Is Honda the best motor company in the world?
who is the best motor company in the world??and why?
http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20061219/add-japan-honda.htm
http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20061219/add-japan-honda.htm
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2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
As for Honda, I would say they are one of the most DIVERSE car companies in the world, if nothing else. Not too many of the car companies out there also make jet planes, robots, lawn mowers, and generators, in addition to motorcycles and participation in motorsports.
As for their cars, I think they do still stand out in their class most of the time, and a lot of the press seem to agree. But it is hard to say how one would even establish parameters for a discussion of what is the "best" car company.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
But for a solid, well built appliance (I've owned 8, all with positive experiences) that doesn't bore you silly driving it, they build one helluva vehicle. And as Nippon mentioned above, their diversity is admirable.
Oh, and their gearboxes and VTEC motors are addictive.
1. They are one of the best automotive companies and any argument against Honda would not be about their motor.
2. Honda is among the elite in motorcycles and is in the running for extracting the most hp/L. IMO, they are competitive with Yamaha and Kawasaki as the "best" motorcycle (in terms of power/displacement, ride and longevity). Only one other company (Suzuki) makes cars and motorcycles.
3. Honda, IMO, is second to none in generators and lawnmowers (although somewhat expensive).
Honda is not only diverse in their engine production, they are almost always among the elite in the various applications. It all starts with the engine.
Indeed Toyotas will always be quieter and Mazdas will be more fun to toss around, but Honda hits a sweet spot between these two and manages to pretty much match Toyota's bulletproof reliability.
I think they are the best compromise between an appliance car and a fun to drive one. Keeps them popular.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
Rocky
It's a solid company! I owned a little over $5K of Honda stock until a few years ago. Sold for reasons other than their performance...
I would've liked to have owned a Honda on 5 or 6 past occasions. However, the Honda dealers I visited were proud of their product...to proud to earn my business. (no need to state "you get what you pay for...)
IMO, Honda would be larger, but for two beliefs: 1)their focus on engines rather than the whole car and 2) the dealer/sales force attitude. Honda developed engines and vehicles. They sold product to support development. OTOH, Toyota focused more on the customer and meeting the needs/expectations of the customer. They concentrated on vehicle sales and developed, because the cash allowed it.
And powertrains are definitely Honda's forte. While they are paying more attention to the rest of the vehicle than they did 10-20 years ago, they could still stand to improve in this area, particularly in terms of longevity.
The only place I will disagree is that I think they are doing a pretty good job these days of listening to their customers (Honda NA, not the dealers!). But that represents a remarkable shift that has occurred in the last ten years or so, IMO.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
I agree dealers from both Honda and Acura are a royal PITA.
I honstly believe you and I along with thousands others have a leg up on your average adult. We have this site along with others to find out what other people are paying for cars. I've recently visited the 2007' Acura TL Type-S forum to see what others are paying for there Type-S cars because a dealer here in Texas, has e-mailed me wanting me to buy another TL. He only wants to give me $2296 off MSRP and I told him he isn't giving me a "great deal" like he said he would because others are under invoice a few hundred to about $1200-1300 under invoice on Type-S TL's. I wrote him my response and interested to see what he will have to say. He might just tell me to go fly a kite which is okay with me.
Rocky
As for Honda dealers well I did deal with the Acura dealer that I got my CL from and yeah they were tough to deal with but the dealer is a nice facility and great customer service all around.
I do agree their dealers can be difficult to deal with on occasion, although I have had some sympathetic service advisors willing to go the extra mile for me.
I think the question is too subjective! LOL Oh wait, the question was motor company, not car company! Sorry!
Never mind...
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"Honda upping Worldwide production..."
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New Fit in the Fall, Diesel in 09'
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- Redesigned Fit coming this fall
- Clean Diesel engine is expected in 2009 for the NA market. It is expected to make its way into the current V6 offerings like the Ody, RL and maybe the Accord
- a replacement for the Insight is on the way, a hybrid model slotted below the Civic hybrid.
- NA production numbers to rise. Honda would like to see a jump from 1.4m cars to over 1.6 million
- All new plant being built in Indiana
- CRV to be introduced to Mexico market as well as Thailand and Argentina
- Honda to team up with China in joint venture with Guangzhou Ltd to develop new products for the Chinese market
Along with a brand new Accord this fall (This is a make or break model for them). Will it keep pace with the segment leading Camry? Can it hold off fierce competition from the redesigned Altima, the Fusion triplets, or the new new Mazda 6?
