Honda CEO Q&A
10-22-09, 07:10 PM
#17
actually if he were still alive, he wouldnt be ashamed. theres no shame in junking a project that will lose money. or making an affordable sports car like a crz. but when the time comes, honda's supercar will be done right. or did everyone want another unaffordable, unobtainable lfa?
10-22-09, 07:16 PM
#18
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actually if he were still alive, he wouldnt be ashamed. theres no shame in junking a project that will lose money. or making an affordable sports car like a crz. but when the time comes, honda's supercar will be done right. or did everyone want another unaffordable, unobtainable lfa?
He would be ashamed. Honda has gone the Toyota route without offering what Toyota/Lexus does. Ridgeline? RL?
The Civic Si is a fun car and its great they produce it. The CR-Z is a hybrid. Funny how some Honda fans diss fun Hybrids but all of a sudden, its cool and okay? Funny.
You can hate the LF-A's price, looks but there has never been a more supreme Japanese sports car. Did you even try to look at the new technology in it?
This thread is about Honda, not Toyota and not Lexus.
10-22-09, 07:24 PM
#19
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actually if he were still alive, he wouldnt be ashamed. theres no shame in junking a project that will lose money. or making an affordable sports car like a crz. but when the time comes, honda's supercar will be done right. or did everyone want another unaffordable, unobtainable lfa?
In the late 1950s, when Honda was close to bankruptcy, Soichiro Honda pushed the company to go racing with motorcycles. That got their motorcycle lineup a lot of attention and helped avert bankruptcy. Years later in the 60s, it was also thanks to him that Honda entered F1 for the first time, and there they scored several wins and had some success. That got Honda even more attention.
If he were alive today, Honda would not have pulled out of F1, they would not have such ugly-styled North American products, and the Acura brand likely would not be in such a mess. With him alive, Honda would also likely have a clear direction right now with minimal internal conflict and with more sports car products on the market as well. Lastly, Honda would not be reliant so much on it's previous reputation.
10-22-09, 07:25 PM
#20
seriously 1sick, whats your deal. projecting an unspoken opinion to me on the lfa and offering an opinion on what a dead man would feel? i know its pretty normal to hate on honda here at CL but if you want to talk about who isnt making sports cars then both honda and toyota are at fault. obviously ito isnt toyoda. jumping into things isnt really prudent when running such big companies. the crz is a start, what can anyone do but to be patient?
10-22-09, 07:28 PM
#21
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seriously 1sick, whats your deal. projecting an unspoken opinion to me on the lfa and offering an opinion on what a dead man would feel? i know its pretty normal to hate on honda here at CL but if you want to talk about who isnt making sports cars then both honda and toyota are at fault. obviously ito isnt toyoda. jumping into things isnt really prudent when running such big companies.
? I guess the upcoming FT-86 production car and the LFA are not "sports cars" to you? Technically, one is a pure sports car, and one is a supercar. That is FAR MORE than Honda is doing right now for enthusiasts in terms of sports cars. "Sport compacts" don't count.
10-22-09, 07:34 PM
#22
Boy you must be living under a rock ? I guess the upcoming FT-86 production car and the LFA are not "sports cars" to you? Technically, one is a pure sports car, and one is a supercar. That is FAR MORE than Honda is doing right now for enthusiasts in terms of sports cars. "Sport compacts" don't count.
? I guess the upcoming FT-86 production car and the LFA are not "sports cars" to you? Technically, one is a pure sports car, and one is a supercar. That is FAR MORE than Honda is doing right now for enthusiasts in terms of sports cars. "Sport compacts" don't count.
10-22-09, 07:45 PM
#23
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Here is a quote from another forum I think is very relevant:
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The CR-Z is NOT a sports car, let's make this very clear. The FT-86 IS a sports car, BIG difference. The CR-Z is a hybrid "sport compact". It does not have RWD. There is also the rumor of a mid-market Toyota sports car coming (production FT-HS). There aren't even any rumors about a possible Honda sports car in the future.
Theres no reason to even mention the LF-A in this....if you going to build a green performance car....JUST DO IT.
right. the lfa. it has a lexus badge and a v10. i get it. as an engineering exercise, its simply amazing. as a product? not so much. and i understand that being toyota fanboys means glazing past all faults, but the lfa can only boost the image of sportiness in the brand seeing as how youll never get to drive one. aside from price, buyers are selected by toyota. how is that the same as having a supra or celica? the ft-86 is like the crz, a step in the right direction. but both have been a long time coming for sure. so i dont fault ito at all.
