The Crank: Will Honda ever grow some, again?

By John LeBlanc Inevitably these days, when I’m on the road at media events, the dinner talk turns to Honda. And it’s not about the company’s latest and greatest car either. No siree. On the numbers side, Honda's sales are down. In fact, almost by one-third, if you go back a couple of years ago. But more worrisome is on the emotional side of the ledger. Honda has lost its street cred with us car guys. The Japanese automaker has become the Cowardly Lion of the automotive world, desperately in need of some courage. Innovation and risk taking, a hallmark of the old Honda’s independent thinking, has vanished, especially in North America. Lest we forget, Honda was the first Japanese automaker to boldly go with a dedicated luxury brand, Acura, in 1986. Consider the Acura NSX, a car that scared the Italians enough to start making Ferraris that didn’t fall apart in your laneway. It hasn’t helped Acura that Honda recently pulled the plug on one of its potential key value propositions that could have given the premium brand some real attention: diesels. Instead, Honda’s idea of stretching the envelope is creating the quirky ZDX, a less practical version of the MDX. Honda even seems to be screwing up its Golden Goose: the all-conquering Civic. Only found as a sedan today, do you remember when we once had the choice of a Civic wagon, hatch, sedan or CR-X sports car? Or what about hybrids? A segment Honda led with the original 1999 Insight two seater?  Today, no one seems interested in Honda’s less-than-inspirational attempts in what is sure to be an important segment going forward to meet increasing fuel economy regulations. Sporty cars? Fuhgeddaboutit! The innovative Preludes, Integras and S2000s are long gone from showrooms, replaced by milquetoast offerings like the Civic-based Acura CSX Type-S, above. I ask you: Are there any-new Hondas/Acuras that get you excited? Is there any hope of Honda returning to its former product leadership role? Or is Honda simply too small a fish to make it an industry that seems to favour high-volume partnerships to save costs?

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