Honda Motor Co. hopes to recover from a slump in domestic car sales by launching redesigned models of popular vehicles, according to Honda President Takeo Fukui.

"We take it as a serious problem," Fukui, 58, who became Honda president June 24, said in an interview with The Japan Times.

"But we hope our sales will be nearing the previous year's level, as we'll introduce redesigned versions of the Odyssey minivan and the Life minicar in early fall."