Honda Accord Coupe Concept

[2o6]

Wow, they did almost nothing. With the reveal of the Fusion at the same show, this "concept" looks pretty bad.



And due to the fact that Honda did a similar thing with the Civic (show a concept that looks worse yet the same as the old car, and make a production model that is both bland and terrible) I do not have high hopes for Honda.


http://www.autoblog.com/2012/01/10/2013-honda-accord-coupe-concept-detroit-2012/

[Raza]

How is this a concept car?  They sell it already.  Honda went down the tubes really fucking fast.

[Xer0]

I?m sure they will get out a mid-cycle refresh by 2014 if this thing is any indication.  And on the powertrain front, the 2.4 is set to get Direct Injection to make a grand total of 181 hp and is coupled with a CVT.  That?s some class leading development right there.

At least it felt like Toyota did something with the Camry, I?m not so sure Honda even cared with the Accord.

On the bright side, its shiny.

[hotrodalex]

Did the tsunami destroy their design center, or have they all just quit?

[Colin]

Did the tsunami destroy their design center, or have they all just quit?

At first glance, I thought it was the current model, then I realised that a few styling changes have been made to make it look worse.. just like Honda have done with the Civic on both sides of the Atlantic (the Euro one had for more beatings from the ugly stick, the US one simply got the bland stick!).

Honda seem to have completely lost their plot.

[Gotta-Qik-C7]

Did the tsunami destroy their design center, or have they all just quit?

And the production version will be even uglier without those big wheels filling up the wells.........

[MX793]

Seems the auto division, for North America at least, is following in the footsteps of their North American motorcycle division.  Stagnant, boring, safe, "same old" products.

[ifcar]

It seems like the biggest development is that the sedan is getting smaller. Showcasing the coupe is just an odd choice.

[Atomic]

Perfection! Not unlike Toyota's success with its Camry and Ford's with the F-series pickup, making drastic changes would be too risky for Honda's amazing seller, the Accord. I can guarantee the new Accord will be in the top five of every monthly best sellers list in the U.S.

[ifcar]

The Accord hasn't been such a great seller lately.

[r0tor]

Wow this is lame... Most of the Japanese makes are really swirling around the toilet bowl lately

[CALL_911]

Oh, how the mighty have fallen.

[Atomic]

some text on the accord coupe/sedan for 2013

2012 DETROIT AUTO SHOW

Honda Accord Concept gets bolder looks, better drivetrains

The Accord Coupe Concept receives a revised four-sided honeycomb grille and sweeping taillights, as well as enhanced powertrains.

Automotive News -- January 10, 2012 - 9:45 am ET

DETROIT -- Honda Motor Co. today unveiled an Accord Coupe Concept that foreshadows the styling of the production car set to arrive this year against stiffening competition.

The concept, shown at the Detroit auto show, sports a creased beltline, muscular rear fender and aggressive lower fog lights. Powertrain improvements will be a key selling point for the 2013 Accord, Honda says.

After the Accord's 17 percent drop in U.S. sales last year, Honda is counting on the next Accord to take on freshly redesigned mid-sized rivals, including the Toyota Camry, Nissan Altima, Hyundai Sonata, Ford Fusion and Chevrolet Malibu.

The coupe will be the same size as the current model. But the sedan will have a smaller footprint than today's version, with a shorter wheelbase and lower curb weight for better handling and enhanced fuel economy.

Interior space will stay the same, Honda pledges.

The timing of the sedan's U.S. launch hasn't been released.

The Accord's U.S. sales decline last year, to 235,625, stemmed largely from supply shortages following Japan's March 11 earthquake.

That dropped it to fourth place in the segment, behind the Camry, Fusion and Altima. The Camry held onto its No. 1 spot despite dropping 6 percent to 308,510 units, also because of supply shortages after the earthquake.

Honda needs a strong showing from the Accord after its redesigned Civic small car received a chilly reception last year for what critics said was a cheap-looking interior.

