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Peter Lyon's column
The Acura is proof that Honda doesn't get it right all of the time
When the covers came off Acura's Advanced Sedan Concept at the recent Los Angeles Auto Show, I shuddered in disbelief. How could the firm get it so wrong? I thought the car was a disaster. It looked like a cross between a Batmobile and a boat. No, make that a dinghy. Who in their right mind would green-light this monstrosity?
And to think it is the first concept from Acura - Honda's US luxury brand - since it opened its all-new design centre in California. Words fail me. The comparisons with the impressive Remix show model, revealed only two hours earlier at the Honda stand, were striking to say the least.
Strongly rumoured to be the next CRX, that Honda looked as if it was purpose-built by a car maker with an end goal. The Acura, however, came across as a misguided experiment by a shipbuilder trying to get into the automotive business. And failing. Had it been called the Advanced Amphibian, it would have translated better. It just goes to show what happens when you venture too far into the unknown. Can you believe Acura's chief designer actually said the firm envisaged captains of industry driving limousines like this beyond 2015? I don't think so.
Why am I being so hard on Acura? Because normally, it makes rather good cars. The RSX, TSX, RL and MDX are all excellent machines with some of the most distinctive styling you'll see from Japan. The Acura Advanced Sedan Concept is not. In fact, I think it put a black mark against Honda's good name, especially in a year when the company recorded some outstanding achievements.
It all started around 12 months ago when the Civic and Ridgeline captured the US Car of the Year and Truck of the Year gongs. No mean feat. Then, in mid-2006, Honda's big investment in Formula One finally paid off in Hungary, when Jenson Button claimed his first race victory.
Okay, so much for awards and trophies. What about product? Firstly, out of the 200 or so new cars I drove last year, Honda's FCX fuel cell concept was the most impressive. Makers have told us countÂless times that fuel cell vehicles are still at least a decade away, but the FCX's stunning lines, smooth powertrain and superb packaging have brought the future to us. It feels ready to go today.
If company founder Soichiro Honda was still alive, he'd be a very proud man. Come to think of it, had he still been around in November, he would have celebrated his 100th birthday. And as if honouring a century since his birth, the firm chose November to unveil its revolutionary HondaJet aircraft, after more than 20 years in development. It also picked November to mark the 10th year since its motorcycling legend, the CBR1100XX Super Blackbird, went on sale.
But hang on... Honda selected November's LA show to unveil that hideous Advanced Sedan thingy, too. Ah well, I guess it just goes to show you can't get everything right all the time!
In the same way that the perky little walking robot, Asimo, started to run this year, Honda will be hoping the NSX replacement, planned for a Detroit debut next week, can inject some extra step into its line-up for 2007. Because with the new Nissan GT-R, Mitsubishi Evo and Subaru Impreza due this year, bosses will want to dissolve any memory of that Acura boat-like sedan adventure. And fast.
Peter Lyon is Japan editor of Auto Express and writes for a number of influential titles worldwide
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| The Acura, however, came across as a misguided experiment by a shipbuilder trying to get into the automotive business | |
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And to think it is the first concept from Acura - Honda's US luxury brand - since it opened its all-new design centre in California. Words fail me. The comparisons with the impressive Remix show model, revealed only two hours earlier at the Honda stand, were striking to say the least.
Strongly rumoured to be the next CRX, that Honda looked as if it was purpose-built by a car maker with an end goal. The Acura, however, came across as a misguided experiment by a shipbuilder trying to get into the automotive business. And failing. Had it been called the Advanced Amphibian, it would have translated better. It just goes to show what happens when you venture too far into the unknown. Can you believe Acura's chief designer actually said the firm envisaged captains of industry driving limousines like this beyond 2015? I don't think so.
Why am I being so hard on Acura? Because normally, it makes rather good cars. The RSX, TSX, RL and MDX are all excellent machines with some of the most distinctive styling you'll see from Japan. The Acura Advanced Sedan Concept is not. In fact, I think it put a black mark against Honda's good name, especially in a year when the company recorded some outstanding achievements.
It all started around 12 months ago when the Civic and Ridgeline captured the US Car of the Year and Truck of the Year gongs. No mean feat. Then, in mid-2006, Honda's big investment in Formula One finally paid off in Hungary, when Jenson Button claimed his first race victory.
Okay, so much for awards and trophies. What about product? Firstly, out of the 200 or so new cars I drove last year, Honda's FCX fuel cell concept was the most impressive. Makers have told us countÂless times that fuel cell vehicles are still at least a decade away, but the FCX's stunning lines, smooth powertrain and superb packaging have brought the future to us. It feels ready to go today.
If company founder Soichiro Honda was still alive, he'd be a very proud man. Come to think of it, had he still been around in November, he would have celebrated his 100th birthday. And as if honouring a century since his birth, the firm chose November to unveil its revolutionary HondaJet aircraft, after more than 20 years in development. It also picked November to mark the 10th year since its motorcycling legend, the CBR1100XX Super Blackbird, went on sale.
But hang on... Honda selected November's LA show to unveil that hideous Advanced Sedan thingy, too. Ah well, I guess it just goes to show you can't get everything right all the time!
In the same way that the perky little walking robot, Asimo, started to run this year, Honda will be hoping the NSX replacement, planned for a Detroit debut next week, can inject some extra step into its line-up for 2007. Because with the new Nissan GT-R, Mitsubishi Evo and Subaru Impreza due this year, bosses will want to dissolve any memory of that Acura boat-like sedan adventure. And fast.
Peter Lyon is Japan editor of Auto Express and writes for a number of influential titles worldwide
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