Honda Shuts Down Facebook Page Over Ugly CUV
We haven’t been posting on all the twist and turns of this story and certainly not with the flair and insight of former TTACer and current Autoblogger Jonny Lieberman (nor his Knight Riding cohort Mr. Nunez). But the gist is simple enough: 1. Honda designs an ugly CUV. 2. Honda releases images of ugly CUV. 3. The internet explodes with surfers crying “Whoa, Dude! That CUV is UGLY!” 4. Honda’s Facebook page is inundated with posters informing the company of this opinion 5. Honda blames its own photographs, claiming the ugly CUV looks better in the flesh 6. Honda tries again, with photos of a red-colored example of their ugly CUV. 7. No one is convinced. The internet sniggers at Honda’s Old School PR efforts. 8. Honda removes the pictures from Facebook, clears off their entire wall and prevents new posts. 9. Honda leaves the “new” images on their main website under “future cars.” Talk about managing expectations. Or not.
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As a fan of the old Nash Airflyte and the AMC Marlin, I love the look. It's stylish, but not as practical as an Aztek in that the floor is too close to the ceiling and the sides are not cladded and thus more susceptible to dings and dents. I like that it doesn't have the "suppository on dubs" look of the Edge or the Venza. It looks like its wheels fit it. The front end is fine, too. I'm glad that Honda is trying to break away from the Ford Super Duty's Uglier Brother front-end look of the Ridgeline and Pilot and the Hummer's Deformed Little Brother overall look of the Element.
I for one am not happy, let me count the ways... 1. I'm not happy with the styling trend of late model Asian cars, particularly, Honda, Toyota and Nissan (with several small exceptions). 2. I'm not happy when car companies tell me "it's comparable to so and so" (meaning: we looked at our competitors and did one slightly better). 3. I'm not happy with car companies that try to convince me to "try and like their designs" by changing photos/colors (if it doesn't look right, forcing myself to like it won't help). 4. I'm unhappy with car companies who built their reputations on sound fundamental principals, spent years convincing me why it was better and ultimately abandon them when it no longer suits their needs. 5. I'm unhappy with car companies who no longer innovate and start copying other bad designs. 6. I'm unhappy with car companies who try to convince me why their cars have grown large, overweight and unattractive and then insult my intelligence by saying "the market demands it and it was a business decision." 7. I'm unhappy with Asian cars who built their reputation on high quality, cost-effective cars who now offer diminishing quality and value insisting they are still superior. 8. I am unhappy with car companies who patronize their customers and believe they will always come back. 9. I am unhappy with car companies who still operate in a "vacuum or silo" and refuse to provide a channel for legitimate open dialogue between customers and corporate decision makers. 10. Finally, I am unhappy with Honda, Toyota and Nissan because they have become all of the above... When you no longer satisfy a customer and they leave - competition will ensure someone else will fill their need.