i was interview last year at the D1 DRIFT event about Honda and the drifting scene well it finally made print, in the wallstreet journal

he he he... my name is in the WALL STREET JOURNAL!!!
altho im miss quoted (nothing new) its all good!

edgar,

 

Sholnn Freeman
Wall Street Journal, Reporter
500 Woodward Ave., Suite 1950
Detroit, MI 48226
313-226-1250, desk
313-587-2253, cell



The Civic Loses Its Cool --- Sales of Honda's `Youth' Car Slip as Customizers Discover Hipper Models to Soup Up
By Sholnn Freeman
1,003 words
25 March 2004
The Wall Street Journal
B1
English
(Copyright (c) 2004, Dow Jones & Company, Inc.)
FOR 20 YEARS, the Honda Civic was the favorite ride of young, California car enthusiasts like Anthony Luna. But not anymore, and that's a problem for Honda Motor Co.
Mr. Luna's tricked-out Honda Civic has won him ribbons and trophies, free goodies from dealers and lots of attention. But Mr. Luna, a 22-year-old computer technician in Ceres, Calif., replaced his Civic in November with a more powerful Nissan 240 SX from 1992. "I outgrew it," he says of the Honda. "Most of the people are moving to all the different brands."
Beginning in the early 1980s, Civics, often used ones, were highly prized among young car customizers -- or "tuners" -- like Mr. Luna. Souping up their cars with chrome wheels and high-performance engine and suspension parts, the tuners are a small part of the U.S. car-buying public. But they helped keep the Civic hip, which allowed Honda to sustain strong Civic sales without factory-to-consumer discounts. Now, Civic sales have been slowing, and signs that Honda is losing its status among young drivers are stirring Honda's conservative product planners to act.
Tom Elliott, Honda executive vice president of U.S. operations, says the Japanese company plans to introduce a new car next year to counter a growing number of rivals in the tuners' segment of the market. This new car would join the boxy Honda Element compact SUV, launched in 2002. The Element has outperformed Honda's sales expectations -- but largely because it has been a hit with baby boomers. "The Civic, the Element -- none of these are our last efforts at trying to attract younger buyers," says Mr. Elliott.
Mr. Elliott didn't offer many details, but he said the new car will likely be priced below the Civic, which starts just under $15,000. The new car will give Honda a vehicle to battle the rise of Toyota Motor Corp.'s Scion youth-car brand, which it plans to expand nationally this year. "There's no question that competition in that segment is getting stronger and more numerous," Mr. Elliott says.
For Honda, rejuvenating the image of the Civic is a critical challenge. The Civic is Honda's second-best-selling model in the U.S. (the Accord is Honda's No. 1 U.S. seller), with annual sales of about 300,000. The Civic is the first Honda many customers buy. But Civic's U.S. sales fell 4.3% last year, underperforming the overall U.S. small-car segment, which declined just 2.8% compared with the prior year. And data compiled by J.D. Power & Associates's PIN Information Network show that 20% of Civic buyers were 25 years old or younger last year, down from 26% in 1998.
In a rare concession to sales weakness, Honda recently began offering $400 factory-to-dealer discounts on the Civic. Honda's average rebate per Civic in February was $1,403, compared with $971 a year ago, according to Autodata Corp. That's still far below the $2,906 industry average for the month.
For years, Honda kept a hands-off attitude to the Civic customizing craze, generally avoiding a direct marketing appeal to young enthusiasts, a group sometimes referred to in the industry as "the fast and furious," after a movie with that title that celebrated the import-car street-racing culture. In 2001, Honda redesigned the Civic and made it more family-friendly and sedate, which in turn left the tuners feeling slighted.
Last summer, at an import-racing event in Irwindale, Calif., the crowd booed when the announcer mentioned Honda. "We got turned off to Honda because they are not interested in their youth market," says Edgar Aguilar , a 23-year-old student in Modesto, Calif., who joined in the booing.
"They're taking steps backward instead of forward," says Mr. Aguilar, who replaced his Acura Integra GSR with a Subaru WRX. "Every Honda and Acura owner is ready to get out of their Hondas and into something else."

