonesia, Thailand and Taiwan.

Yoshino said the scooters could be priced even lower in the future if more parts can be procured in China.

Scooter sales peaked in Japan in 1982 at 1.64 million units and prices have gradually increased as sales have dropped. Last year, around 400,000 scooters were sold, of which 210,000 were built by Honda.