Honda Designer: New Pilot Will Grow On You
Like fungus? But seriously folks, Honda's Chief Designer felt compelled to both explain (it wazzunt me) and defend (try it, you'll like it) the new Pilot. Wardsauto.com cornered Dave Marek to extract the mea culpa. "The (controversial) grille was a case of taking something that was on something else… and kind of massaging it to fit,” he kind of asserts. “On the mockup, (it) looks good. When you actually manufacture it, oops! That’s actually what happened. It’s hard to foresee. (But) I think when (the ’09) is out on the road, people will appreciate it.” Why is this man prevaricating? The new Honda Pilot is a hit. Perhaps Marek is embarked on some kind of bizarre career seppuku. It sure sounds that way. "That kind of success makes it easier for designers to be heard, Marek says. “I can stand up at a board of directors meeting and say, ‘Are you people stupid?’ And nobody goes, ‘Get him out of here.’ They’ll say, ‘What are we doing wrong?’" Either that or "you're fired."
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Is this the jackass who's been slapping Ridgeline grilles on already-ugly new Honda models?? If so, he shouldn't just be fired -- he should be BEATEN. Either that, or he should do it the honorable Japanese way, and jump out of a 40th-floor window. I'll agree that Honda has often had relatively poor styling -- the previous-generation Accord sedan never really got beyond some awkward styling, and in the end got some of the most generic-styled changes, it was downright pitiful. But at least it was never OFFENSIVELY UGLY, like the new Accord. If this guy was responsible for that, then we all ought to sue him for damages to our eyesight. Geez, what a clown.
thoots, I agree. First we get the Ridgeline, then we get the Ridgeline sedan and coupe (Accord), the Ridgeline minivan and, now, the Ridgeline crossover. I'm afraid to see the next Civic.
The fact is, styling is falling down on the list of people's wants. Now utility, fuel efficiency and safety trump looks. My wife loves the way the CR-V looks, I however, think it's ugly. But I can't deny it's fit and finish, reliability, and overall value. Are we headed into another styling abyss?
Wow... Chris Elliott grew a ponytail.