Autoextremist.com Comments on Honda

[Greg B.]

From their display at the Detroit Auto Show, Mr. DeLorenzo takes this:

It used to be a pretty cool car company, but then things got weird, Part I.
Speaking of Honda, they finally took the wraps off their production CR-Z Hybrid sports coupe to the sound of one hand clapping. Although quite interesting from the middle of the roof back, it was as if the Honda designers put the front end through a vanilla neutralizer to meet crash standards and utterly destroyed the face of the original concept - which was pretty damn good by the way - to the point that the thing was unrecognizable. I’ve got one simple question for Honda: Why? Or better yet, WTF? Then you stroll around the Honda and Acura stands and see the absolute horror show of egregious design miscues, missteps and flat-out mistakes (Crosstour, ZDX), there’s no need to ask “why?” anymore. The people involved need to be run out of town on a rail and then Honda needs to start over. It’s that simple. Memo to Honda: Shiny Happy Smiley efficiency isn’t nearly enough. You better get your together, or it’s going to be Toyota, Ford, Hyundai and VW leading the charge over the next decade, and you’re going to end up being an also-ran, and an after thought.

http://www.autoextremist.com/


Seems like a pretty accurate summation to me.

[gta_driver]

I agree.

I saw my first Accord Crosstour out on the road during the Christmas holidays. The thing is hideous, it looks like a sterilized jacked up Chrysler Crossfire with two more doors.

What are they thinking?

Maybe they're designing for fat Americans.

[dougjp]

Totally agree, that is the best summary yet. I've owned 5 Hondas/Acuras in the past, and now I see no reason to even visit a dealership, even to look. Its a Company imploding on itself and doesn't seem to know where its going. I love that phrase " Shiny Happy Smiley efficiency isn’t nearly enough ".

[stodge]

The new Accord is quite ugly; the old one wasn't exactly eye catching but it was inoffensive. Something you can't say about the Accord now!

[Juke1]

Combine the barf inducing design with the arrogance you will find in their showrooms and you want to....

[Careener]

The arrogance is not  new. They already had it back in 1991. It's too bad as Honda used to be one of my favourite manufacturers. now they've got nothing that interests me design-wise.. except for motorcycles.

[Juke1]

The arrogance is not  new. They already had it back in 1991. It's too bad as Honda used to be one of my favourite manufacturers. now they've got nothing that interests me design-wise.. except for motorcycles.

I do like my Honda HS724 snowblower   and I hear they make a decent lawnmower, they haven't butchered those 2 yet.

[TopGun]

....
It's too bad as Honda used to be one of my favourite manufacturers. now they've got nothing that interests me design-wise.. except for motorcycles.

I'm with ya...there's nothing better than Honda's from the late '80s  or so...fantastically light feeling...great shifters.

[Wolverine]

Harsh words, but it's true.

[Careener]

....
It's too bad as Honda used to be one of my favourite manufacturers. now they've got nothing that interests me design-wise.. except for motorcycles.

I'm with ya...there's nothing better than Honda's from the late '80s  or so...fantastically light feeling...great shifters.

I had an 89 Accord SEI. I loved that car 'til the day it was so rusty it had to be recycled.

[Mitlov]

Right on.

Just as Ford and Hyundai have been the surprise success stories of the past five years, Honda has been the surprise failure story.  I've suspected things were going wrong inside Honda for a couple of years now, but the CR-Z is the smoking gun.

PS--This is the company that, in recent years, axed the next-gen NSX but is still working on a powered unicycle for non-handicapped people.