I've been a big Honda fan for years since the seen blew up in the early 90's. Great cars, really reliable, but when we grow older and want something with more substance... Honda doesn't have anything in their line up to keep the customer coming back.
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But when those same young enthusiast grow up, make more money, and want something more...
Point is, if HOnda/ Acura doesn't have any enthusiast cars that their customer base can grow into... They will loose more enthusiast and the passive marketing that made Honda so popular in the past.
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As one of Honda's biggest fans in the past, I agree whole-heartedly with your theme. That is spot-on.
And I mean no disrespect for Grambles, because I know what it's like to watch a beautiful and innovative idea die at the hand of some idiot with a golden parachute, but the whole product line is so incredibly derivative, it breaks my heart.
I mean, I'm now driving, and loving, a
VW, for Christ's sake. When was the last time you met a die-hard Chevy fan who jumped ship into a Ford, or vice-versa?
Make no mistake: the principle reason I'm in my machine is because Honda doesn't make Hondas anymore. Helps that the GTI is an incredible and perfect car, but I gotta be honest.
Point taken regarding the 'enthusiast' track. 15 years ago, Honda had the Integra. Back then, a kid could suffer with a 2nd-hand Civic DX stripper sans power steering, drive it through college. When they graduated and got a 'real' job, take their second paycheck to the dealership and put a down payment on an Integra.
Bam, they've made it.
There were even higher-end Acuras they could grow into; or if they wanted to grow a family, there were Honda cars that they could grow into.
Where is the Integra carrot now? The Crosstour? The H-folks have taken their base cars and swelled them, instead. I know the new Civic has shrunk a tad, but every generation prior to it had ballooned uncontrollably.
Park a Gen-1 Civic next to a '70s vintage Cadillac Coupe. Then park a Gen-8 Civic next to a Cadillac CTS. See a difference in the
difference?
Innovation and growth is fine and all, but keep your work-horse products stable in the eyes of the consumer. If folks want to trade in their 10-year old Civic, and now have a new family and want/need something bigger, you don't make the Civic an Accord, show them a new Accord.
Compare the trim in the new Civic; while controversial in some eyes, it is still quite respectable. If a consumer wants to trade in their 10-year old Civic hatch, and wants to keep it small, you gotta ask, does the Fit interior work for people who work for a living? Why can't the soft plastics and decent interior be applied to a Fit?
A disproportionate number in my circle all drove Civics 10 years ago; almost all of them wanted a small Honda when their workhorse finally died. Most test-drove a Fit. Of the 10 people I knew who had Civics/Integras in the late nineties, now: two drive Mazda 3s, three (including myself and the guy who intro-ed me) drive GTIs, one drives a Mini, one an Audi, one a Lexus, and two drive Matrices. Small sample size, but notice anything missing?
The only person in my life who now drives a Civic is my mom, and that's because she wanted an Accord 5 years ago and realized the Accord was a freakin' Civic now.
And then there is the Japanese styling cues. People who drive menacingly-aggressive FWD cars just look like dicks. Full stop. I shouldn't start down that path...