American Honda's total U.S. sales fell 7 percent in a market that increased 10 percent.

New powertrains

The Accord will feature three new drivetrains.

The first will feature the initial U.S. use of the next-generation, direct-injection engine that Honda unveiled in late November at the Tokyo Motor Show. The so-called Earth Dreams engine, a 2.4-liter, 16-valve, DOHC i-VTEC four banger, will be combined with a new continuously variable transmission.

The engine delivers 181 hp and better fuel economy than the Accord's current base powerplant, an inline four. Honda did not release fuel-economy figures but said the engine aims to achieve class-leading mileage.

The second drivetrain will consist of a re-engineered 3.5-liter, 24-valve, SOHC i-VTEC V-6 engine paired with either a new six-speed automatic transmission or an existing six-speed manual. The automatic will achieve better fuel economy and horsepower than the outgoing model, Honda says.

The final variant is the first use of Honda's two-motor, plug-in hybrid system. In all-electric mode, the system's lithium ion battery and motor can power the car for up to 15 miles of city driving at speeds as high as 62 mph. The battery can be fully recharged in four hours using a 120-volt outlet or in 90 minutes with a 240-volt charger, Honda says.

For longer drives, the hybrid operates in gasoline-electric mode, drawing from a 2.0-liter, four-cylinder, Atkinson-cycle engine combined with a CVT. For high-speed cruising, the car can run in gasoline-only mode with the engine directly powering the front wheels.

The Accord Plug-in Hybrid will go on sale in the winter of 2012, Honda says.

Honda canceled the previous Accord hybrid at the end of its 2007 model year.

Safety features

Honda says the next Accord also will sport several new safety features.

It will have Honda's first lane-departure warning system and first forward-crash warning technology. Both use cameras mounted behind the windshield to alert drivers of dangers.

It also will get Honda's first use of its LaneWatch blind spot display, which uses a camera mounted on the passenger mirror to keep tabs on that side of the car.

A multiangle rearview camera also will come standard.

Other new standard features in the next Accord:

? Bluetooth hands-free phone interface.

? Full color information display.

? An SMS texting function that reads messages aloud.

? iPhone-compatible Pandora Internet radio.

[565]

I'm kinda excited about the Accord plug in hybrid.  I like how my parent's 2008 Accord drives ALOT.  Head and shoulders above the loaded 2011 Fusion that I recently rented.

15 miles of electric range might let you get away with a short daily commute.

[GoCougs]

How is this a concept car?  They sell it already.  Honda went down the tubes really fucking fast.

It's what happens when you spend your efforts where you shouldn't. This is the sin for the Pilot, Ridgeline, Crosstour, and other BS outside their competency. Toyota committed the same sin. It's a shame really.

However, just taking the current Accord and fixing the ride and road noise issues would go a long way to making it quite competitive. Improve the gauge cluster, spice up the interior a bit, add a 6sp AT, and it could still be near the top of the class.

[ifcar]

It's what happens when you spend your efforts where you shouldn't. This is the sin for the Pilot, Ridgeline, Crosstour, and other BS outside their competency

The Pilot is a core Honda product. 100k+ annual sales in a key market.

[thewizard16]

Meh. Although seeing this made me think about how sexy a Kia Optima coupe could look. Not sure why.

[MX793]

It's what happens when you spend your efforts where you shouldn't. This is the sin for the Pilot, Ridgeline, Crosstour, and other BS outside their competency. Toyota committed the same sin. It's a shame really.

However, just taking the current Accord and fixing the ride and road noise issues would go a long way to making it quite competitive. Improve the gauge cluster, spice up the interior a bit, add a 6sp AT, and it could still be near the top of the class.

The Pilot is a big seller.  I don't think that was a waste of efforts and resources.  The Ridgeline has been a flop, but it also came out a couple of years BEFORE the current generation Accord and Honda hasn't put a penny into updating it since its debut.  If the new Accord ends up mediocre due to too much effort placed elsewhere, that effort certainly hasn't gone into the Ridgeline.

