Honda Civic sales cooling off, down 22%
03-16-07, 12:14 PM
#19
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While I wouldn't call this Civic "hideous" (a grossly overused word on car forums) or ugly it's not what I call good-looking either. It does have a certain Honda style but that's about it. In other words, from a styling point of view, it's par for the course in this segment.
Besides the Mazda 3 and next generation Lancer there are NO truly good looking cars in this class (going by recent spy pictures that goes for the next Corolla as well) currently being sold in North America. Only the Eurropean market seems to have lust-worthy small cars.
Besides the Mazda 3 and next generation Lancer there are NO truly good looking cars in this class (going by recent spy pictures that goes for the next Corolla as well) currently being sold in North America. Only the Eurropean market seems to have lust-worthy small cars.
03-16-07, 12:50 PM
#20
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The civic sedan looks odd and more like a hybrid only type design like the Prius and almost looks like it is a size and class below the last civic. It just does not have that sporty look that alot of younger people/aftermarket liked about the previous civics and the suspension has been dumbed down for more interior room even though it still handles very well. The civic coupe though is a very nice looking sporty car and Si versions perform very well and I think are the best car in its segment, it looks better then any civic before it. I think if they brought over the futuristic Euro civic especially a type R version it would add alot of spice to the civic in sales and aftermarket support. I think since previous civics are so reliable and have such a huge aftermarket support that many younger people are just getting used ones instead of the brand new more expensive odd looking sedan. I know alot of people who love the new coupe though and plan on getting one. I don't think the dash layout is the problem and I think it looks pretty good, I even like the futuristic Euro civic dash better. I think the problem is the sedan exterior and maybe people just going with 4 cylinder Accords or slightly used Accords since the new civic is priced fairly high. Even with the odd exterior you are still getting a very reliable well built high quality car that is sporty, handles well and is going to last a very long time.
03-16-07, 01:26 PM
#21
The new sedan is hit or miss i the looks compartment while the coupe is just absolutely horrid IMO. This is coming from a guy who has owned several Hondas (including 2 Civics) in the past.
03-16-07, 01:44 PM
#22
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Completely false rumour. Go to Japan and Europe; you will see the next-gen Corolla is *already* on sale. Toyota only delayed the North American Corolla for one year because of the Tundra launch this year, and because they wanted to put extra attention on quality for the Corolla.
03-16-07, 01:46 PM
#23
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I think the pricing is the issue. The Civic is priced at near mid-size car level. Meanwhile, many low priced compact cars such as Scion, Yaris, Versa, Fit, SX4 have flooded the market. Ford is also dropping the Focus pricing to low-teens. Though Civic is a better car than any of the above in my opinion, they do steal some Civic sales.
03-16-07, 02:38 PM
#24
But in all honesty, the Japanese/European Corolla will most likely be the U.S. version as well, although most people want it to be more stylized. I think the Corolla will be kept stylistically conservative, and Toyota will provide modern/stylized vehicles under the Scion badge.
The Corolla sells quite well at near 250k cars a year in the U.S. (even though it is much much older than the Civic and Sentra). Toyota held the release because of quality issues.
03-16-07, 03:54 PM
#25
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The Civic's nameplate, in the U.S.( replacing the Honda 600), goes back to 1973, and the Corolla's, only a few years before that...into the late 60's. There isn't that much of a difference.
03-16-07, 04:53 PM
#27
The Civic doesn't sell because its ugly as Saturn but expensive as Integra. The last gen Civic at least wasn't ugly, it was just exteremely bland and boring compared to 5th and 6th gens, but this new Civic is just hideous. This is coming from a former 5th gen Civic owner.
03-16-07, 09:26 PM
#28
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The Scion xA, xB, and Toyota Echo/Yaris made the same mistake that Honda did...though in a different way.......an unconventional dash/gauge design that turns some people off, and as a result, their sales have not been what they would have been otherwise. Putting the gauge cluster in the middle of the dash, style-wise and marketing-wise, is a mistake, but the auto companies simply won't admit it (and they use EVERY excuse in the book to convince us otherwise...I've heard it all) because it lowers their costs in making both left and right-hand drive models for different export markets. It boils down to a money issue......just like many other things in the auto industry.
Back to the Civic, though.....although its gauge cluster is not centrally-located like in some other small cars, the split-level design, like the central-location design, does turn some people off.
Back to the Civic, though.....although its gauge cluster is not centrally-located like in some other small cars, the split-level design, like the central-location design, does turn some people off.
The Echo was a miserable flop. But it wasn't just the dash that was ugly. . . the whole thing was ugly. (And yes, you could argue the same about the xB, but apparently it sells well enough that no "ugly" statement really takes hold). Now the Aztek never sold well at all!
But I see your point, an unconventional dash is definitely a negative aspect for most buyers. I for one (had) an xA for a little over year and grew acustomed to the center dash. I got rid of the thing. . . but I do miss the layout. It really is the best dash configuration, when you get used to it, as you can still see the road when you check the speedometer/tach. With a conventional set up, your eyes are completely out of focus when you check the gauges.
And the xA/xB use completely different dash assemblies from their RHD counterparts. The cost savings argument really doesn't hold any weight to it. The construction requires two completely different molds. . . even the gauge faces are different, as they have to be marked in KPH first, and MPH second, as is the standard for most RHD countries. The only parts they reuse are the steering columns and the guage motors/sensors (for the dash). It's not just the plug and play operation that most people assume it is.
03-16-07, 11:12 PM
#29
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We are still unsure whether or not the Corolla in Japan and Europe will be the same Corolla that will be provided in the U.S. It is possible that a completely different designed Corolla will pop up in the near future.
But in all honesty, the Japanese/European Corolla will most likely be the U.S. version as well, although most people want it to be more stylized. I think the Corolla will be kept stylistically conservative, and Toyota will provide modern/stylized vehicles under the Scion badge.
The Corolla sells quite well at near 250k cars a year in the U.S. (even though it is much much older than the Civic and Sentra). Toyota held the release because of quality issues.
But in all honesty, the Japanese/European Corolla will most likely be the U.S. version as well, although most people want it to be more stylized. I think the Corolla will be kept stylistically conservative, and Toyota will provide modern/stylized vehicles under the Scion badge.
The Corolla sells quite well at near 250k cars a year in the U.S. (even though it is much much older than the Civic and Sentra). Toyota held the release because of quality issues.
Exterior-wise, we will get a slightly different Corolla than the Japanese or European version. But underneath the body, the car will be virtually identical, and we may get a different engine. Interior should be extremely similar or the same as the Japanese Corolla.
And yes, the USDM Corolla has been delayed as stated for quality reassurance, as well as not to interfere with the Tundra launch and ramp-up. Toyota wants quality for the Tundra and new Corolla to be top notch, and they are willing to take their time to assure that.
03-17-07, 05:00 AM
#30
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While somewhat true for the xA. . . the xB sells like hot cakes. They barely last on dealer lots for a week. Even the xA's do relatively well. However, the big joke was that Toyota originally anticipated that the xA would outsell the xB. Scion has been an EXTREME success for Toyota, and they couldn't sell better.
In fact, I personally know of cases where the XB's dash layout drove potential buyers into a Matrix instead.....with its more conventional layout.