SSFTSX

I was wrong about honda brand name.
and nobody could forsee the cash for clunker type deals around the world.

neuronbob

Damn, time to buy some Honda stock.

**surfs to broker service to buy some stock**

SSFTSX

http://www.dispatch.com/live/content...s.html?sid=101
Leader laments Honda's lack of progress
Company didn’t grow after Toyota’s trouble, says president, CEO
Tuesday, April 27, 2010 2:53 AM
By Dan Gearino

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

Takanobu Ito wants better product performance.

Honda's top executive thinks his company has grown complacent, coasting on the success of the Accord, Civic and CR-V and not doing enough to exploit demand for gas-electric hybrids.

Takanobu Ito made the comments to Automotive News, a trade magazine, in an article published yesterday.

"The biggest problem is, we're not selling the value of our products. We have to improve the performance of our products as well," he said.

He lamented that Honda's U.S. market share has fallen, from 10.5percent in the first quarter last year to 10.1 percent this year, despite the opportunities presented by Toyota's safety recalls.

Honda, which has a major manufacturing presence in Ohio, has undergone a management overhaul in the past year, with Ito ascending to the top job in Tokyo and Hidenobu Iwata coming from Japan to become the top executive for U.S. manufacturing, based in Marysville.

Ito's message might be aimed at Honda's own employees, said Michelle Krebs, a senior auto analyst for Edmunds.com, a website for car buyers.

"There are some problems at Honda; whether it's complacency or not, I'm not sure," she said. "It seems to be confusion and indirection."

After Toyota's recall crisis erupted in January, analysts predicted that Honda would be one of the main beneficiaries, and some of the early results indicated that Honda was helped.

Over several months, though, Honda has not maintained its edge, while Toyota has used heavy discounts to win back market share.

Ito also is disappointed in sales of the Insight, a gas-electric hybrid that hasn't come close to challenging Toyota's Prius. He hopes that the next-generation Insight will beat the Prius in fuel economy and begin to make up the difference in sales.

"They should have owned that spot," said Krebs, about hybrid sales. "But something got lost along the way."

The competition is expected to get more intense , as several companies are preparing to release cars that will compete directly with the Civic, including the new Chevrolet Cruze and a redesigned Ford Focus.

dom

Why is he upset about the Insight? I was told by AZ peeps that its doing just fine and that Honda is purposely holding NA sales back because its a runaway success in Japan. Obviously he has no clue what he's talking about.

biker

+1^

Ito still doesn't get it - the Insight's sales woes are not due to it not having better mileage that the Prius.

dom

Agreed. There are many things wrong with the Insight. From Mileage to styling for starters.

Moog-Type-S

The Insight is a cheap knock-off compared to the Prius.
It's poor on EVERY level when compared to the Prius.

If Honda wants to compete with the Prius, they have to build a superior product, not an inferior one.

You would think this would be common business knowledge.

iforyou

iTrader: (1)

I seriously doubt that the Insight will come anywhere close to Prius in terms of sales....when people think about hybrids, most of them can quickly associate that with Prius. Insight? Nah.....

Sly Raskal

iTrader: (1)

I haven't looked at any recent stats, but does this condition now apply?

smarty666

If only Acura spent as much time and money that they do on their interior quality/navigation systems and did the same thing with their exterior designs, platforms, and performance innovations they be all set.

And for the love of God almighty, can they please do something with the shield grill. I'm sick of that damn thing just staring at you saying, "hey I want to plow your driveway the first snowfall you get!"

Now Audi front-ends with the white LED DRLs, I could stare at that all day long!

fsttyms1

Only way that will happen is when they design something that isnt a cheap knockoff and get rid of the stupid IMA hybrid system they have design something equally as good or better than the Toyota system.

biker

March sales figures:

Acura 11,722 for the month, 27,793 for the year
Infiniti 9,942 for the month, 23,694 for the year

Sly Raskal

iTrader: (1)

I'm guessing the TL is their best seller with the TSX following close behind?

I think the only reason why Acura is ahead of Infiniti is because of pricing.

From Acura's perspective, they probably see those numbers and say to themselves that as long as they can sell more vehicles than the other guy, what's the problem.

biker

No way - they look at it from a profit perspective - how many vehicles at what price do they need to sell to make a profit. I think the only time they deviated frmo that was with the NSX which was a money pit to drive the image.

iforyou

iTrader: (1)

I don't think it's the pricing as their prices are quite similar (other than the TL, which is in general more expensive than the G37). The EX is priced similarly to the RDX, M37 is similar to RL, FX is similar to MDX.

But Infiniti does not have a car like the TSX. And Infiniti doesn't sell as many SUV's/CUV's as Acura (Heck, the MDX is Acura's best selling model so far this year). So even though Infiniti has one more model than Acura, it's still being outsold by Acura.

biker

Until the G25 launches later this year.

iforyou

iTrader: (1)

It will be interesting

dannyrondeau22

What does everyone think of the new grill on the MDX??

phile

It works, but I actually liked the shield before the refresh.

The plenum grille looks like it works better on SUVS than it does on sedans.

But I do not like the additional air dams they placed into the lower portion of the bumper. it's too much

MyCarIsntInMyWifesName

Horrible, unless they don't use CVTs in them and can start cutting the weight of hybrid systems.

