You may recall Honda’s 2012 Civic comprehensively hammered last year by Consumer Reports. The publication's verdict was such a big blow that Honda decided to speed-up its next redesign and its CEO took responsibility for its poor performance.
One would expect its sales to slump; but instead, they have gotten through the roof. Civic deliveries have increased this year by 40 percent through September, to 234,029 units and Honda’s compact car is on course to regain the segment crown in the U.S. after finishing third last year behind the Toyota Corolla and Chevrolet Cruze.
This brings up an interesting question: how much does automotive experts’ testing weigh on buyers’ decision when the time comes to buy a new car?
Here’s what CR said, among other things, at the time: "The Civic has slid backward with its redesign. It feels insubstantial against recently redesigned competition. Vague steering weakens its agility and robs it of its fun-to-drive feel. Stopping distances are long, the ride is choppy, and road noise is pronounced.”
So why is Honda's compact currently the sixth best-selling vehicle in the States?
Kelly Blue Book’s analyst Alec Gutierrez has an explanation for this phenomenon: “The overall competitive set from all manufacturers has become so good that, for some of us so-called experts in the industry, perhaps our expectations have gotten impossible to reach.”
Another example is VW’s revamped Passat, which in 2011 also lost its “recommended” tag from Consumer Reports.
“The last-generation Passat was a better car overall, with agile handling” and a “well-finished interior,” Consumer Reports said in a Dec. 28 post on its website. “But a high price and so-so reliability, plus a lack of marketing, kept it off the radar for many buyers.”
According to Autodata Group, though, the new model’s sales have increased from a paltry 4,893 units in 2011 to 83,662 this year through September, with VW announcing that it has surpassed its previous annual record in the first nine months of 2012.
Perhaps, after all, experts’ verdicts are outweighed by other factors such as pricing and marketing. Gutierrez concedes that this might be the case but we must consider other things, too, such as brand loyalty and perceptions of quality, which don’t change overnight.
By Andrew Tsaousis
Story References: Businessweek
6 Comments:
i love honda engines and styling could be better but is usually better than other makes.
hondas age well and the fit and finish is nice and tight.
they are solidly built and have no noticeable shakes or rattles after years of use.
The idea is simple. CR slashed the Civic for being a mere refresher instead of a new car.
Buyers on the other hand are aware that this means a good car was worked out even further. This means the trim will last longer, the engine won't have issues and that the car overall will be more reliable.
The Passat is technically a new car, but it follows a similar situation with the underpinnings. Same applies.
Honestly, if sales were a true indicator of a great car, then we'd all be looking back fondly to a time when the "Cutlass" was the most popular nameplate on the roads. People swore up and down how wonderful they were, until they didn't. Just like Camry and Civic owners today. They're just dead wrong.
I think you need to look deeper into those sales. In Australia, we get the same Civic sedan but the list price is cheaper than the price of the last generaton sedan that came out 6 years ago. The price normally creeps upwards based on history.
This sedan looks and feels like cheap bargain basement material and the price certainly reflects that. At least in Australia.
If CR hadnt ripped into the Civic like they did, i highly doubt Honda would be selling it so cheap. Cheap products do create high volume sales...
Most of buyers can't see any difference between a car with good driving dynamic and a bad. They focus on the price and the reliability. They don't understand the utility of each parts under the hood. Don't waste your time about the driving and show them the look and the aesthetic part. That's what they are able to evaluate. they just want a good way to go from A to B.
Consumer Reports only recommends the company that paid them off.
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