Honda's rise and fall, or, how our favorite carmaker went from making the S2000 to making the Crosstour
Posted by:
John Shen
(three Hondas we love)
We really like Honda, we really want to like Honda. They've made some of (all of our) favorite cars in history, like the CRX Si, the Prelude, Harvey's new Integra, the Civic Si, the last gen TL. We love how it's an engineering run company. (How could you not love a company that trumps the nerdy acronym "VTEC" as one of their core technologies?). We love the fact that they're born from a pedigree of motorcycle racing and have carried over that DNA into all of their products.
However, recently, we can't help but notice their recent fall from grace. with a string of terrible products (for example, the transformation of the TL from one of the best to one of the worst looking cars on the road, the release of the crosstour as the wagon no one wanted or wants to look at, the CRZ and it's terrible compromise between not sporty and not efficient).These are what I think the problems are with Honda:
1) They've gotten too focus grouped. More and more, their cars feel like compromises. A Camry is terrible because every single aspect of the car feels like it's been designed by committee. The Accord is becoming frighteningly similar.
2) Some of their cars are just really questionable. Case in point: the ZDX, it's like an MDX, but less useful. Honda, just because BMW has problems with making cars that no one wants doesn't mean you need to follow their lead.
3) What is their core values as a company? We don't really know: Is it having a good mild hybrid system? No: Toyota has gotten that crown. Is it having VTEC? No, fewer and fewer cars have that now. Is it having the sportiest lineup of vehicles you can buy with an ordinary budget? No, Honda lost that when the S2000 died and the CRZ gained a hybrid drive. Besides, Mazda's got that cornered and marketed. Is it value? No, Hyundai has got that cornered tightly. On the other hand, the competitors have pretty clearly demarcated niches: Toyota/Lexus with reliability, Mazda/Infiniti with sportiness, Buick/Lexus with softness. What exactly, then, is a Honda/Acura suppose to be?
People don't buy cars on the premise that they look ridiculous, and the company may have a reputation for reliability alone. You don't want to be the alternative to the Camry because, honestly, most people will just buy the Camry.
4) They play too much "me too". Case in point. the Insight. Let's not forget Honda started the whole Hybrid movement with the brilliant first gen insight. It wasn't much, but it was revolutionary. However, the new Insight looks just like a clone of the Prius. Maybe they thought that was the recognizable shape for a hybrid these days, maybe it really is the only good aerodynamic solution (I doubt this in my professional capability as an engineer). Regardless of the reason they look similar, people think of the Insight as "Honda's Prius", despite the fact that Honda pioneered the technology. Not good.
5) Polarizing design: How could I let up on bashing the hideousness of Acura's (and Honda's) recent design philosophy. Sure, it's bold, it's edgy, but it's damn ugly. Daring design doesn't have to be digesting. See Bangle of BMW for example. Even though people hated his designs initially, within a few years everyone warmed up to them. No one has warmed up to the Acura eagle-beak yet. Mazda replaced the facade on their entire lineup with their new and questionable looking smiley face motif. It makes a few cars look terrible (see: 2011 Mazda 5) but at least it's consistent. Above all, unlike the Acura/Honda facelifts of late, the Mazda ones don't look rushed and cheap.
So, what's Honda to do? Growing a pair of balls would be nice. There's no reason to neuter your only dedicated "sports car" with a hybrid as they've done with the CRZ. You may claim that it's the technology of the future. You may claim that all sports cars are going to look like this. But you know it's not true. (just take one look at the Tesla Roadster and tell me that I'm wrong about hybrid sports cars). It's not a good idea. By trying to placate both the sports car market and the hybrid market, they've made a car that's not that great at either.
This is Honda's problem as a company these days. By trying to be all things to all people. They really are resigning themselves to a future of being a perennial also-ran.
I really hope I'm wrong
(three Hondas we hate)
Photos copyright Middle Class Motoring
Nicholas Hsu 
John Shen 
Harvey Xiao 
Middleclassmotoring 
Sicheng Su 