| Jump to bottom |
Honda to launch Crosstour
CARNUT...
You mentioned that you were surprised by Saab. at the car show. Did they have the new 2010 9.5, soon to be available, at the show?
Check it out on their web SAAB.com
My son has a 2009 9.3 Aero.....it will match the best out there....just wish they'd change the location of the ignition switch although that's a Saab holdout of old.
Talkin'Cars.....
Honda to launch Crosstour
CARNUT....
"Problem for VW is that the Passat is priced above the Camery/Accord competition(though with nicer materials and driving experience)."
Wonder if the the higher price is recouped with a higher return at time of resale???? If you get it back at resale and you have a more enjoyable ownership experience(materials, driving experience, etc) then the VW might still be a smarter buy.
I know numerous GM salaried retirees who will never again buy a GM vehicle but for various personal reasons will never buy a Japanese car (Canery/Honda)....These are the ex-GM buyers who are now buying Ford or German.
Great to talk cars.....
Honda to launch Crosstour
Saw the new VW design sketch. Looks nice, but I hope they don't make the suspension soft, like a Chevy Impala.
Problem for VW is that the Passat is priced above the Camry/Accord competition (though with nicer materials and driving experience). Same goes for the Jetta and the Golf.
For those that appreciate a driver's car, VW exists. For those that want basic transportion- buy a Camry.
Honda to launch Crosstour
So Auto Talkers choose between the two: The Honda Crosstour or the Euro spec Honda Accord Tourer:
http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/showthread.php?p=84076
Apparently we will get the Tourer in the fall of '10 as an Acura. OK Honda Motor Company here's two things you gotta do if you want to sell more cars: 1. Make it a Honda and sell an Acura variant if you have to. 2. Have the dice to get us North Americans the clean diesel option. The numbers are there believe me and you'll start a buzz beyond VW.
Honda to launch Crosstour
CARNUT...
The Fiats are coming. Hope they import some of their better models. Detroit News showed a Fiat(500)?) and a "Pigmy" Alfa that looked like s**t.
Chrysler has a chance with Fiat since GM, by agreement with the UAW, is not allowed to import any small econ-cars. The UAW want any small GM car to be built here in UAW plants. Trouble is, the earliest they wiil be able to enter the market is late 2011 with the Cruz to be built in the Lake Orion plant....a dollar short and a day late...everyone else will be way ahead of them. Another UAW nail in the GM coffin.
What have you heard about the new VW that is to replace the Paasat? Supposed to be built in the USA. I've seen artist rendering only...looks good though. Do you know any details???
Honda to launch Crosstour
'
Kernzie stated: "OK, I'll give all you designers and product people a free lesson. Americans WILL begin to buy in quantity properly done Sport Wagons, CUV's, hatches and funky stuff like the Nissan Cube, Scion Xb. I've been a Subaru wagon fan since the 80's so the recent popularity of the Outback and others like it in the US press and marketplace is no surprise to me but apparently Honda's product people and designers in the US never got the memo. It'll save all of you product people a lot of grief if you just get a hold of me first or hire me before you make any decisions."
===
Kernzie's basically on target for the "average consumer" (probably 40% to 60% of the market).
We want to move our family and friends, our stuff, and have the ability to tow when necessary.
I agree that there are those that like flash/style/power/speed ... but in actuality these are very "splintered niches". It seems these folks generally want something unique.
I challenge the OEMs to put a 45 to 65 mpg(US) combined average small displacement (2.0 liter or less) Euro type turbo diesel (with MORE THAN 40 years of evolution and refinements) along with a 6 speed dual-cluch transmission in passenger vehicle for the "average consumer" and see what happens!
You could do something similar with 30 to 55 mpg(US) combined average vans and pickups.
Just a suggestion.
PS: I'm also available to "GET THE JOB DONE" if you need help!
.
Honda to launch Crosstour
Along with other manufacturers including the DET3, Honda is trying to figure out what Americans will buy now that the SUV craze has fizzled. Fuelled by ridiculously low gas prices we saw how Americans lost any taste they had for hatches and wagons and turned to minivans & SUV's which in reality are just larger versions of hatches and station wagons. This phenomenon has always been a mystery to Europeans and Canadians who due to our more intelligent fuel tax regimes, never lost our love for versatile 'estates' and hatches. In the rest of the world they are an intricate part of the automotive mix but are only creeping back into the American mindset. The problem is both domestic and foreign designers make the fatal mistake of trying to design for American tastes (oxymoron?) by starting with misguided assumptions like 'Americans won't buy wagons or hatchbacks' and 'Americans won't buy diesels' so they design ugly stuff like the Crosstour and delete diesel options. They reference flops like the Ford Freestyle to strengthen their argument. The Freestyle was a poorly executed (by a soccer mom) Station Wagon not a Sport Wagon, there IS a difference DUH! Look on the Crosstour's facebook page and feedback on other auto sites. What do Honda and Accord fans want to see instead of the Crosstour? The Euro spec Accord wagon of course.
OK, I'll give all you designers and product people a free lesson. Americans WILL begin to buy in quantity properly done Sport Wagons, CUV's, hatches and funky stuff like the Nissan Cube, Scion Xb. I've been a Subaru wagon fan since the 80's so the recent popularity of the Outback and others like it in the US press and marketplace is no surprise to me but apparently Honda's product people and designers in the US never got the memo. It'll save all of you product people a lot of grief if you just get a hold of me first or hire me before you make any decisions. LOL
Honda to launch Crosstour
The latest Buick LaCrosse is a nice foriegn design. It was designed in China! Actually, it's the best looking Buick in years. The materials are better (still not the best), as I looked at one at the South Florida International Car Show in Miami Beach.
Shouldn't surprise anyone that it is designed in China. Buick is actually a status symbol there, and they sell 3-4 times as many Buicks in China than they do in the USA.
Anyone remember the last time Buick built a competitive car? The last rwd Buick Regal- maybe.
Honda to launch Crosstour
Hey Look! Another boring foreign car design. Let's give it some rave reviews and even maybe some awards. Than let's bash the domestic automakers for not creating something as great as this.
Wake up people! The domestic automakers are creating some of the most stylish vehicles on the road. Plus, there quality is as good, if not better than Honda or Toyota!
Honda to launch Crosstour
YAWN...
Honda to launch Crosstour
The Imperial Japanese are coming out with another copy of a superior American auto. Simply buy American! Why risk lives driving another Asian flop! Let's get America back to work!!
Honda to launch Crosstour
Looks like a remake of the Dodge Magnum ?
Honda to launch Crosstour
Looks a LOT like the Ford Taurus. That alone may help the domestics as it's not what people want to buy.
| Jump to top |
