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2010 Acura ZDX   (Source: Autoblog)
Japan's top automakers react to a changing economy, audience

The auto industry is coming to a crossroads. Two things are changing the way automakers go about developing new vehicles:  1) government regulations are mandating the development of more fuel efficient vehicles and 2) most auto manufacturers are seeing sales drops of 30 to 40 percent year-over-year which is cutting into their bottoms lines.

Honda is feeling the heat from a sour economy and a change in consumer spending habits. Honda had plans to develop a V8 engine and rear wheel drive (RWD) platform for an upcoming sedan which would wear an Acura badge -- those plans have now been shelved.

The move was supposed to inject Acura with a bit of "luxury" to better compete with the likes of BMW, Mercedes, and Lexus. Currently, the company is mostly likened to "tweener" brands such as Volvo, Saab, and Buick.

"I don't think we need a classic front-engine, rear-drive car," said Honda President Takanobu. "It would be meaningless to emulate what other companies have been doing for more than five decades."

Honda will focus on more fuel efficient V6 engines instead of developing a new V8 engine for its luxury brand. The company already produces two stout V6 engines which are available on Acura vehicles. The Acura TL can be had with a 3.5-liter V6 producing 280 HP or a 3.7-liter V6 producing 305 HP.

Instead of throwing money at an all-new RWD platform, the company will likely continue to adapt its Accord chassis for use in all-wheel-drive (AWD) applications like the Acura TL SH-AWD and Acura RL.

Honda is also exploring adding more efficient transmissions -- Acura is still using 5-speed automatic transmissions when most competitors are using 6, 7, and 8-speed units -- along with hybrid technology to further increase the fuel economy of its Acura vehicles.

Honda already uses hybrid technology in its Civic and Insight models; it also recently announced that a Fit Hybrid and a CR-Z Hybrid will come to the North American market next year. There has also been heart-breaking news that the replacement for the Honda S2000 will be a FWD hybrid.

Honda has yet to bring the technology to its Acura range.

Honda is not the only auto market altering its future plans, however. In the case of auto giant Toyota, executive vice president Yoshimi Inaba says that the company is no longer profitable in North America. The company saw its sales drop from 1.25 million units for the first six months of last year to just 770,000 units for the same period this year. The company is also considering closing its NUMMI auto plant in California which would impact 4,700 employees.

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Acura design team
By Fnoob on 7/21/2009 9:38:47 AM , Rating: 5
How many designers or consultants do they need to realise that their new front-end look is god-aweful. Horrible.




RE: Acura design team
By Brandon Hill (blog) on 7/21/2009 9:47:52 AM , Rating: 5
You know who a blame for all of this bullcrap? Chris Bangle! He decided to screw up BMW's design language starting with the last gen 7-Series and now Acura (and a few others) are looking to see who can design the ugliest cars on the road.


RE: Acura design team
By lagomorpha on 7/21/2009 9:58:22 AM , Rating: 5
I wonder how much of it is because of the study that showed that most people prefer angry looking cars to happy looking cars. Somehow BMW managed to designed the front grille of its recent vehicles to look condescending. It's as if the car is actually looking at all the cars in front of it and thinking "you are all so stupid, why are you proles allowed to share the road or even the same air as someone like me".


RE: Acura design team
By SublimeSimplicity on 7/21/2009 10:07:01 AM , Rating: 2
quote:
now Acura (and a few others) are looking to see who can design the ugliest cars on the road.

That competition begins and ends with Lincoln.


RE: Acura design team
By theapparition on 7/21/2009 12:12:48 PM , Rating: 1
Lest we forget the Astek?

Perhaps single handedly killed Pontiac.


RE: Acura design team
By Durrr on 7/21/2009 6:28:15 PM , Rating: 3
You mean asstek


RE: Acura design team
By iamezza on 7/21/2009 7:52:37 PM , Rating: 3
I can't believe another car company hired that douche after what he did to the BMW range! It seems everything he touches turns to crap.


RE: Acura design team
By Spivonious on 7/21/2009 10:02:37 AM , Rating: 5
The front-end? What about the entire car! That thing is an abomination.


RE: Acura design team
By Brandon Hill (blog) on 7/21/2009 10:07:54 AM , Rating: 5
The whole car is a worthless pile. Let's take a sedan, make it into a hatchback, yet make the roof slope so low that it has less headroom than a sedan and less cargo room than a traditional hatchback or crossover...

