A TOV forumer wrote this little titbit in our forums about the Acura that Robert Downey Jr drove to the shooting set of the Avenger's movie.
According to my info it will be front engined again. Or, better explained, it will be (a) modified version of (the) original HSV, with (a) hybrid powertrain. (There's also a) rumored MR car based on (a) reversed FF platform (that will) hopefully (be) coming, (something) like a smaller (i.e.) Boxster sized "affordable" Honda, a while later.
While I won't reveal his nick, what I can say is that he do have some contacts with 'certain' members inside Honda, So here's to hoping his info comes true !
Three new Honda mini-car models by 2012
According to reuters who quoted Japan's Nikkei, Honda is planning to launch three new mini-car models within the short future. One model will debut at the end of this year in December with another two due in 2012. Minicars or 'Kei-cars' in Japan are those with engines up to 660cc and they get special exemptions making them very popular in Japan. They are also very popular in many other countries in Asia. The new model for December is claimed to sport a 660cc engine and delivers up to 25km/l fuel economy. It is claimed that Honda plans for Kei-car sales to increase to 43% of their total annual sales, up from the current 24%.
For more details and the whole report, the link to go to is http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/09/05/honda-idUSL3E7K501Q20110905
TOVA's view: there have been many extremely intriguing Kei-cars from Honda in the past but almost all limited for JDM sales only. Models like the Honda Z Turbo which sports a 60ps 660cc turbo-charged engine on a 4WD platform and the current Honda Life Turbo are just the right models to bring back a much needed spark of life to Honda. In the Honda Malaysia marketing office car-park in PJ, there used to be a Honda Life parked there long term. I personally saw and touched the car though my friends then was unable to let me test drive it because it wasn't registered. The car was brought in as part of a study to launch the Life for sale in Malaysia. Eventually it seems government regulations was one of the main reason why the plan was cancelled. It is no coincidence that none of the big japanese makers have a kei-car to challenge the Perodua MyVi and Proton Savvy at the moment. Hopefully things will change soon and perhaps the Honda Brio might be the first Honda Kei-car to be launched here in Malaysia. It needs to show up in Thailand first of all though.
For more details and the whole report, the link to go to is http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/09/05/honda-idUSL3E7K501Q20110905
TOVA's view: there have been many extremely intriguing Kei-cars from Honda in the past but almost all limited for JDM sales only. Models like the Honda Z Turbo which sports a 60ps 660cc turbo-charged engine on a 4WD platform and the current Honda Life Turbo are just the right models to bring back a much needed spark of life to Honda. In the Honda Malaysia marketing office car-park in PJ, there used to be a Honda Life parked there long term. I personally saw and touched the car though my friends then was unable to let me test drive it because it wasn't registered. The car was brought in as part of a study to launch the Life for sale in Malaysia. Eventually it seems government regulations was one of the main reason why the plan was cancelled. It is no coincidence that none of the big japanese makers have a kei-car to challenge the Perodua MyVi and Proton Savvy at the moment. Hopefully things will change soon and perhaps the Honda Brio might be the first Honda Kei-car to be launched here in Malaysia. It needs to show up in Thailand first of all though.
Acura (Honda) puts a concept car in the Avengers movie
New Acura supercar to debut soon ?
Find out by reading the rest of this post, after the jump...
The biggest talk around town, Honda enthusiast town that is, is the emergence of an unusual Acura sports-car in the shooting set of the forthcoming Avengers movie. 'Tony Stark' (i.e. Robert Downey Jr) arrived at the set in what seems to be a brand new, as yet unseen & unheard of super-car bearing the Acura nameplate. Thus there are now talks about how Tony Stark will swap his Audi R8 for an Acura supercar in the Avengers movie. Naturally too, the appearance of this car has sparked wild speculation about whether it is actually a brand new supercar that Acura will be launching for sale very soon. For us in Asia however, do bear in mind that in this case, Acura means for the U.S. market only.
However it seems the car is just a concept after all. The superherohype website carried a clarification from Acura (of U.S.A.) spokesman Gary Robinson who was quoted as saying:
As you may know, Acura has been in the Marvel Comics Universe films as the official car of their fictional law enforcement agency called S.H.I.E.L.D. That relationship continues for The Avengers.