All in all, there is a lot going on here. I have a feeling that being a small automaker, they are starting to feel the squeeze that is happening from the larger brands like Toyota, FMC and GM. It doesn't work being small anymore...
Any thoughts? Is it inevitible to their survival to maybe team up or merge with a larger brand?
Honda's formula in the past has been growing slowly but consistently as opposed to being overly aggressive and trying to play in every market segment.
I don't know how you can separate engines from cars when you are talking about Honda anymore, so we'll encourage more "car" talk in here and maybe the founders of the thread won't get too irritated.
Seems like most car companies call themselves some flavor of motor anyhoo. (Ford Motor, General Motors, Hyundai Motor Co., etc.)
Fezo, you really need to drive that Miata!
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
I once bought a Honda from an outfit called "Foreign Engine Company" (it's now boringly named Herb Chambers Honda). :zzzzz:
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
A couple of weeks ago I was at a party and this woman there had this old first generation Miata and told me to go take a spin. I was happy to oblige. The thing had 150K on it, needed a fair bit of suspension work and had an automatic. It was still a lot of fun even with all that. Fortunately where we were let me take it over the river and through the woods even if I didn't have a grandmother's house to go to. Once I hit the McMansions it was definitely time to head back.
I haven't driven a S2000. I really should do that. There's a couple of used ones on the local Honda lot.
Of course when I got back to the dealer I got tag teamed by the sales manager and the price magically rose over the MSRP that I had said ok to, so I walked. :P
Guess I need to go write a review of that dealer with the new dealer ratings & reviews here.
Did they have a Honda dealer in Anchorage? Most of my dealings took place in the 1970s. I pretty much wrote the Anchorage dealers off after my 1973 Subaru fiasco.
The squeeze that GM and Ford are feeling are self explanitory: I mean GM Hasn;t had a YTD sales inrease since 2000 in the US. As for Ford in the US they have a lost 1 point of market share in the US every year since 1995 I think. Toyota is the only brand of the 3 that you mentioned on your post above that has grown sales wise in the last y6 years in the US saleswise. BTW, Honda is not a small automaker I think a small automaker would be like Mazda(who I do like though), Mitsu, and Subie but not Honda.
"Any thoughts? Is it inevitible to their survival to maybe team up or merge with a larger brand?"
Honda's survival is fine right now since they are profitable. Look at what happened with the Chrysler/Mercedes relationship: horrible and the only good thing that Chrysler got out of the relationship with Benz was the Chrysler 300.
"Along with a brand new Accord this fall (This is a make or break model for them). Will it keep pace with the segment leading Camry? Can it hold off fierce competition from the redesigned Altima, the Fusion triplets, or the new new Mazda 6?"
I saw the picture of the 08 Accord Sedan and as a Honda fan I was dissapointed because the back end looks too bland for today's market.
Thats like a totally different car in comparing in 80 Accord to an 00 Accord that they are not even worth comparing. I think today's Civic sedan would be worth comparing to an 80's Accord not the 98+ Accord's. In addition the 98 Accord is a midize car(EPA ratings) whereas the 80 had to be a compact in my opinion.
All in all, there is a lot going on here. I have a feeling that being a small automaker, they are starting to feel the squeeze that is happening from the larger brands like Toyota, FMC and GM. It doesn't work being small anymore...
Any thoughts? Is it inevitible to their survival to maybe team up or merge with a larger brand?
Are you nuts? Honda is not a small company. Not long ago Honda was only known for it's Motorcycles and ATVs. The company is growing steadily. Remember their first SUV was a re-badged Isuzu. Now they make the best selling compact SUV (CRV), and a very successful large SUV (Pilot). Honda does not rush into things, and will take their time to build their cars and trucks with high quality and reliability. The current Accord is still considered the top rated car in the midsize segment by Car & Driver, Consumer Reports, among others, compared to cars like Camry and Altima which were both recently redesigned. They now build some of the highest quality products, from lawnmowers to just recently the Honda Jet plane. No, they are not hell bent on world domination, like Toyota is, but Honda has a lot more going for it than just cars.
I have always purchased Ford or GM or Chrysler products...but am now seriously considering a 2007 Honda CRV
I agree, but that seems to be the trend with the Accord in the '00s. :-(
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
I have seen and driven the 2008 Accords and they are going to be a HOME RUN hit! They REALLY did a great job!
As the Internet Manager, I usually don't attend these anymore but I decided I ought to know something about the cars I sell. Quite a car, I have to say!