The CR-Z is NOT a sports car, let's make this very clear. The FT-86 IS a sports car, BIG difference. The CR-Z is a hybrid "sport compact". It does not have RWD. There is also the rumor of a mid-market Toyota sports car coming (production FT-HS). There aren't even any rumors about a possible Honda sports car in the future.
10-22-09, 08:03 PM
#24
The CR-Z is NOT a sports car, let's make this very clear. The FT-86 IS a sports car, BIG difference. The CR-Z is a hybrid "sport compact". It does not have RWD. There is also the rumor of a mid-market Toyota sports car coming (production FT-HS). There aren't even any rumors about a possible Honda sports car in the future.
10-22-09, 08:32 PM
#25
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seriously 1sick, whats your deal. projecting an unspoken opinion to me on the lfa and offering an opinion on what a dead man would feel? i know its pretty normal to hate on honda here at CL but if you want to talk about who isnt making sports cars then both honda and toyota are at fault. obviously ito isnt toyoda. jumping into things isnt really prudent when running such big companies. the crz is a start, what can anyone do but to be patient?
I am not talking about Toyota, this thread has nothing to do with Toyota. If you actually READ what people say as of late I see a TL manual thread people think its solid but its not good looking. I see people respecting the S2000, NSX and Legend. I PERSONALLY have reviewed the new Accord and said it is BEST IN CLASS.
How is that "honda hating"? I have personally reviewed the last TL and said its a great buy. How is that "honda hating"?
Going forward I strongly suggest not just coming here to post in Honda related threads and making disparaging remarks about this forum. I strongly suggest not READING and then posting just what you disagree with, but when we compliment the brand. Do not use the term Toyota fanboi on a Lexus forum, when you are sounding like a Honda fanboi. That is unacceptable.
Thank you
10-22-09, 08:44 PM
#26
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Anyways, Honda needs to stop with excuses, and just BUILD SOMETHING. "We don't have the technology, the economy is bad, we're working on it, the sky is blue, it's raining today" etc. Even die-hard Honda fans are fed up with the excuses.
Nobody cares anymore *why* Honda is not releasing any sports cars. Enthusiasts just want to see Honda release SOME sort of sports car. Otherwise, Honda's image and reputation will fall in the eyes of many. In other words, their sporty reputation, which they originally got thanks to the NSX, will be ruined.
Last edited by TRDFantasy; 10-22-09 at 08:48 PM.
10-22-09, 08:51 PM
#27
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Can we try to make this non argumentative? Can we? Just once? Can we stick to the topic? The AE-86 wasn't mentioned by the CEO.
I think we can all universally agree its sad news from a company so CAPABLE of making fun and amazing cars (ITR, S2000, NSX, etc).
If this just stays into another crapfest, it will be closed.
I think we can all universally agree its sad news from a company so CAPABLE of making fun and amazing cars (ITR, S2000, NSX, etc).
If this just stays into another crapfest, it will be closed.
10-22-09, 08:56 PM
#28
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10-22-09, 08:58 PM
#29
yeah, i think canning a big supercar project was a really bad idea. and going green with hydrogen fuel cell- what a bold move. and the complete mess of Acura, I do see a need for reconstruction of Honda/Acura.
and i know this isnt about toyota, but man, im really really looking forward to the FT-86. there seems to be a good amount of commotion with toyota these last few days, maybe not all will come true, but at least they are giving the consumers something to anticipate for.
Charley
and i know this isnt about toyota, but man, im really really looking forward to the FT-86. there seems to be a good amount of commotion with toyota these last few days, maybe not all will come true, but at least they are giving the consumers something to anticipate for.
Charley
Last edited by charley240; 10-22-09 at 09:02 PM.