The open-top sports car that was photographed yesterday is a one-off, fictional car that was made just for the movie and will not be produced.
That said, as you may also know, our CEO has said publicly that we are studying the development of a new sportscar, but we can't say any more about it at this time.
So a new Honda or Acura sportscar will definitely come but apparently, according to Acura of the U.S.A., this one is not it. Nevertheless, with the recent developments, the appearance of this concept car is still a very welcome excitement to Honda fans.
The superherohype website is at http://www.superherohype.com/
Japanese Car Scoop magazine and website claims new HRV is coming
Website autoten just published a report saying that Honda plans to revive the HR-V as a sub-compact sized UV (Utility Vehicle) slotting in below the CR-V. The photo above is taken from the autoten website and it seems is scanned from the latest issue of the japanese car-scoop magazine Mag-X. More details at the autoten website at this link : http://autoten.com/2011/05/31/honda-to-revive-hr-v-in-2014to-be-upsize-and-slot-below-cr-v/
TOVA's view. From past experience, Mag-X can be quite accurate with their scoop news. I remember back in the early 2000s just before the Honda City was launched in ASEAN. At that time, no-one outside Honda knew what will be launched, just that it is a new model specially designed for ASEAN. A friend from Honda (now in another company) hinted to me to buy the latest issue of Mag-X because he just saw their artist's rendition and it was very accurate. And it was indeed true. Mag-X was also accurate with the 8Gen Civic before it was launched worldwide. Therefore to me this report is a worthwhile read to Honda fans.
'Product Updates' for certain years of Civic, City and Jazz
Honda Malaysia has announced a product update (what used to be called 'recall') for certain years of Civic, City and Jazz. The Civic update involves the power steering, a common complaint amongst Civic owners. The City/Jazz update concerns the power window switch which can short-circuit when exposed to rain. This trivial power window switch issue was played up to a huge hooh-hah by some media in Europe last year. Read the Honda press release after the jump. Other countries in Asia should get similar update notices soon.
Honda Malaysia announces Product Update Campaign for 3 Models
Petaling Jaya, 5 September 2011 – Honda Malaysia Sdn. Bhd. (Honda Malaysia or “the Company”) today informed owners of Civic 2006 year-model (YM) - 2008YM, City 2006YM-2007YM and Jazz 2005YM-2007YM of a product update campaign. The campaign aims to implement preventive measures against undesired technical issues in the affected units.
“Honda Malaysia would like to apologize to all customers for the inconvenience caused. The campaign aims to implement a few preventive measures against technical failure. This is an early call for inspection and replacement, of which we believe could sustain the best product performance for customers in spite of the technical irregularities,” said Yoichiro Ueno, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Honda Malaysia.
For Civic 2006YM-2008YM, it is reported that affected units experienced oil leakage from the power steering feed hose, caused by deterioration from running in hot and humid weather. Though the affected units may not cause serious safety issues, the possibility of a technical breakdown might show in the future. Honda Malaysia will change the rubber material for the power steering feed hose to improve its heat resistance. The campaign expects to involve 16,537 units of Civic 2006YM-2008YM.
City 2006YM-2007YM and Jazz 2005YM-2007YM are prone to possible failure of its power window master switch, which under certain conditions, could cause a minor short-circuit resulting in a burnt smell. Honda Malaysia will change all the affected units with a counter measure power window switch. The product update campaign will involve 20,949 units of City 2006YM-2007YM and 2,970 units of Jazz 2005YM-2007YM.
Honda Malaysia would like to assure its customers that all current selling models are not affected. Necessary replacement will be carried out when the parts are ready. All parts and labor charges incurred in the replacement work will be borne by Honda Malaysia.
Mr. Ueno would also like to advise all owners of units involved to send their vehicle to an authorized dealer as soon as they receive notification from the Company.
For more information and assistance, call Honda’s Toll Free number at 1-800-88-2020 or visit any authorized Honda dealer. Customers are advised to call for an appointment to avoid long waiting hours.