 

One big problem for Honda is that there are many more alternatives for disillusioned Civic enthusiasts than in the past. A big winner at Honda's expense has been Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd.'s Subaru. Young buyers who want power can chose the WRX, which has a cult following from videogames and European rally racing. To meet demand, Subaru has doubled production of the super-fast, 300-horsepower STi version of the WRX.
Nissan Motor Co. and Toyota also are offering sportier versions of their entry-level cars, the Nissan Sentra and the Toyota Corolla. The rise of drift-racing, in which participants slide cars sideways around sharp turns, has led some tuners to adopt 10-year-old rear-wheel-drive models from Nissan in place of Civics.
Detroit's Big Three are moving in on the Civic, too. DaimlerChrysler AG's Dodge Division now offers a 230-horsepower SRT-4 Neon. General Motors Corp. is planning a tuner-friendly version of its upcoming Cobalt small car.
Ford Motor Co. continues to dabble in the market with the Focus. Last year, Ford offered a souped-up Focus through its Specialty Vehicle Team (SVT) brand. While that model is scheduled to be phased out, Ford is looking at other options for offering higher-performance Focus models.
The threat to Honda's Civic from Toyota's Scion, which launched its first two models in California last year, will intensify this year when the brand expands nationally with a sporty hatchback called the tC.
It's enough to make a Honda dealer nostalgic. When the Civic was a tuner's car of choice, "other auto makers were envious," says David Conant, a big Honda dealer in Southern California. Now, he says, "they've got their toe in the door, and they are going to kick it wide open."

 

your name is in there somewhere?

 

ooops

"says Edgar Aguilar , a 23-year-old student in Modesto, Calif., who joined in the booing. "

 

 

damn, because of edgar the wrx will be the next crx
thanks a lot edgar
RMFE

 

its the wall street journal not ricer boyz journal!

edgar,

 

I used to drive a civic. Personally I think the scene is killing the scene. The honda/acura scene in general has just gotten lame. Everyone flexing on everyone else. Can't drive down the street without gettin challenged for a race. Most people don't work on their own cars so you have a bunch of "tuned" cars driven by people that don't know what the hell they are doing and think they are hot ****.

I mean I do agree that honda is stupid in not getting into the performance market. Look at what the srt4 is doing for dodge. I mean I see more regular neon's now and I'm sure the appeal of the srt4 is part of the reason why. The new honda's are in general lame. the coupes are cool but the suspension changes are very anti performance. The sedan are ugly as hell but honda's always made ugly sadans. The si is stupid. Only offer one model? that thing is nasty stock. And not offering a coupe is stupid.

Personally I think that Honda/acura would have been smart to bring the type R's over in like 96ish. There would have been nothing to compete against. And if they're smart they'll put more money behind the RSX and expand the civic line very very soon.....

They just have a sticky situation...too much power to the civic means less people buying RSX's. That's why I say they should put some money into the RSX. Try to raise it up to a level with the VW's, suburus and what not. Get the TypeR back to where it used to be with the integra.

but like I said...I think the people driving "tuned" hondas have just as much to do with it's down fall.

I just had some tool almost drive me off the road in an si last night. Tried to race me and what not...stupid.

 

When Honda releases a more affordable and more practical rear wheeler based off of the S2, I will probably jump back to them...

Until then I can't think about getting any other new car but an STi.

There's just nothing else out there that compares in terms of fun AND practicality to the WRX/STi.

ps - If it was more practical (ie. 4 seats and a trunk) it'd be heavier, so a power plant closer to 300 would ne necessary. I'd settle for 280 RWHP.

 

I think the honda scene is dead since all of us ex-honda guys got jobs and can afford nicer cars now

I drove a civic CX hatch back about 8 years ago w/ some ghetto *** straight through muffler, clear corners, lowered on eibachs, and a mugen sticker (+5 HP LOL). Looking back now I feel like a big fat ricer. But this was when I was in college and low on funds.

Honda will get some respect if they can start making some RWD or AWD coupes and sedans. How the hell can they compete w/ BMW 3 and Infiniti G35 with their FWD TL and TSX?????

 

The only honda that I would consider buying is an Odyssey. that's right I said it, a minivan. all their other cars suck right now.

but remember we know about cars but the majority of the people don't. they think honda and toyota are the only choices. people in family still think I drive a suzuki.

 

Honda needs a rear wheel coupe/sedan based off the s2000 with a price tag around ~$21,000 and it will make a comeback in no time.

 

That's cool. I read that article a few days but didn't really catch your name.

 

What Honda needs to do is reprice the NSX in the high-20K low 30K range to make a killing