I agree, they need to keep it angular and not the "fish mouth" of the Hyundai design.
Honda is working hard on establishing itself again, I've seen many concepts and many attempts to crack upper management, but they dont seem to budge. I think the shift to family focus was not the correct one to do. They still have top quality ratings in the IQS scores and top safety picks for a long time running, They just dont offer driving fun.
Technology wise, they're quite intuitive. However, its all outdated now. Their engine technology blows my mind, though. I just dont get why the cant apply all of it. I heard rumors of a 800hp V10......
They're getting there, they just got a late start.
I think the issue with Honda starts with the CEO, Takanobu Ito. He seems to be undecided on whether Honda should focus on practical, energy efficient options that represent the future (hybrid powertrains), or sporty offerings that pay homage to Honda's racing past. If you look at the CR-Z, it's clear Honda attempted to be both energy-efficient and sporty at the same time, but really ended up being neither. Also if you look at all the rumors about the NSX successor being hybrid AWD with two electric motors powering the front wheels, the design philosophy there also appears to be more of the "energy-efficient but sporty" approach.
I personally believe that will fail, at least with the current state of the market. The problem is, if the NSX is to be competitive priced but comparable in terms of performance in the $100k segment (GT-R, ZO6/ZR1, 911), it will be very difficult to achieve that with a hybrid powertrain. Eventually, all sports cars will likley switch to some sort of energy-efficient powertrain, but that time is not now. Honda is attempting to position itself to be competitive in the future, but at the expense of the present.
I agree with you though, if Honda would just roll out some of its current non-hybrid powertrains (say the 500hp V10 in the HSV-010GT), that would easily be enough to be at least competitive in the current market. Just don't make the mistake Lexus did with the LF-A and delay development so long as to become irrelevant.