Interesting Q&A with AHM
In our TOV/TOVA forums board, member CB77 posted a Q&A with the AHM's VP of sales John Mendel. While the Q&A is done with an executive of the U.S. Honda office, many of the questions, and thus the answers as well, relates to concerns and interests worldwide. So, with permission from CB77, I publish the Q&A here for the benefit of TOV/TOVA readers outside of the U.S. Just bear in mind this is specific to the U.S. market but has some applicability to the rest of the world as well. Read the Q&A after the jump.
American Honda's Excecutive VP of Auto Sales recently held a Q & A with American Honda employees. I was pleased to see that some of the questions posed are questions that I often hear on this site (TOV/TOVA)
Q1. The execution of ideas is often an even more critical or a common point of failure in the industry than strategy. What are your thoughts on the top 2-3 root causes for AHM's execution challenges?
A1. This is a thorny one because I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings, but those who know me understand that I don't pull any punches, so here goes:
1) Complacency -- Long periods of success, while making us proud, can lead to weakness. One can begin to believe that we can do no wrong and that we can cut corners and still be successful.
2) Discounting the competition -- Our industry has a history of discounting new competitors. In the 1970s, Detroit automakers discounted the ability of the Japanese to build credible vehicles. In the late '80s and early '90s, some questioned whether Americans would ever buy a Korean-made vehicle. And today, many discount whether China, or India, etc. can compete with their vehicles. Underestimate new competition at your own peril.
3) Danger of Denial -- Even when faced with direct customer feedback or the success of new competition, we can find ourselves unable to accept those facts as reality and continue along a deleterious path. As a pilot, I know that the majority of aircraft incidents are a result of pilot error, and most of those incidents come from pilots who are overly certain of their own abilities vs. the truth displayed by their instruments.
In short, it comes down to 1) Don't become self-satisfied, 2) Discount no one, and 3) Don't ignore the facts.
Q2. I have often heard that Toyota sells more vehicles than Honda because they participate in "fleet sales." Can you please explain this concept in layman's terms and why specifically Honda does not participate in this sales opportunity?
A2. When we refer to Fleet Sales, we (Honda) mean fast turn rental and commercial vehicles that are typically sold at huge discounts (thousands of dollars below dealer cost) and are then sold back into the market by those entities.
The short answer to the question is that this practice destroys residual values (what a car is worth when you're done with it). Ignoring the lost revenue opportunity for Honda, we don't do it for one major reason -- it devalues the investment made in our products by individual retail customers.
Here's how: say you purchase a new Civic for $19,000 and a fleet customer buys 500 of the same vehicles for $15,000. In 12 months, both of you put your cars up for sale on the used market. Clearly the fleet customer can and will sell the used vehicle at a significant discount to yours and still come out "whole". Thus, the "market" for the used vehicle is much lower, and the customers lose their investment.
The fact that we don't do this is one reason why Honda and Acura are always at the top of residual value performance in the market.
Q3. Honda has a history of competitive models in the Sport Compact Car segment (Prelude, Del Sol, older generations of the Civic Si)--does Honda have any plans to improve its competitiveness in this category?
A3. I thought you would ask "Where is the next S2000 or NSX?" To that, I would ask you to stay tuned ... we might have some good news very soon.
Q4. Some Honda "options"/accessories, such as fog lights and navigation systems are notoriously expensive for customers. The navigation system often costs almost $2,200 extra and the fog lights sometimes require a new bumper and lots of dealer installation cost. A navigation unit costs a fraction from other OEMs and options such a fog lights should be much cheaper and easier to add on. Does Honda plan to be more competitive with options and accessories?
A4. The short answer is, yes, we plan to be very competitive. But your question begs a bit of explanation because you make it sound as if we are uncompetitive in the marketplace now. Granted, in some areas like dealer installed options, we are much higher priced for an accessory than if it was a factory installed piece. But I think that the bigger answer revolves around providing true value for the customer.
Your example of Navi is a good one. For instance, I can get a Tom-tom or Garmin Navi for my car for around $400. It functions just fine on many levels, but the screen is small, it sticks on either my dash or front window and interfaces with nothing else in my car.
If you look at the 2012 model Civic, the new Navi price was reduced $500 on the EXL, a huge reduction in price from the outgoing 2011 model. In addition, it is integrated into the instrument panel and provides interface for USB, iPod, pictures and audio controls. While I'm not certain we'll ever compete with a hang-on unit from a price standpoint, you'll continue to see technology costs become much more competitive and their value proposition for the customer increased.