Ohh, and jack up the ride height by 4 inches.

PATHETIC!


RE: Acura design team
By dr4gon on 7/21/2009 10:56:54 AM , Rating: 2
lol I'm glad it wasn't just me who thought things were getting beyond ugly!


RE: Acura design team
By joemoedee on 7/21/2009 11:01:21 AM , Rating: 2
quote:
The whole car is a worthless pile. Let's take a sedan, make it into a hatchback, yet make the roof slope so low that it has less headroom than a sedan and less cargo room than a traditional hatchback or crossover


This is what happens when automakers get their design inspiration from a 1987 Eagle Wagon...


RE: Acura design team
By markitect on 7/21/2009 11:09:06 AM , Rating: 2
I think a lot of 80's cars look better then what they are coming out with now.


RE: Acura design team
By Spuke on 7/21/2009 11:54:53 AM , Rating: 2
quote:
"It would be meaningless to emulate what other companies have been doing for more than five decades."
But we'll emulate BMW's nasty ugly X5 and X6's looks. Wow, that makes sense!


RE: Acura design team
By magreen on 7/21/2009 12:45:28 PM , Rating: 2
Holy crap, you just reached inside my brain and pulled something from the darkest dankest recesses of my memory banks and splattered it on the screen! I was remembering a butt nasty car from the 80s but no way in hell was I going to remember the name of it, but there it is!

Quick, what was my locker combination in middle school?


RE: Acura design team
By sxr7171 on 7/21/2009 6:04:36 PM , Rating: 2
No way, that's insulting to the Eagle Wagon.


RE: Acura design team
By monomer on 7/21/2009 12:31:02 PM , Rating: 2
That's exactly what I was thinking. How can we make the abomination that is the X6 even uglier? Lexus found a way.


RE: Acura design team
By Brandon Hill (blog) on 7/21/2009 2:21:57 PM , Rating: 2
Lexus? You mean Acura?

That is unless you're talking about the new RX :-)


RE: Acura design team
By powerincarnate on 7/21/2009 9:43:42 PM , Rating: 2
I thought the X6 actually looked hot. X3 that little SUV was ugly.

As for lexus, only the Sc coupe is ugly. I can't wait for a redesign. Other than that, You can't find an ugly car in the lexus lineup.


RE: Acura design team
By Nightowl358 on 7/22/2009 9:43:12 AM , Rating: 3
Good to see I'm not the only one who flat out hates the new Acura design cues.


I hope they give it a new name
By SublimeSimplicity on 7/21/2009 9:36:23 AM , Rating: 5
quote:
There has also been heart-breaking news that the replacement for the Honda S2000 will be a FWD hybrid.

I may in fact be the biggest Honda hater on the planet, but that even made ME throw-up in my mouth a little.

I hope they at least have the courtesy to give it another name.




RE: I hope they give it a new name
By lagomorpha on 7/21/2009 9:55:15 AM , Rating: 3
Oh wow they're bringing back the Del Slow. At least some of their bikes are still fun.


RE: I hope they give it a new name
By Spivonious on 7/21/2009 10:04:20 AM , Rating: 2
By SublimeSimplicity on 7/21/2009 10:08:28 AM , Rating: 3
He already mentioned the Del Sol... ohh sorry... I thought you said lawnmower engines.


By Pneumothorax on 7/21/2009 11:44:45 AM , Rating: 2
Yup +1 on the lawnmowers, I love their HRX series. Back to Acura/Honda, yeah basically Honda has NEUTERED their brands. No S2000, NO NSX either, and now NO RWD cars. Sorry Honda, but I'll get the wife the Acura, but I'll continue to drive unreliable german cars, that are just alot more fun to drive than 4000+lb overweight sedans (ie TL) or FWD overpowered cars like the TSX.


RE: I hope they give it a new name
By thekdub on 7/21/2009 11:02:48 AM , Rating: 2
Hey now, as an owner of a Del Sol, I can attest to the fun-ness of the car. Its like driving a Miata or similar sports car, only with noticeably more understeer...

Kind of sad that Honda is just throwing all of their fun-to-drive cars out the window and just focusing on efficient cars that get you from point A to point B and nothing else. I hate driving newer cars because there is nothing enjoyable about them. I think Honda had it perfect in the 90s when they offered cars like the CRX/Del Sol and the Integra, which were sporty and fun to drive and yet still offered things like reliability, gas efficiency, and cargo space.


