Some bold statements you put out there for discussion. I find it ironic that you chose to pick on Honda, as opposed to any of the other automakers.
Growing up in Detroit, I remember Honda flipping the bird to the other auto makers by not only meeting the "infeasible" new pollution control standards that would require "expensive" catalytic converters, but did it without a catalytic converter. Honda also has other first in terms of leadership with low emission and energy efficient cars, that I'm sure any of their marketing materials will be happy to point out to you. And their limited production Fit EV has gotten rave reviews. Lastly, Honda went it alone in the U.S., producing CNG cars all alone, and saw the vagaries of the market, from the 2005s that just sat on the lots, to 2006, where they couldn't make enough, and later years, where you paid MSRP plus, to this last year, where sales have dropped - all following the price of gasoline. I know this so well because I have two of them, and regularly talk to my dealer about how sales and demand is going for these cars. So I think that your criticisms are misplaced. Since one of the articles requires a signin, I'm not sure what you think are misleading comments from Honda, but your own comment that there is not a shift back towards the big beasts isn't accurate. Check out recent sales reports from GM, which has a multitude of lines, and their earnings reports, which point to this shift in sales. I'm not understanding why you have a problem with Honda developing their line based on consumer demand, or the most profit. Don't you understand that this is how all the automakers compete, not to mention companies in other fields? How is that not "valid", as you put it? That's why we have mandates, and incentives. Some of these have even worked to allow companies like Tesla make a go at it. Also ironically, you miss the big news found in your first article - a new line of battery electrics. This was a stunner to me. I would have picked Honda to go to FCEVs-only for their ZEVs. Sent from my iPhone > On Jun 16, 2015, at 12:24 AM, brucedp5 via EV <ev@lists.evdl.org> wrote: > > > > * Keep discussions EV related * > > Sieving through all the newswires on plugins, one can foresee see some > coming trends, along with mis-information still being spend by automakers. > With the slightly less pump price$ (<$4gal), the public has relaxed its > buying habits. > > One might make the mistake of thinking their buying will shift back to huge > inefficient (more vehicle than they need for the one-person commute) SUVs > ice. But the news piece below mentions rather that buyers are going to > smaller (non-electrified, non-plug-in) ice ... > > > http://www.dailydemocrat.com/business/20150615/honda-to-kill-its-civic-hybrid-and-cng-models > Honda to kill its Civic hybrid and CNG models > By Charles Fleming Los Angeles Times 06/15/15 ... > > While a new Accord hybrid will debut for 2016, there will be no plug-in > version of that vehicle until 2018 ... will go forward with a planned [fcv] > by 2016. Honda will also offer "an entirely new generation" of all-new > battery electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles after 2016 > > "This reflects zero interest from American consumers in small, > fuel-efficient cars -- especially more expensive hybrid versions of small, > fuel-efficient cars," said Karl Brauer, of Kelley Blue Book. "This is in > keeping with where the market is going, away from hybrids and toward > smaller, more efficient [ice]." ... > [© Daily Democrat] > ... > http://www.wsj.com/articles/honda-to-discontinue-cng-and-hybrid-civic-models-1434386062 > > > The above news piece reads like copy handed to the media outlet by the > automaker (it is the automaker's words, not fact). What is not said is the > automaker's mood-change is not new, and their attempt to rationalism their > change with 'buyer demand'. > > IMO, I can not see their 'excuse' as valid. Weak efforts on the automaker's > part (they never really wanted to sell plugins, and like TMC, wanted to sell > a few fcvs), in combination with the 'threat' of the other automakers' > pressure of going fcv (TMC aka:Toyota, -many-others-, recently BMW & more), > and their dislike for less profitable plugins, are forces on the automaker. > > Yet in: > > > http://www.motoring.com.au/news/2015/honda/accord/honda-accord-goes-hybrid-51877 > Honda Accord goes hybrid > 16 June 2015 ... > "We're not concerned with mass-market hybrid," said Honda Australia chief > Stephen Collins. "Instead we'll focus on the premium end. We see the growth > at the top-end of the mid-size hybrid market." ... > > > Which reads like the automaker is willing to make high-end/more-costly > electrified vehicles (for Eco-feel-good affluent buyers) if there is a > profit to be made (money talks). > > > But IMO, I foresee something else. That change to weaken the CA-CARB mandate > smells of the dilution of the former CA-mandate of years ago as a prelude to > the U.S. administration change that happened at about the same time (which > fought the CARB mandate tooth and nail). > > So, does brick-and-mortar (old-school) automakers' marketing changes signal > they are betting on the coming elections to favor their 'non-plugin' way of > thinking? ... (it looks that way from what I am reading). > > > Also, some will notice that I am including more nEVs (lower cost, > sub-highway-speed EVs) in the newswires I post. Another change is that these > nEVs are no longer just focused on lower income countries. TMC has long > pushed that the only EV-market are nEVs. Now, other companies are selling > nEVs because they are a lower-priced transportation solution that consumers > enjoy. China buyers like low cost nEVs, and now Euro buyers are going to be > offered the same deal. For companies that sell nEVs, it is cheaper thus more > profitable for them plus there are less regulations on these lower-speed EV > to be hassled with. Sadly, none of these nEVs at this time are offered with > L2 charging which would make them a truly viable low-cost EV (a 50mi@30mph > nEV w/ a L2 6kW on-board charger= ~20mins to 60%SOC?). > > > EVangels should stay vigilant to know of these automaker marketing changes > and continue to promote the EV-cause no-matter what is thrown at us. Even if > it gets as bad as in the 2000's when automakers got-away-with not > making/offering any plugins at-all by just giving-away egolf-carts/nEVs. > > > > > For EVLN posts use: > http://evdl.org/evln/ > > > {brucedp.150m.com} > > > > -- > View this message in context: > http://electric-vehicle-discussion-list.413529.n4.nabble.com/OT-Change-in-automakers-direction-tp4676263.html > Sent from the Electric Vehicle Discussion List mailing list archive at > Nabble.com. > _______________________________________________ > UNSUBSCRIBE: http://www.evdl.org/help/index.html#usub > http://lists.evdl.org/listinfo.cgi/ev-evdl.org > For EV drag racing discussion, please use NEDRA > (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NEDRA) > _______________________________________________ UNSUBSCRIBE: http://www.evdl.org/help/index.html#usub http://lists.evdl.org/listinfo.cgi/ev-evdl.org For EV drag racing discussion, please use NEDRA (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NEDRA)
