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CB77
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If there is any further doubt as to where this goof-ball beak styling came from, read the attached bit of clap-trap from Dave Marek, at the release of the 2006 "Advanced Sedan Concept". (This was the first concept car with the heavily pronounced beak styling) Something he is obviously very proud of...and straight out of Torrance.
I think it is time to pull the styling back into Japan. Here's the article, and a link to the pictures:
http://www.netcarshow.com/acura/2006-advanced_sedan_concept/
"We wanted to capture the essence of an ultra luxurious sedan but give it a striking, mysterious presence to create a vehicle with a dual personality," said Dave Marek, chief designer, Honda R&D Americas, Inc. "The concept echoes this quality with its clean exterior lines, a wide, stance, high performance cues and key luxury accents."
The hood is accented with pronounced character lines that culminate in the aggressive five-sided grille, which contributes to the sedan's bold presence. The commanding grille is constructed of polished aluminum and features a cut crystal Acura emblem. The narrow headlights also double as air intakes and are positioned low on the bumper, further enhancing the sedan's already commanding 79.5 inch width.
"The front of the sedan communicates power and luxury," explains Marek. "The pronounced hood and large grille communicate performance, while the jewel-like Acura emblem captures the essence of pure luxury."
In the rear, the Advanced Sedan Concept has a flush mounted rear bumper with the high-mounted stop lamp integrated into the center break of the trunk. The jeweledtaillights are pushed to the outer edge of the bumper to further enhance the vehicle's wide and low appearance, while integrated dual exhaust outlets complement the sedan's performance-oriented style.
During the past decade, several Acura vehicles have been designed and developed in the U.S. including the award winning MDX luxury SUV, the innovative TL performance luxury sedan and the all-new RDX turbocharged crossover SUV. Acura will continue the expansion of its U.S. design capabilities with the addition of a dedicated Acura Design Center that will open next year in Torrance, Ca.
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CVCC1974
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What I see the main problem is that Honda Japan gives too much freedom for the development of Acura brand (& even American Honda) and what we see right now is a too much drifting away from Honda's philosophy and roots. I don't think designers who work for Acura (and even American Honda R&D) really have any emotional connection to Honda. Designers who work for Honda in Japan are very dedicated to Honda to the level of affection, and they are Honda fans themselves. This doesn't seem to be the case at Acura R&D.
I was shocked that the girl who designed ZDX could easily moved to General Motors. To me, if I love Honda & I happen to work for Honda as a designer, I'd try to stay with Honda the best I can. If I ever had to move, I'd rather move to BMW or Mercedes, but not a GM brand for sure.
I really wish Honda Japan's R&D have more executive control to Honda America, especially Acura, so that "styling mistakes" like current TL, ZDX & Crosstour would be eliminated. But I think they're aware of this right now & moving into the right direction.
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CR-V9
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Why?
(and Why peopl want fire people, right away? not that they can do any better.)
Acura is a North America brand.
Designers here know their people and their taste better than people in Japan. Cars are made here and should be designed here too, I think. They should get more freedom to do what they think is good.
They may falter in the biginning but Honda Japan should stand behind them. Failure is a Honda's middle name. And I don't think the original design was a failure.
They wanted to disassociate Acura from Honda. Maybe it was the reason for the design. I thought it was sort of Cadillac-ish but now it looks like a Honda+.
Not that I matter because I'm not a Acura customer.
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