10-22-09, 09:17 PM
#30
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Honda CEO Q&A
Highlights from the Q&A
* If you were holding onto a sliver of hope that the V10 supercar project would be someday resurrected, you might want to sit down. Based upon today's conversation, the V10 supercar project has virtually zero chance of resurrection. We were even told (in a separate conversation) that Ito-san himself was responsible for cancelling the V-10 supercar project. Any sort of future super sportscar would only be considered once Honda has cleared several development hurdles for environmental technology, including hybrid technology suitable for larger vehicles, plug-in hybrid technology, and hydrogen battery fuel cells. "Once we come up with these new, innovative technologies that we are researching - once we have (an) abundance of cash on hand - I would definitely love to see Honda develop a sports car which would symbolize these technologies", said Ito. "And, once that day comes, the sportscar will NOT be something like Toyota announced yesterday, but instead it will be environmentally friendly (while) at the same time enjoying outstanding performance. I'd love to do that."
* When asked if there would be other sporty models coming forth to replace "accessible" sports models such as the Integra/RSX and S2000, the response from Ito-san was that the CR-Z would be the answer to that question and there were "no other plans for the time being, but yes I would like to be able to consider such possibilities".
http://www.vtec.net/news/news-item?news_item_id=858749
Highlights from the Q&A
* If you were holding onto a sliver of hope that the V10 supercar project would be someday resurrected, you might want to sit down. Based upon today's conversation, the V10 supercar project has virtually zero chance of resurrection. We were even told (in a separate conversation) that Ito-san himself was responsible for cancelling the V-10 supercar project. Any sort of future super sportscar would only be considered once Honda has cleared several development hurdles for environmental technology, including hybrid technology suitable for larger vehicles, plug-in hybrid technology, and hydrogen battery fuel cells. "Once we come up with these new, innovative technologies that we are researching - once we have (an) abundance of cash on hand - I would definitely love to see Honda develop a sports car which would symbolize these technologies", said Ito. "And, once that day comes, the sportscar will NOT be something like Toyota announced yesterday, but instead it will be environmentally friendly (while) at the same time enjoying outstanding performance. I'd love to do that."
* When asked if there would be other sporty models coming forth to replace "accessible" sports models such as the Integra/RSX and S2000, the response from Ito-san was that the CR-Z would be the answer to that question and there were "no other plans for the time being, but yes I would like to be able to consider such possibilities".
http://www.vtec.net/news/news-item?news_item_id=858749
. He personally killed the ASC NSX replacement
. Some enthusiasts were calling this guy Mr. Sportscar and happy he was the new CEO but now he should be called Mr. kill drivers car for "green cars" enthusiasts and most of the public do not want. This guy is lame and it sounds like he is going to kill Hondas/Acuras performance drivers image quickly if he has his way and we are not going to see any real performance cars from Honda Acura for a long time. Taking shots at the LFA is wrong whether you like the car or not and he should give Toyota some respect for building it and for what it is. Sounds like he is a little embarrassed that the dinky underpowered CRZ is going to be completely overshadowed by the LFA and he may have some regrets about personally pulling the plug on the NSX replacement as Honda Acura enthusiasts hate this guy now. I really hope he is let go quickly or resigns and is not allowed to totally transform Honda into a eco mobile manufacture as dinky little eco cars is not what the American public wants and the economy is better and gas prices are down. I understand getting out of F1 and holding off on the NSX replacement to save some money in a bad economy as everyone made cuts but to totally kill the ASC and say it is never going to happen anymore is completely wrong and stupid when all that work and money was spent building it and now it has been completely wasted. If this guy has his way it is most likely he will get rid of the Accord v6 6 speed manual coupe, TL 6 speed manual, and the Civic SI. The CRZ hybrid is not what Honda enthusiasts want and not a replacement for the S2000, Prelude, Integra/RSX and I don't see much a market for it at all or it being a big deal with only a 130hp hybrid and only being a 2 seater.
A green sportscar/supercar is all they will do now? Earth to Ito-san, nobody really is asking for or cares about a green sports car. Hybrid powertrains are the worst thing you can do to a focused sports car and big heavy batteries that quickly run out of juice after a run on the track will ruin any sports car intentions. People want power, passion, interaction, and a pure driving experience with a sports car like the S2000, NSX, Integra type R, etc.
Building more fuel efficient vehicles is great, going forward with hydrogen is great, but trying to make everything small and green is not going to cut it in the US and buyers want fuel efficient vehicles and also sporty drivers cars without some heavy hybrid powerplant.
I don't blame Honda Acura so much for their future outlook as I blame this pitiful sports car/performance/enthusiasts killing ceo Ito-san. Sadly Soichiro Honda must be rolling in his grave with this guy running things.