Iceman

First off let me say that I have problems with the Honda name. I understand the deep history Honda has in Formula 1. They were building race cars before they even attempted to make anything for the road.

The "problem" is, nobody else knows this. Not that I really care anyway.

So it got me thinking: We all know Acura is the luxury division of Honda. The company is even considering creating a new brand for Gen-Y (ala Scion). What if Honda created a new line just for the sports cars? What would it be called?

True this dealership wouldn't get much foot traffic since they would only sell (2) niche cars at the moment. But an affordable RWD roadster that competes with the Miata would generate lots of interest.

Wouldn't it be nice to take our cars to a dealership who specializes in working with sports cars, rather than run-of-the-mill civics?

I know this wouldn't make much business sence, but it would be cool!

lanbrown

Acura was a brand created for the US. American consumers are typically stupid; they didn't want to buy a Honda, but an Acura, oh yeah. Same holds true for Lexus and Toyota, Infiniti and Nissan, etc. Outside of NA, you won't find Acura.

wickerbill

That negates the halo effect that had a lot to do with this car being produced. It doesn't really make any sense because Honda would get no positive publicity for their other cars by doing this and sports cars aren't generally big money makers for their makers. Porsche is the last independent sports car manufacturer and even they had to resort to making an SUV to keep making enough money to stay independent.

Also, like mentioned above, Acura is not a global brand for Honda so there's no way they would do this in their home country.

lanbrown

What about Ferrari?

Lee355

Correct me if I'm wrong but Ferrari generates most of its revenue from F1 and Le Mans sponsorships.

wickerbill

Ferrari is owned by Fiat.

lanbrown

They don't sell an SUV though, only sports cars as well as race cars.

While Fiat does own Ferrari, investors own Porsche, just like any other publicly traded company, including Fiat.

wickerbill

Porsche is still the only independent sports car manufacturer, or at least they were before they started making the Cayenne. They're not owned by Ford, Volkswagen, or Fiat like Aston Martin, Lamborghini, and Ferrari are. There is a difference. All of those companies couldn't make it on their own and were acquired by other companies.

iatacs19

Well.... Lexus is going to be introduced to Japan due to it's success in the USA.... makes you wonder about brand perception.

DVDoughboy

I thought Ferrari sold cars to fund their F1 venture, not the other way around??