Q5. Why do we have the same grilles on all the Acuras? If someone doesn't like one, they won't like any. I believe the public spoke on the TL so we toned down the grille on it. Honda is going a very similar way. Why? For distinction?
A5. Distinction in the marketplace is part of the reason but it's also about carving out an identity. Not that long ago we were criticized for having "a lineup that didn't look like they belonged to the same family." We want our vehicles to be part of the Honda and Acura family and be readily identifiable as such.
The challenge is to be distinctive for each brand, without alienating customers. To a certain degree, we pushed a little too far with the Acura grille several years ago, but I think we have dialed it back to a great cohesive look for the entire brand.
Q6. The recent perception that the new Civic is "cheap" does not help our image and can hurt our sales. How are you going to address the issue of continuing to provide quality products at a low cost while satisfying our ultimate quality testers, which are our customers?
A6. Obviously, when anyone attacks one of our "children", the first reaction is to get defensive. Some associates might feel my "Perspective" that was published online falls into that category of response. That wasn't my intention. My goal was simply to convince our customers to take their own look, rather than turn their heads away after a single negative product review. However, while we may disagree with the conclusion of Consumer Reports (as have other respected rating institutions like KBB) we need to always listen with an open mind, to what consumers have to say.
The challenge is that, due to constrained supply, we have yet to get a good sense of customer reaction to the new Civic. When we do, we plan to react quickly to fix any issues that they believe need addressing. Of course, this must be the starting point of every new model project -- to deeply understand our customers' needs and expectations. This is how we will continue to address the issue of balancing quality and cost to please our customers.
Q7. Why doesn't Honda offer a clean diesel option to customers? We already have an Accord (TSX) Diesel in Europe as well as the Civic and CRV. We should start by offering these models here and let our customers decide what they want to drive.
A7. The truth of the matter is that diesel powertrains are very expensive. Additionally, unlike in Europe where diesel fuel is highly subsidized and much cheaper than gasoline, diesel here in the U.S. is actually more expensive than gasoline. This makes the value proposition a difficult one for the consumer in spite of the better fuel economy
You will no doubt cite VW or Audi or other European brands who offer diesels on some of their vehicles here. The reality is that because they build primarily diesel-powered vehicles for Europe they have a huge scale advantage and therefore can offer the vehicle as a low take rate option here in the U.S. with little additional investment required.
Q8. The 2006 Stream for the Japan market is an excellent product, why did we not bring this model to the U.S. market? Why don't we offer a microvan with third row seating in the U.S.?
A8. While there was much interest in the Stream in past years, the reality is that "federalizing" the vehicle for the U.S. market -- by that I mean re-engineering it to meet safety and other requirements for this market -- would have made it cost prohibitive to sell here.
In terms of our interest in the segment, going forward, we continue to assess the market to identify opportunities which will provide the right value equation.
Q9. With a wave of new customers coming to market, have we considered a third entry level automotive brand to capture Gen Y customers? Has that strategy worked for Toyota with the Scion brand?
A9. I'll bring this answer back around to where we started on the discussion about execution. Several manufacturers have embarked on strategies to capture Gen Y or frankly, different customers from their main brand. We also have looked at this strategy. Now, while I wouldn't call Scion a failure like Saturn, you cannot argue with the fact that they are struggling; execution of the strategy long term, has been a challenge.
The key to capturing Gen Y or any other specific customer target is the product. If you don't have the right product, then it doesn't matter what you call it or where it is sold. If you do have the right product -- take Civic which still captures more Gen Y customers than any other vehicle -- then you win, regardless of the channel. In the end, it's about execution.
American Honda's Excecutive VP of Auto Sales recently held a Q & A with American Honda employees. I was pleased to see that some of the questions posed are questions that I often hear on this site (TOV/TOVA)
Q1. The execution of ideas is often an even more critical or a common point of failure in the industry than strategy. What are your thoughts on the top 2-3 root causes for AHM's execution challenges?
