Has Honda lost its footing?

[hoffmeister_fan]

Opinion: Has Honda lost its footing? — Autoblog


Very much so, it has. It seemed Honda used to offer cars that were developed from an engineer's standpoint rather than a bean-counter's. As of late, it feels otherwise. Besides the TSX, Accord Coupe and the TL, Honda Motor doesn't offer anything remotely attractive, sporty and/or fun to drive. I'm in the opinion that the CR-Z is not terribly sporty. Compared to its rivals, the Accord used to provide the best compromise of ride quality and handling with near bulletproof relaibility in the mid-size family segment. Although the design was always vanilla, it leaned more to the side of attractive or slightly quirky. Now the Accord is even more appliance-like. And what happened to all the sporty cars? Where's a proper successor to the NSX, or for that matter, the S2000? I can understand why a NSX is a bit of a gamble, but a new-gen S2000 ought to be doable at a reasonable pricepoint.

I used to really respect Honda, but now they are becoming Toyota-lite.

 

[Monster]

Judging by the lack of response in this thread, it is a definite yes, over the past decade, car enthusiasts has been gradually losing interest with Honda because their range of products have become very safe, very predictable, and boring. Technical developments in hybrid systems has done very little to get our attention and the long promised hybrid sports car turns out to be a rather tame and slightly odd looking CR-X. The new NSX was killed off at the 11th hour, they abandon their F1 team in the same fashion and it backfired massively on them (some might say Brawn won't be as dominant if they kept the Honda engine).

Besides their involvement in the Japanese touring car championship, I can't think of their involvement in any other form of car racing. Their current range of cars are as dull as Toyota, and they aren't all that efficient either. I don't know what Honda is anymore, I think they have been replaced by Mazda now.

 

[OBR]

maybe the new 1.6 turbo for the cr-z will help..

Honda CR-Z Turbo gets fast tracked - report

 

[Giannis]

I don't know what Honda is anymore, I think they have been replaced by Mazda now.

This is very very true, in my opinion!

Honda now has a line-up with cars with a different character. Honda doesn't have any core values or design cues that make their cars instantly recognizable. It's seems like they are trying to mimic some other brands, all at the same time.

I don't know what Honda offers in the US, Australia or Asia, but certainly it's lacking in Europe. The Euro Accord is left behind by pricing and competition, the Fit/Jazz is just not good enough, the Civic is strange. Only the CR-V sells decent.

Honda used to be a lot of things in the past... It was seen as sporty and reliable. The small V-TEC engines in the Civic were nothing short of amazing. The 5d Civic was a great affordable family sedan. The first gen CR-V sold like hot cakes.

Now, I struggle to find what Honda stands for...

 

[ZicZachZo]

What seems to have happened with Honda is they were caught off guard by the Koreans and the Domestic manufacturers ability to turn their image around so quickly. Ford for example has completely turned their image and product around in such a short time. No they aren't out-selling Honda but who knows how long that will last. Same situation with the Koreans. Hyundai and to a lesser extent Kia are basically on top of their game as far as offering good looking reliable and price conscious products. Who really would want to buy a fugly Accord when you can buy a stunning Sonata? Sounds silly to base it entirely off looks alone but honestly, the Accord looks like a pile of poo next to the Sonata.

The insight and the CR-Z have been major disappointments and for an obvious reason: people just won't buy a Honda because it's a Honda anymore. They need to seriously rethink their hybrid philosophy. Hybrid only cars just don't sell and aren't appealing to the majority of people. They should have had a real Prius fighter right out the gate but they seriously missed the mark. The CR-Z is a great idea but when it looks that cool one expects it to go cool too and it just doesn't. I'd say they're relatively safe with the Civic but that segment is flush with new competition that beat the Civic in terms of fuel economy, interior room and looks.

Their insistence on keeping to the Ridgeline basically cements its place as the odd duck in the super competitive truck market. The only thing they really have that competes well is the Fit and the CR-V. The rest of the cars have competition that easily outpace their offerings on multiple fronts. I'm not sure if they are losing market share and it is a bit hasty to claim they are doomed but they better rethink some things fast or they will likely see their market share decrease.

 

[hoffmeister_fan]

maybe the new 1.6 turbo for the cr-z will help..

Honda CR-Z Turbo gets fast tracked - report

Admittedly it's a step in the right direction, but let's see if it actually does materilaize and if it does possess the right handling characteristics.

After thinking it over, I think I can pinpoint where exactly Honda whent wrong....when the previous generation was introduced in 2001, its front suspension changed from a double-wishbone to a MacPherson strut. That's when Honda started to lose the plot IMO.

 

[NarutoRamen]

As a long time Honda fan, and from a Honda family...Yes. I could probably write a LONG article on ALL the things Honda is doing wrong. But mainly I'll say that they forgot who the F__k they are.