Something is not right in the House of Honda… Shanghai Concepts

I can no longer deny that it hurts me to see Honda struggle so much in the design area, an area where Honda used to lead the market, where it used to be head above shoulders over the rest. Seeing the attached images just make me cringe. I realize that there is a different flavor for the Asian market, but that could only be used for an excuse if this was not representative of what we have seen come out from Honda over the past years. The cars are either really boring, or horrific. There seems to be nothing left of the passion and creativity that used to be synonymous for Honda. They need to be saved, urgently!!!

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IU53NFiz0ME

Honda exhibited the world premiere of the Concept M, a concept model of a mass-production vehicle to go on sale next year in China, at Auto Shanghai 2013.
The Honda Concept M is a concept vehicle for the MPV (Multi-Purpose Vehicle) segment developed mainly for Chinese market. Currently, commercial vehicles account for the majority of the MPV market in China. Honda will introduce a new-value vehicle to the segment that offers the attributes of a passenger car with a comfortable and spacious cabin that is also fun to drive. The Concept M was designed by the design studio at the Automobile R&D Center of Honda R&D Co., Ltd. in Japan. Honda is making progress in the development of a mass-production vehicle based on this concept model aiming for market introduction next year.

The Honda CRIDER is a mass-production vehicle based on the Concept C (a concept model for a middle-class sedan developed for the Chinese market), which was introduced at the Beijing Motor Show last year. Developed under a design concept based on an image of a dragon, the CRIDER features top-class vehicle size, an energetic exterior design and dynamic performance that exceeds other vehicles in its class. The CRIDER is a mid-size sedan developed for Chinese customers mainly by Honda’s Chinese associates.The vehicle is scheduled to go on sale from Guangqi Honda Automobile Co., Ltd. in June of this year.

The Honda JADE (Chinese name: å‚‘å¾³) is a mass-production vehicle based on the Concept S (a global concept model for a new-value passenger mover developed primarily for the Chinese market to go on sale first in China), which was also introduced at the Beijing Motor Show last year. Featuring an innovative design developed based on an image of jade stone with a beautiful exterior look and noble sense of quality within, the JADE will satisfy diverse customer needs from everyday use to holiday driving. The JADE was designed to match the tastes of Chinese customers born in 1980s who are energetic and known for pursuing their dreams.The JADE is scheduled to go on sale from Dongfeng Honda Automobile Co., Ltd. in September of this year.