A1. This is a thorny one because I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings, but those who know me understand that I don't pull any punches, so here goes:
1) Complacency -- Long periods of success, while making us proud, can lead to weakness. One can begin to believe that we can do no wrong and that we can cut corners and still be successful.
2) Discounting the competition -- Our industry has a history of discounting new competitors. In the 1970s, Detroit automakers discounted the ability of the Japanese to build credible vehicles. In the late '80s and early '90s, some questioned whether Americans would ever buy a Korean-made vehicle. And today, many discount whether China, or India, etc. can compete with their vehicles. Underestimate new competition at your own peril.
3) Danger of Denial -- Even when faced with direct customer feedback or the success of new competition, we can find ourselves unable to accept those facts as reality and continue along a deleterious path. As a pilot, I know that the majority of aircraft incidents are a result of pilot error, and most of those incidents come from pilots who are overly certain of their own abilities vs. the truth displayed by their instruments.
In short, it comes down to 1) Don't become self-satisfied, 2) Discount no one, and 3) Don't ignore the facts.
Q2. I have often heard that Toyota sells more vehicles than Honda because they participate in "fleet sales." Can you please explain this concept in layman's terms and why specifically Honda does not participate in this sales opportunity?
A2. When we refer to Fleet Sales, we (Honda) mean fast turn rental and commercial vehicles that are typically sold at huge discounts (thousands of dollars below dealer cost) and are then sold back into the market by those entities.
The short answer to the question is that this practice destroys residual values (what a car is worth when you're done with it). Ignoring the lost revenue opportunity for Honda, we don't do it for one major reason -- it devalues the investment made in our products by individual retail customers.
Here's how: say you purchase a new Civic for $19,000 and a fleet customer buys 500 of the same vehicles for $15,000. In 12 months, both of you put your cars up for sale on the used market. Clearly the fleet customer can and will sell the used vehicle at a significant discount to yours and still come out "whole". Thus, the "market" for the used vehicle is much lower, and the customers lose their investment.
The fact that we don't do this is one reason why Honda and Acura are always at the top of residual value performance in the market.
Q3. Honda has a history of competitive models in the Sport Compact Car segment (Prelude, Del Sol, older generations of the Civic Si)--does Honda have any plans to improve its competitiveness in this category?
A3. I thought you would ask "Where is the next S2000 or NSX?" To that, I would ask you to stay tuned ... we might have some good news very soon.
Q4. Some Honda "options"/accessories, such as fog lights and navigation systems are notoriously expensive for customers. The navigation system often costs almost $2,200 extra and the fog lights sometimes require a new bumper and lots of dealer installation cost. A navigation unit costs a fraction from other OEMs and options such a fog lights should be much cheaper and easier to add on. Does Honda plan to be more competitive with options and accessories?
A4. The short answer is, yes, we plan to be very competitive. But your question begs a bit of explanation because you make it sound as if we are uncompetitive in the marketplace now. Granted, in some areas like dealer installed options, we are much higher priced for an accessory than if it was a factory installed piece. But I think that the bigger answer revolves around providing true value for the customer.
Your example of Navi is a good one. For instance, I can get a Tom-tom or Garmin Navi for my car for around $400. It functions just fine on many levels, but the screen is small, it sticks on either my dash or front window and interfaces with nothing else in my car.
If you look at the 2012 model Civic, the new Navi price was reduced $500 on the EXL, a huge reduction in price from the outgoing 2011 model. In addition, it is integrated into the instrument panel and provides interface for USB, iPod, pictures and audio controls. While I'm not certain we'll ever compete with a hang-on unit from a price standpoint, you'll continue to see technology costs become much more competitive and their value proposition for the customer increased.
Q5. Why do we have the same grilles on all the Acuras? If someone doesn't like one, they won't like any. I believe the public spoke on the TL so we toned down the grille on it. Honda is going a very similar way. Why? For distinction?
A5. Distinction in the marketplace is part of the reason but it's also about carving out an identity. Not that long ago we were criticized for having "a lineup that didn't look like they belonged to the same family." We want our vehicles to be part of the Honda and Acura family and be readily identifiable as such.
The challenge is to be distinctive for each brand, without alienating customers. To a certain degree, we pushed a little too far with the Acura grille several years ago, but I think we have dialed it back to a great cohesive look for the entire brand.