[2o6]

I really wonder what Honda is doing.


Their hybrids suck; insight's MPG isn't all that great.

Their styling is universally ugly

Interior quality is at an all time low

They aren't particularly cheap

Powertrains and engines aren't really top tier anymore; they seem to be ignoring GDI (it finds its way on the new Accord, but output seems to be midpack) and VTEC is 20 years old.

And to top it off, they're not particularly fun to drive anymore.

[MX793]

I really wonder what Honda is doing.


Their hybrids suck; insight's MPG isn't all that great.

Their styling is universally ugly

Interior quality is at an all time low

They aren't particularly cheap

Powertrains and engines aren't really top tier anymore; they seem to be ignoring GDI (it finds its way on the new Accord, but output seems to be midpack) and VTEC is 20 years old.

And to top it off, they're not particularly fun to drive anymore.

It's pretty much the same story on the motorcycle side of the house.  I don't know what Honda Motors is putting their money into, but I'm having a hard time seeing it in their product lines.

[GoCougs]

The Pilot is a core Honda product. 100k+ annual sales in a key market.

The Pilot is a big seller.  I don't think that was a waste of efforts and resources.  The Ridgeline has been a flop, but it also came out a couple of years BEFORE the current generation Accord and Honda hasn't put a penny into updating it since its debut.  If the new Accord ends up mediocre due to too much effort placed elsewhere, that effort certainly hasn't gone into the Ridgeline.

Is it a key product if its efforts leached away efforts from long standing key products? I say no. We won't really know until how well (or poor) the not-all-new Civic and Accord do in the marketplace. My strong hunch is it will be an overall net negative; that Honda would have been better off long term keeping the development dollars aimed at the Accord, Civic, CR-V and Odyssey. (To which I add BS like the CR-Z and Insight as resource leaches.)

The decisions to not debut all-new models for the MY2011 Civic and MY2013 Accord were likely made 5-7+ years ago, and the development of the Ridgeline most certainly coincided with the '06 Civic and '08 Accord, and the Ridgeline absolute chews up resources, even if it's profitable (supply chain capacity, factory capacity, capital in general).

[GoCougs]

Hmmm. The official Honda press release says the 2013 sedan V6 will be available with a manual transmission...

[2o6]

Hmmm. The official Honda press release says the 2013 sedan V6 will be available with a manual transmission...

Is it worth it, though?

[CALL_911]

Hmmm. The official Honda press release says the 2013 sedan V6 will be available with a manual transmission...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2010-Acura-TL-SH-AWD-6-SPEED-Technology-Package-/110784926583?pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item19cb4bd377

[GoCougs]

Is it worth it, though?

I have no idea. However, the 7th gen V6 sedan with M/T was a fantastic car, and ran with the TLs, G35s, IS300s, A4s and 3ers of the day...

[SVT666]

Is it a key product if its efforts leached away efforts from long standing key products? I say no.

Then you're an idiot.  The Pilot is an important money maker and strong seller for Honda.  You have a point with the Insight and CR-Z, but not with the Pilot.

[SVT666]

Is it worth it, though?

[GoCougs]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2010-Acura-TL-SH-AWD-6-SPEED-Technology-Package-/110784926583?pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item19cb4bd377

Jeeeezus, but look how bad it looks. The interior (rear) is all sorts of compromised too. It's not useless like the Lexus IS but it's tight.

[GoCougs]

Then you're an idiot.  The Pilot is an important money maker and strong seller for Honda.  You have a point with the Insight and CR-Z, but not with the Pilot.

Hey, at least this time you got "you're" right...

What does the Pilot Picture look like if the Civic stays out of the top 10 top sellers and the Accord soon follows?

[CALL_911]

Jeeeezus, but look how bad it looks. The interior (rear) is all sorts of compromised too. It's not useless like the Lexus IS but it's tight.

The 8th gen Accord looks like a turd too, at least the TL's got more horsepower, a nicer interior, and the correct transmission.