RE: I hope they give it a new name
By Runiteshark on 7/21/2009 12:04:15 PM , Rating: 5
And torque steer!

Haha just kidding, Hondas don't have torque.


By gstrickler on 7/24/2009 1:21:21 PM , Rating: 2
quote:
And torque steer!

Have you driven FWD a Honda/Acura in the last 20 years? FWD, yes. Torque, yes on some models. Torque steer, almost none.


By gstrickler on 7/24/2009 1:31:13 PM , Rating: 2
quote:
I think Honda had it perfect in the 90s when they offered cars like the CRX/Del Sol and the Integra, which were sporty and fun to drive and yet still offered things like reliability, gas efficiency, and cargo space.

Me too. I love my 2003 3.2TL-S, very good performance, very good handling, excellent ride and comfort, fun to drive. Still, I miss my Integras (had an '86, '91, and my favorite, a '99 GSR)

The recent (haven't tried the newest) TSX is close to the fun of the Integra. It's bigger, heavier, and more luxurious, but is has a bigger engine with more torque and a sweet transmission, so it holds it's own.

Not a fan of the new styling, that's why I bought a 2003 after seeing the 2004 models.


By powerincarnate on 7/21/2009 9:47:47 PM , Rating: 2
Why the hate with Honda????

Am I missing something. They make some of the best regular cars PERIOD.

Honda's issue is that Acura is Barely luxury and cannot compete (i'm not sure sales wise but looks wise and luxury wise) against Lexus, BMW, or Mercedes. I would even pick a G and an M over the TL or TSX or RL. And I would take the FX 50/35 over RDX or MDX.


RE: I hope they give it a new name
By drnk on 7/21/2009 11:08:37 AM , Rating: 2
I wonder why sometimes they don't leave everything as it is.
Sometimes it looks like they give their best to make the things worse.
I really don't know how something like that ugly creation may be better than an S2000!!


RE: I hope they give it a new name
By sxr7171 on 7/21/2009 6:08:11 PM , Rating: 3
Oh wow. The only Honda I would ever consider buying is going to be a POS. Really I think Honda have sealed their fate with this decision. Call it Acura or Honda, its the same crap and nobody will ever take either seriously as a performance or luxury automobile. They are pure econobox makers even if they spruce up interiors on the "Acura" Hondas.


Howzabout this..
By drewsup on 7/21/2009 11:42:26 AM , Rating: 3
Instead of making all these new fugly cars that are overpriced, why not go back to basics. I would LOVE it if Honda,Nissan or Toyota would make a REAL entry level affordable car like the original Civic. I know, I know, Honda makes the Fit and Toyata makes the corolla, but a "Good" reliable small /mid size car under $10,000 is what we need right now, preferably with @40MPG. Call me a dreamer, but I think it can be done.




RE: Howzabout this..
By Spuke on 7/21/2009 11:57:52 AM , Rating: 4
quote:
but a "Good" reliable small /mid size car under $10,000 is what we need right now, preferably with @40MPG. Call me a dreamer, but I think it can be done.
Can't be done while meeting current emissions regulations, safety requirements, and equipment levels.


RE: Howzabout this..
By sxr7171 on 7/21/2009 6:10:44 PM , Rating: 1
More important than price is a car that holds its resale. So let it be $16,000 but 3 years from now if it can hold $12,000 of it that's good (probably impossible). It would have to be very fuel efficient to have that value in 2012.


RE: Howzabout this..
By 67STANG on 7/22/2009 3:53:37 AM , Rating: 1
The only vehicle that holds resale like that is a Jeep Wrangler. I know, I don't understand why either.

I'd rather have the new Ford Fiesta than anything Honda has or plans to come out with.


RE: Howzabout this..
By Lord 666 on 7/22/2009 7:45:06 AM , Rating: 2
Mini coopers and VW diesels as well.


RE: Howzabout this..
By Spuke on 7/22/2009 12:27:42 PM , Rating: 2
quote:
More important than price is a car that holds its resale.
Unless you're buying an exotic or classic car, resale is crap. Mini Cooper S's, which are supposed to have great resale value, cost $35k new (well equipped) and that same car costs $23k used two years later. Blech!