Q6. The recent perception that the new Civic is "cheap" does not help our image and can hurt our sales. How are you going to address the issue of continuing to provide quality products at a low cost while satisfying our ultimate quality testers, which are our customers?
A6. Obviously, when anyone attacks one of our "children", the first reaction is to get defensive. Some associates might feel my "Perspective" that was published online falls into that category of response. That wasn't my intention. My goal was simply to convince our customers to take their own look, rather than turn their heads away after a single negative product review. However, while we may disagree with the conclusion of Consumer Reports (as have other respected rating institutions like KBB) we need to always listen with an open mind, to what consumers have to say.
The challenge is that, due to constrained supply, we have yet to get a good sense of customer reaction to the new Civic. When we do, we plan to react quickly to fix any issues that they believe need addressing. Of course, this must be the starting point of every new model project -- to deeply understand our customers' needs and expectations. This is how we will continue to address the issue of balancing quality and cost to please our customers.
Q7. Why doesn't Honda offer a clean diesel option to customers? We already have an Accord (TSX) Diesel in Europe as well as the Civic and CRV. We should start by offering these models here and let our customers decide what they want to drive.
A7. The truth of the matter is that diesel powertrains are very expensive. Additionally, unlike in Europe where diesel fuel is highly subsidized and much cheaper than gasoline, diesel here in the U.S. is actually more expensive than gasoline. This makes the value proposition a difficult one for the consumer in spite of the better fuel economy
You will no doubt cite VW or Audi or other European brands who offer diesels on some of their vehicles here. The reality is that because they build primarily diesel-powered vehicles for Europe they have a huge scale advantage and therefore can offer the vehicle as a low take rate option here in the U.S. with little additional investment required.
Q8. The 2006 Stream for the Japan market is an excellent product, why did we not bring this model to the U.S. market? Why don't we offer a microvan with third row seating in the U.S.?
A8. While there was much interest in the Stream in past years, the reality is that "federalizing" the vehicle for the U.S. market -- by that I mean re-engineering it to meet safety and other requirements for this market -- would have made it cost prohibitive to sell here.
In terms of our interest in the segment, going forward, we continue to assess the market to identify opportunities which will provide the right value equation.
Q9. With a wave of new customers coming to market, have we considered a third entry level automotive brand to capture Gen Y customers? Has that strategy worked for Toyota with the Scion brand?
A9. I'll bring this answer back around to where we started on the discussion about execution. Several manufacturers have embarked on strategies to capture Gen Y or frankly, different customers from their main brand. We also have looked at this strategy. Now, while I wouldn't call Scion a failure like Saturn, you cannot argue with the fact that they are struggling; execution of the strategy long term, has been a challenge.
The key to capturing Gen Y or any other specific customer target is the product. If you don't have the right product, then it doesn't matter what you call it or where it is sold. If you do have the right product -- take Civic which still captures more Gen Y customers than any other vehicle -- then you win, regardless of the channel. In the end, it's about execution.
New model information ?
In response to a recent post I made here with regards to new model information, a TOVA reader with the nickname of 'lee' posted a comment listing information about new model launch dates for Malaysia. I decided to delete the comment and post his info into a proper post for the benefit of all readers.
Lee's original comment and information are as follows:
hi buddy,
these are confirm information (inside source)
CRZ 1.5(M) ~ November 2011
CRZ 1.5 (CVT) ~ To be advised
City MMC ~ December 2011
Civic (9th Gen) ~ Feb 2012
CRV 2.0 (4th Gen) ~ Q2 2012
I left out his contact detail to protect him (just in case).
A huge thanks to "lee" for this info, which I believe to be quite accurate based on what I know.
Lee's original comment and information are as follows:
hi buddy,
these are confirm information (inside source)
CRZ 1.5(M) ~ November 2011
CRZ 1.5 (CVT) ~ To be advised
City MMC ~ December 2011
Civic (9th Gen) ~ Feb 2012
CRV 2.0 (4th Gen) ~ Q2 2012
I left out his contact detail to protect him (just in case).
A huge thanks to "lee" for this info, which I believe to be quite accurate based on what I know.
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