Honda Discovers Boring Cars Don't Sell - Making Performance A Priority On New Models

Honda Motor Co.’s new CEO, Takahiro Hachigo, aims to reboot the ailing automaker by rekindling development of more exciting cars, steering clear of numerical targets and maximizing use of the company’s overseas production to soak up global overcapacity.

Speaking today in his first news conference since taking office last month, Hachigo also said Honda will be more open to alliances and joint ventures with rival carmakers in the pursuit of cost sharing and next-generation technologies.

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TheSteve - 7/6/2015 11:34:17 AM

+1 Boost

Boring + Performance # Sales
(For those of a younger generation, "#" can mean "does not equal to")

Lotus makes high-performance cars that sell in meagre numbers. Toyota a Hyundai sell lots of vehicles without an emphasis on performance. Clearly, cranking up the performance, in and of itself, is not the panacea for increasing sales.

dumpsty - 7/6/2015 12:38:16 PM

+1 Boost

When your luxury brand is just as "ho-hum" as your mainstream brand, you kinda have to kick it up a notch or two.

Honda is like Nissan these days...just floating around out there catching the scraps that come their way. Seemingly very safe & passive; even-though they have the tech & capability to be exciting & continue to compete.

MDarringer - 7/6/2015 1:13:52 PM

0 Boost

100% correct. Even the NSX is quite derivative and plain looking.

MDarringer - 7/6/2015 1:16:37 PM

-3 Boost

They need a complete styling rethink and Acura either needs to die or move to RWD.

A win/win could be for Honda to team with Cadillac or Genesis for RWD platform sharing, Heck if Ford and Honda collaborated on RWD architectures for their Lincoln and Acura divisions, some pretty amazing things could happen there too.

RWD is necessary for large premium products, but too expensive for every manufacturer to go it alone. Platform collaboration is a win/win.

skytop - 7/6/2015 11:11:09 PM

0 Boost

Hello Honda....it's not 1975 any longer. You must make your cars exciting and provide performance.

t_bone - 7/6/2015 11:31:28 PM

+1 Boost

I feel more body panel creases and bulging lights coming on...