TSX69

Acura Will Push for Luxury Credentials w/out v8 or RWD

The dreams of getting a V-8 engine, rear-wheel-drive platforms and a sports car to replace the NSX have died for Acura dealers. Now the question is whether Acura can follow Audi's lead and elevate its brand from premium to luxury with front- and all-wheel-drive platforms.

Meanwhile, Acura may return to 2 segments that it had abandoned by adding a compact car and a coupe.

Compact car: An Acura compact would be based on the next-generation Honda Civic, which means a spring 2012 launch as a 2013 model at the soonest. Acura left the compact segment at the end of the 2006 model year when it dropped the RSX. Acura doesn't want merely to homologate the Canadian market CSX, which is a badge-engineered Civic.

TSX: A wagon variant comes this fall, based on the European market Honda Accord wagon. The wagon will be available with fwd only and a 4-cylinder engine. The sedan version of the TSX offers awd and a V-6 option.

TL: The mid-sized sedan is due for a redesign for the 2014 model year. At that time, Honda's large-platform hybrid system should be ready. Expect a freshening for the 2012 model year.

Coupe: Although the CL coupe was dropped several years ago, Acura is considering re-entering the segment on the TSX platform, shared with the European Accord. But there are no plans now.

RL: The rwd V-8 sedan that had been expected won't happen, the result of recession-driven cost-cutting. Honda Motor Co. has said the RL is not going to be redesigned, but U.S. executives insist that there will be another edition.

The RL is based on an outdated, stand-alone platform that may be re-engineered for the 2013 model year to make it last a couple of years more while the brand figures out what to do next. The RL also would be restyled at that time. The solution may be to stretch the next TL platform. So much for a flagship.

RDX: A redesign is slated for the 2012 model year.

ZDX: No significant changes are planned.

MDX: The redesign was planned for the 2012 model year, but that may be pushed back a year, when Honda's large-platform hybrid powertrain will be ready. The MDX currently comes only with a 3.7-liter V-6 engine, which may raise concerns about fuel economy.

lightjak_tsx

LuvMyTSX

Since when? LOL

Xpditor

Yumcha

No V8, no RWD...? Still...!??

knavinusa

krio

Great news about nothing.

biker

x2

mrdeeno

Anxiously expecting the next SH-AWD TSX that can outhandle an M3!! My quarters are being saved up as we speak!

Shift_Acura

Why not just have a TSX coupe or even a TL coupe? Like the 3 series/G coupes instead of reintroducing the CL or RSX

alex2364

In other words, nothing to look at here.

vybzkartel

Was expecting some NEW 'new', when I came in here!

Son, I'm disappointed!

pttl

bye Acura

BigLizard

:ghey:

docboy

Really??

If true, a V-6 TSX w/SH-AWD would be a nice B8 A4 fighter. But that would mean the TSX would be approaching $40k!

phile

I don't particularly find anything wrong with an Acura Civic per se. But it shouldn't be something like the Canadian CSX.

the minimum luxury touches it should have: HIDS, LED rear lights, premium stereo, exclusive exterior colors, high quality interior (none of that faux metal door release - must be chrome plated, or real aluminum if they're going for sporty), etc. And that is where the RSX failed, and the CSX doesn't accomplish at all.

alphason'sac

Why am I not surprised at this bitch ass move? From Tier One, back to Rebadged Civics? You know that it will not be anything like a rebirth of the Integra. Hell, it might end up with that wack-ass Hybrid power train from the CR-Z. They should just kill this brand. There is really nothing that it offers that the market would miss. They have no class leading product. It is too hard to watch this continue. -Mini Rant-Over.

Sly Raskal

iTrader: (1)

fsttyms1

Seriously, What the hell is wrong with the idiots running this company. You have a car that cant sell, needs to be redesigned yet you cant figure out what to do? How about doing what every other manufacturer is doing and redesigning their automobiles and giving the public new cars from time to time.

Another Shitastic report about absolutely nothing with more speak of maybe but probably not from Honda. Honda, the Power of Dreams is right. All we can do is Dream about what we would really like.

krio

I have a few points for Acura (sorry for my awful English, guys)
1) Why launching the TSX Wagon after 3 years, with 5AT and 2.4l engine,
when it would be great get it with AWD, 6AT and 280hp?
Or don't get it at all, even better.
The OFFICIAL ANSWER by Acura is: we don't want cars for SMALL NUMBERS!!
Yes, 'cause the RL is selling like hot cakes 5 years in a row, and the stupid and useless ZDX too...
2) ALL the German brands don't fear putting the same engine in their range: BMW 3, 5, 7... Audi A4, A5, A6 and so on get the same top engines.
Why the RL got 300hp, the TL 305 and the TSX only 280hp??
Put in the TSX the AWD system and 300hp and it WILL sell.
Small numbers? Bullshit.
3) The 6MT in the TL went AFTER one year of production: why?
4) They spoke about diesel and now about hybrid.
And it takes sooooo LONG changing things in this brand that we can get old before seeing something new. 2012, 2013... The new MDX delayed, the new RL nobody knows...
5) Even Hyundai, Peugeot, Renault and Russian Lada have a coupe' in their range.
RECESSION!!, they say.
It's not the right time for a coupè.
Yes, for that reason Audi, BMW, Merc are launching new coupe' 2 or 4 doors every 2-3 months: CL, CLS, SLS, SLK, A5, A7, R4...
Acura needs a coupè more than anything else.