Not worried about 2009 Pilot
- Thread starter jabba
- Start date
That Jeep is absolutely horrible. OMG. And to top that off, it's now got a companion in the Compass, which I think may be the ugliest production vehicle of recent times.
REASON BEHIND HONDA THINKING
We didnt want to sacrifice passenger or cargo space for the sake of styling, or have canted rear glass or a sweeping roofline, Rob Keough, a senior product planner for Honda, told AutoObserver. Of utmost importance for Pilot is to maintain functionality, and packaging space. Thats the starting point.
MARKET WAVE
Unfortunately, several more models bearing the traditional, squared-off SUV design nearly all large vehicles as well are also struggling in the marketplace, including Jeep Commander and Ford Explorer. Meanwhile, some other crossover models on the same rough timetable as the 2009 Pilot will unabashedly expand on the sleekness theme, including the 2009 Dodge Journey and 2009 Toyota Venza.
HONDA`S CONFIDENCE AND VISION
Hondas Schifsky confirmed that this prototype is designed to accurately show the styling direction of the 09 Pilot. While there will certainly be some changes when the car reaches production, he said, you should expect to see much of this prototypes styling cues in the production version. The new design, he said, is evolutionary.
In fact, Keough said the styling of the 2009 Pilot might advance just far enough, thank you, for certain important groups of target consumers.
We wanted to give the car a bit more emotional styling and some character both for current Pilot customers who love their vehicle as well as people leaving the truck-based SUV segment who might want something just a little more boldly styled, he said. Someone coming out of a Grand Cherokee or an Explorer isnt going to be ready to buy a [Mazda] CX-9 or Acadia or a station wagon, which are really more on-road vehicles with car-like styling.
We already have vehicles in our lineup that cater to those segments also. We wanted Pilot to continue to represents its unique positioning: the best of both worlds.
But the company certainly isnt touting advanced styling as among the 2009 Pilots most promising attributes. Rather, Honda is focusing on what Schifsky called more accommodating interior packaging and advanced technologies for safety, fuel efficiency and convenience.
We didnt want to sacrifice passenger or cargo space for the sake of styling, or have canted rear glass or a sweeping roofline, Rob Keough, a senior product planner for Honda, told AutoObserver. Of utmost importance for Pilot is to maintain functionality, and packaging space. Thats the starting point.
MARKET WAVE
Unfortunately, several more models bearing the traditional, squared-off SUV design nearly all large vehicles as well are also struggling in the marketplace, including Jeep Commander and Ford Explorer. Meanwhile, some other crossover models on the same rough timetable as the 2009 Pilot will unabashedly expand on the sleekness theme, including the 2009 Dodge Journey and 2009 Toyota Venza.
HONDA`S CONFIDENCE AND VISION
Hondas Schifsky confirmed that this prototype is designed to accurately show the styling direction of the 09 Pilot. While there will certainly be some changes when the car reaches production, he said, you should expect to see much of this prototypes styling cues in the production version. The new design, he said, is evolutionary.
In fact, Keough said the styling of the 2009 Pilot might advance just far enough, thank you, for certain important groups of target consumers.
We wanted to give the car a bit more emotional styling and some character both for current Pilot customers who love their vehicle as well as people leaving the truck-based SUV segment who might want something just a little more boldly styled, he said. Someone coming out of a Grand Cherokee or an Explorer isnt going to be ready to buy a [Mazda] CX-9 or Acadia or a station wagon, which are really more on-road vehicles with car-like styling.
We already have vehicles in our lineup that cater to those segments also. We wanted Pilot to continue to represents its unique positioning: the best of both worlds.
But the company certainly isnt touting advanced styling as among the 2009 Pilots most promising attributes. Rather, Honda is focusing on what Schifsky called more accommodating interior packaging and advanced technologies for safety, fuel efficiency and convenience.
CX9 SportOwner
Member
Can you say Odyssey?
Someone coming out of a Grand Cherokee or an Explorer isn’t going to be ready to buy a [Mazda] CX-9 or Acadia or a station wagon, which are really more on-road vehicles with car-like styling
Has this Honda Product Planner ever seen an Acadia? It's definitely trucky looking as compared to the CX-9. He should open his eyes and see how well the Acadia is selling, presumably because it's more truck-like (and presumably because it was first to market). In fact, GM's SUV sales (Equinox, Envoy) are way, way down, probably because people are fleeing to the Acadia.
I agree that the typical SUV buyer would probably not buy a CX-9, since it is more "curvy". But many of them are buying the Acadia because it's more chunky, if you believe the forums. So Honda's precious Pilot is now stuck competing with the roomier, truckier Acadia, as well as the sleeker CX-9, competition it has never had before.
Has this Honda Product Planner ever seen an Acadia? It's definitely trucky looking as compared to the CX-9. He should open his eyes and see how well the Acadia is selling, presumably because it's more truck-like (and presumably because it was first to market). In fact, GM's SUV sales (Equinox, Envoy) are way, way down, probably because people are fleeing to the Acadia.
I agree that the typical SUV buyer would probably not buy a CX-9, since it is more "curvy". But many of them are buying the Acadia because it's more chunky, if you believe the forums. So Honda's precious Pilot is now stuck competing with the roomier, truckier Acadia, as well as the sleeker CX-9, competition it has never had before.
CX9 SportOwner
Member
We were leaning toward a Pilot to replace out 99 CR-V, which was a terrific little car with loads of function. After Honda tried to screw us on a engine issue, and DID screw a lot of other CR-V owners, we chose never to buy another Honda. That said, the CX-9 would have still come out ahead of our Pilot timetable, and clearly would have been our choice over the Pilot anyway. Ugly clunky box.....or stylish high performance crossover that can still handle the occasional dirt road. No contest. And we love not having to remove 3 headrests just to fold the third row.