RE: Howzabout this..
By powerincarnate on 7/21/2009 9:50:54 PM , Rating: 2
The Civic, Corolla, Accord, and Camry are the top 4 selling autos.

They have Superb resale values.

So then, Why would they sell things less than 10K when they could sell them with just as much frequency at 20K or approaching 30K.


Because it works?
By djc208 on 7/21/2009 12:02:22 PM , Rating: 2
quote:
"I don't think we need a classic front-engine, rear-drive car," said Honda President Takanobu. "It would be meaningless to emulate what other companies have been doing for more than five decades."


Cadillac tried that, and while they had other issues involved, you see how well it worked for them. What was the car that brought all the critics singing the praise of Cady? The RWD CTS. One of the biggest releases from Chrysler in the last 10 years was their RWD LX platform.

Not to mention that the reason other companies have been doing RWD for the last 5 decades is because it works. There are few/no real high end FWD nameplates, that has to be for a reason.

RWD V8 may become a nitche in the future, but that doesn't mean that RWD should die with it.




RE: Because it works?
By sxr7171 on 7/21/2009 6:12:45 PM , Rating: 2
You can't take a FWD "luxury" or "performance" automobile seriously period. It just doesn't happen. FWD cars are econoboxes no matter what name they out on it.


RE: Because it works?
By powerincarnate on 7/21/2009 9:53:56 PM , Rating: 2
Performance, Maybe, Luxury?? Unless I'm mistaken which are or aren't, I think you can find plenty of great luxury FWD vehicles.


RE: Because it works?
By lagomorpha on 7/22/2009 9:58:30 PM , Rating: 2
RWD gives a smoother ride than FWD generally so the high end luxury cars tend to be RWD. FWD is common in entry-level cars where safety is a big issue but the cars aren't tanks like Acuras and Saabs.


RE: Because it works?
By gstrickler on 7/24/2009 1:44:55 PM , Rating: 2
quote:
RWD gives a smoother ride than FWD
FWD/RWD has nothing to do with the ride, it's about cost, weight, handling, and fuel economy. Suspension and tires affect the ride.

FWD is more fuel efficient, lighter, lower cost, and gives better control.

RWD generally handles better on a paved race track.

However get in a lower traction environment like gravel, dirt, rain, snow, ice, or other conditions you'll encounter in everyday driving and FWD gives better control.

If you're building a race car, go RWD. If you're gonna drive on the streets year round, go for FWD.

If you prefer go AWD and get the best handling and control, but at the expense of higher weight, cost, and fuel efficiency.

Be glad that most people are driving FWD, they're easier to control, makes everyone safer on the roads.


Listen up Honda
By Lord 666 on 7/21/2009 11:31:40 AM , Rating: 3
Psst... Honda, here is a little tip. Import your CRV and Accord diesels and make them clean enough for the US. Go back to your roots on fuel economy and reliability.




RE: Listen up Honda
By Spuke on 7/21/2009 11:56:09 AM , Rating: 2
The Accord diesel was supposed to arrive here this year but was delayed because of the economy.


WTF happened to Acura?
By hellokeith on 7/21/2009 10:56:31 PM , Rating: 2
My opinion of course, but Acura is just not what it was 10 years ago.

The TSX is the only half-decent 20-30something appealing vehicle, but it is languished by the awful grill and severely lacking a 2-door model.

People comment to me all the time how nice my 98 Integra still looks.

I test drove a TSX, and while it was kinda like driving the space shuttle, it had zero feel of the road. They used to criticize Prelude's for rough/tight drive, but at least they had some feel to them. All the Acuras now seem to be catered towards either women who married into wealth or to older wealthy men, neither of whom care about the actual feel of driving anymore.




RE: WTF happened to Acura?
By powerincarnate on 7/21/2009 11:28:29 PM , Rating: 2
Man, look like i have different taste here. I already mentioned I don't like Acura as a brand. It is barely luxury, and most of their models look like a bit updated Hondas. But, The worst offender is the TSX model. It is the one that is badged a Honda is some markets. I'm definitely not gonna pay extra money for a Honda with an Acura name. Plus did I mention it was ugly. Give me the RL any day over that. Though they aren't in the same price or class range and I would never buy the RL for the price it is sold at.


cashforclunkers
By jwhenry22 on 7/22/2009 6:30:03 AM , Rating: 1
You donot need actual vouchers or coupons to partipate in this program. All dealers are required and government will
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