jspagna1

Read the Motoring section of my local paper today as I do every Saturday morning and they had the heading of Winners and Losers for 2011.
They arranged the list exactly as the title reads. It basically stated the positives/negatives of each of the following automakers, and without going into too much detail it went like this:

#1- Chrysler
#2- Hyundai
#3- Nissan
#4- GM
#5- Ford
#6- Toyota
#7- Honda

Yes Honda was last! And these were the comments for Honda ending up where it did:
"Because of the earthquake,Honda hasn't posted a monthly sales gain since April 2011. It was especially hurt by shortages of Japanese parts for its high-volume Civic and Accord sedans,even though they have North American production. Accord sales fell 13.9%. On top of production problems,the new Civic was widely panned ny critics,and sales fell 13.5% through November."

I did NOT think Honda would end up in last place. Honda/Acura really need to step it up in 2012 or they are in deep doo doo!

sebounet2005

I'm surprised by the chrylser rank. I don't know in USA, but in Canada there is no so much love for this brand

jspagna1

Ya I was actually surprised as well? I think the new Grand Cherokee has alot to do with it as the interior is very nice. I sat in one at the NYAS and the one I sat in had the umber interior. Very nice!
I also think their pricing is very competitive!
But I still think Chrysler needs to work on its electrical gremlins that they are known for.
This was the statement about Chryslers success:
"Chrysler was the biggest winner in the 2011 sales race.Its share gain was powered by the new Chrysler 200 and Dodge Durango and the Jeep Cherokee,whose sales increased 53.6%.In fact,the entire Jeep line posted a 44.4% sales gain."

Come to think of it, I have seen alot of Jeeps in general around my area. Would it make me buy one???

FishMeetFish

I think Hyundai is eating Honda's lunch. Honda better step it up or sales will continue to tank.

Rocketsfan

Honda's next Accord better be something that can go head-to-head with Hyundai's Sonata/Kia's Optima. There are times I wonder : TL or Optima? lol. As for Acura, I'm still holding out for that 5G and hope they hit a homerun. *Hang in there 3G... just another year or two...*

pickler

some of chrysler and hyundais success in sales can be attributed to the car rental companies.

Hamma Tyme

Honda IS in deep crapola put at least they know it. Now it's the waiting game to see what they'll do in 2012 for the 2013 model year.

SeismicGuy

In my opinion the problem with Honda and Acura (ESPECIALLY Acura) is the uninspired marketing and advertising for these cars. Having just replace my wife's 2000TL with a 2012 TL Tech, I have to say this car is the most fun and responsive sedan I have ever driven. But have you ever seen any Acura ads illustrating this. Perfect example--the TV ads for BMW, Mercedes, Infiniti, Hyundai, Jaguar, and even Buick show the cars rolling along on the highway or running down the curvies or spinning out, etc. Not only have I hardly ever seen a TV spot for Acura but the one or two recent ones I can recall show the car sitting still.

The cars that Honda/Acura manufacture are among the best in class but they really need to do something about their marketing (has anyone seen the recent Genesis R-Spec spots?)

Rocketsfan

Acura's not catering to performance freaks from what I see. They show cars doing side-by-side drifts into position from what I recall. The rest of their commercials look like they're all done in caves. I've never seen any company create so damn many "dark" commercials. Then you have the athletes getting disrobed and robed.

FishMeetFish

I think one of the biggest problem with Acura is the styling besides uninspired marketing. Those of you already own a 4th gen TL obviously like the styling. But there are so many other people (myself included) that I know would not consider a TL simply because of the styling.

jspagna1

I think the Sonata & Optima are two nice looking cars. Many times I mistake the Sonata for a new 5 Series BMW.
They could probably use more HP for these cars, but all in all 274 HP is still pretty good and they are definitely competitively priced. You get alot of car for the money IMO.

PortlandRL

Actually, Hyundai's fleet sales attributed only 11% of total sales in 2011 which isn't much when you compare it to the peak of 23.7% in 2009.

F23A4

As hardcore anti-Chrysler as I've been over the years, both my wife and I were discussing how nice a job Chrysler has done with the new GC. Nice enough for us to consider it as a replacement for our 09 MDX next year.

As far as Honda goes, I'm thinking we should expect another year of general mediocrity before they come out of their stupor. The new Accord is supposed to debut soon but I don't think they'll stray too far from the current formula....especially if the current Civic is any indicator.

CLtotheTL32

iTrader: (3)

Chrysler?

Hyundai should in the top-spot. Two new 2-doors, the mid-level Genesis, and the flagship Eqqus.

Sarlacc

The strives they've been making in the last couple years...the new interiors in EVERY model...the new pentastar V6

I don't think its funny or unwarranted.

ttribe

I might have switched 1 and 2, and I'm not sure about Nissan (aside from the Leaf, I can't remember too much notable for them in 2011), but the list doesn't look too far afield.

teranfon

I wouldn't put too much faith into this list. Every one is different depending on publication, and often the "contributors" don't really know much about the industry or the cars. I've personally read things in motoring columns in newspapers that were blatantly wrong, only to read another piece in a competitor that stated something completely different. I think Honda may be a little "uninspired" at the moment, but the fact remains that they are often the car other manufacturers are continually comparing themselves to.

I will say, however, that Hyundia continues to impress me. At forty-six I grew up when Japanese cars were nothing but novelties. Cheap, rotting, but well running oddities. Then they were well designed, still well running cars that unfortunately rotted before their time. Then they became a wise purchase. Then they became a well respected car with engineering prowess. Most times Honda led the list. During the eighties, the Hyundia Ponys were terrible little disasters. The later Sonata an embarrassment. Now there a well respected brand at an attractive price. Toss in a memorable engine (in a good way) and forget about their humble beginnings and they'll be approaching greatness. In many ways they remind me of Honda all over again.

chill_dog

Sarlacc's right; you're way off on this one. Chrysler is doing a great job and making some great cars...HUGE change from just a few years ago. Hyundai is a well-deserved #2, but Chrysler definitely had a bigger 2011.

PortlandRL

And some of the models that have come out are just stop-gap models. Just wait until the all-new ones come out. I bet it'll knock your socks off.

Peters

I think Honda has losing its position in multiple segments. The Civic, the Accord, the Acura TL, the "never really gone anywhere" Acura RL. Great engines, good cars, but their success was initiated by the oil crisis of the 1970s when the little Civics were cheap and great on gas and the Accord was a novelty. In Canada, they were, by all accounts, rust buckets, and didn't perform well in the rain. Despite all of that, the Accord and Prelude were ahead of their times, and catered to a young group of buyers, who enjoyed the excellent road feel and surprisingly good performance from such small displacement engines - and those neat power sunroofs! All of that is second hand news now. Honda's are not cheap, the designs have come under criticism and there's nothing really special about them. No wonder they have dropped in the rankings. Mind you, the Accords and Civics are still good cars, it's the competition that is getting tougher.

Peters

Oops, deleted a duplicate.

Mr Marco

Hold your Accord bashing. The Accord still offers excellent quality at an affordable price. I didn't see a Hyundai in the C&D top 10, it was the Accord again...and agian. Ehum, and some of us can't afford a $70k BMW.
Yep, wife has college friend who made the switch. Honda has more than Toyota on it's Back. I'm a huge HMCo fan, but there are a ton of great cars out there. G-luck big H.

Peters

Don't get me wrong, the Accord is a good car no doubt about that.

pttl

Where did he bash the Accord? He even went out of his way to say:
Pretty clear, no? I happen to agree with Peters 100%. Hondas used to be class leaders. Now? Not so much.

Mr Marco

"All of that is second hand news now. Honda's are not cheap, the designs have come under criticism and there's nothing really special about them."

Second hand news does not a top 10 car make. And they start at $21,350, nicely equipped.

Aman

Nissan? Not to put them down, but what have they come out with this past year? A refreshed GT-R, the Leaf, and that's about it. The GT-R was Godzilla before 2011, and the Leaf doesn't seem to be selling that well.

All of the automakers on that list have plenty of vehicles on rental lots.

It will be very interesting to see what Honda does in 2012 and 2013. A new SH-AWD system, a new halo car, and many of their vehicles are due for a new generation.

Peters

Maybe its a Canadian thing. A well equipped Honda Accord Coupe is 40k. A well equipped 328xi Coupe is 51k. Factor in leasing residuals and incentives, the gap has narrowed considerably. As I said, Accords are good cars no doubt.

hANDYcaptd

iTrader: (5)

Maybe international? But I've never seen a Honda in a rental lot in the US.

Aman

I see many Fits, Civics, and Accords with rental stickers on their bumpers. In fact, I had a Civic as a loaner when my car was sideswiped.

ttribe

I hadn't either until recently...the BMW dealership ran out of loaner 3's when my car was in for service. So, they carted me over to the Avis counter where I got a shiny new...Civic. They had three rows of them just waiting for people like me.

Going from M5-->Civic was tough to deal with on the road.

Aman

My friend's dad has a 135i, and he got stuck with a Yaris once.

Hey, it's a lot better than "Sorry, we don't have any loaners right now"

Sarlacc

Yes...but each new generation is starting to see a downgrade in quality materials to achieve this.

I helped my in-laws lease their last two accords. I speak from first hand knowledge. And I borrow their car sometimes when I leave them my Prius with the infant seats in it.

I like the current Accord (more than most here) but its interior is certainly cheaper than the previous gen.

Sarlacc

They exist. They just aren't sold as fleet cars. They are bought individually by certain branches.

ttribe

Oh yeah, don't get me wrong. I appreciated the fact that the dealership rented me a car; that was cool of them. I just got a laugh out of the move from 500HP to...whatever is in a base model Civic.

pttl

Second hand news is not really bashing. It just means that the Accord hasn't done anything note worthy for years and years.

The 21K will get you a 4cyl LX? I had one as a loaner, for a day, when I had my timing belt replaced. It was competent at best. It was highly uncomfortable to sit in for more than 30 minuets at a time.

And yes....the designs have come under criticism. Have they not? Not only from the general public but from the automotive press as well.

I just don't see this as bashing...just observations of what has been going on.

Mr Marco

Um,... move on.