Reply With Quotenope. The beak sucksOriginally Posted by tmeekins
Somebody send that guy a link to this post
http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dl...-but-itll-stay
Acura designer tweaks 'the beak' (but it'll stay)
TOKYO -- Acura's new global design chief wants to spice up Honda's premium brand, but one polarizing feature won't change.
The shieldlike double pentagon grille -- derisively billed "the beak" by critics -- is here to stay, says Toshinobu Minami.
Minami, 44, took the reins of exterior design for Honda and Acura last September, chosen by President Takanobu Ito to inject more visual interest into the company's utilitarian styling.
He says Acura's oft-maligned grille may have gone too far in the past. But the look is growing on people, he says, and the basic design language will stay, albeit toned down a bit.
"We concede that we went a little overboard at some points," Minami said in a recent interview. "We actually had pretty bad feedback on this initially from different directions. But we are not going to buckle under that pressure."
The V-shaped grille was most recently carried over to the new Acura ILX entry sedan that went on sale this spring. It also appeared in the redesigned TL that debuted last fall and the NSX concept sports car shown this year at the Detroit auto show.
But the new look has been toned down from earlier incarnations, which were introduced under Acura's "keen edge" design overhaul that started in 2008.
"There hasn't been that great of a change, but maybe people have gotten used to it," Minami said of the grille. "There may be small evolutions here or there in details."
Minami says he wants to make the Honda brand sportier and more active, closer to Acura's traditional territory. In turn, Acura will be "going further out, maybe pursuing premium."
Minami, who penned the NSX concept, worked in the early 2000s as lead exterior designer on the Acura TL and second-generation Acura RL, neither of which had the keen-edge grille.
Read more: http://www.autonews.com/article/2012...#ixzz1yYcr7n80
nope. The beak sucks
Somebody send that guy a link to this post
Or he needs to look at Acura sales as of late, aren't they tanking! (although the toned down examples are much better).
WTF - Your customers are telling you the beak design is ugly and your response is "we are not going to buckle under that pressure"???"We concede that we went a little overboard at some points," Minami said in a recent interview. "We actually had pretty bad feedback on this initially from different directions. But we are not going to buckle under that pressure."
91 CTSC NSX Formula Red
Yeah, very weird.
f*cking ugly comes to mind...
defending an unpopular design in the press is so desperate
hang it up kid, we don't like it
NEXT
I guess we now have the name of the singular individual who drove the entire Acura brand into the ground. If this guy was working for my company and he was this brash and arrogant towards my local customers, I'd fire him so fast his head would pop off!
This type of attitude is what drove me away from Honda. To hear this recent news pisses me off even more. If you don't give what the customer wants, why would they stay with your marque? I never thought about replacing my NSX, but the 2014 Audi R8 rendering has me thinking twice. Ever since I purchased the GT-R my NSX has been sitting in the garage. I've only put on 3k miles since I purchased it. I'm hooked on the traction from AWD now. I can only imagine what Quattro AWD and mid engine placement feels like.
Wow, that 2014 R8 looks like what the new NSX should have been. Furthermore, it's going to be released one year earlier than the NSX which will make the NSX outdated from the get go.
Good job Acura and good luck selling an anemic NSX.
Education will never be as expensive as ignorance.
BU Terriers: 2009 NCAA Div I Hockey Champions
RIP: Honda/Acura NSX (1991-2005)
Basically, Toshinobu Minami said the customer doesn't know what he or she wants so we have to tell them what they want and they better like it. That kind of arrogance is what brought down the major financial houses a few years ago.
Acura should have never let this guy talk to the media. Bad PR move IMO.
I told them I wasn't going to buy a pointy nosed car.
that looks very gallardo-ish from a shape standpoint to me. almost like a cross between gallardo, r8 + nsx (side vent) styling cues.
i cant believe they are updating the car so soon! honda really needs to learn a lesson here.
Last edited by myw; 06-24-2012 at 12:31.
'/? acura nsx $-spd $~)(%?@ $(@}/ soon.
'07 lexus rx400h cvt flint mica
'09 lexus is250 6-spd starfire pearl
These "new" R8 images images really are diving deep into the New Sportscar eXperiment design philosophy IMO. They are radical in a good way and are definitely NSXish with some HSC lines also. The Gallardo resemblance was expected considering the platform. I like that it doesn't have the long rear hatch glass to save weight and for balance. I always wanted that trend to come back. Not a big fan of the canopy treatment though, but I suppose they are going for that retro look.that looks very gallardo-ish from a shape standpoint to me. almost like a cross between gallardo, r8 + nsx (side vent) styling cues.
i cant believe they are updating the car so soon! honda really needs to learn a lesson here.
I remember when the Ferrari 458 renders surfaced from some "publication" and then the production version debuted looking slightly less appealing, but had the same overall proportions still. Hopefully this will also occur for the new R8 production model.
I think if Audi pursues this direction as far as proportions and shape, it would be very interesting and appealing. I am still skeptical on Audi reliability and doubt Audi would do something this radical though. The difference in actual value, performance and revolutionary standard could still be vastly different between the new NSX and R8. Very exciting nonetheless if Audi is considering this
Love the new R8 renderings - SO much better than the proposed NSX. Now I'm interested.
*2004 Silverstone/Silver SOLD*
Better? They look like twins to me... My first impression of the audi was "it's the nsx!". The nsx looked a good amount like the R8 and now the new R8 looks like the NSX concept even more. This is almost disturbing.Love the new R8 renderings - SO much better than the proposed NSX. Now I'm interested.
'05 silverstone. CTSC. Arc Titanium. GT1-F1 headers. KW Competition dampers. Stoptech BBK. VRH lift.
Look at the wheels!!! Did they just copy the nsx concept or what??
'05 silverstone. CTSC. Arc Titanium. GT1-F1 headers. KW Competition dampers. Stoptech BBK. VRH lift.
Audi just tweaked a wheel that has been in production well before the new NSX concept.
Hopefully Audi don't stick with this design. Im hopping to snag a deal on the V8 version. This is going to drive the old body style up instead of down.
Some People seek Therapy for their obsessions.
I drive mine. 92 Acura NSX...08 Audi S4...02 Campagna T-Rex
In my opinion the current R8 is a TT on steroids. Round and chubby looking. But the new rendering is more angular and sharp.
Also from Car magazine and other sources:
In 2014 is coming the new R8 that will have an evolutionary design, but the R8's distinctive sideblades will vanish, and the overall proportions could become sleeker. The automatic seven-speed dual clutch DSG gearbox will be the only transmission available, replacing the single clutch, so no more manuals from 2014.
Eventually, the V10 could be replaced by a twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 with 600 hp (447 kW / 608 PS), an effort to better comply with upcoming fuel economy standards. The V10 could be substituted for a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8, similar to that which recently made its debut in the Bentley Continental.
CAR reports that the 2014 R8 will share whole lot more components with the next gen Gallardo, an Audi designed platform called MSS (Modular Sport car System), made from a mixture of lightweight carbon fiber and aluminum monocoque, weighing just 198kg. The current car has an all-aluminum space frame (ASF). The 2014 R8 has been given the codename AU724 and is being developed alongside the Lamborghini Gallardo successor, codenamed LB724.
This sounds VERY promising.
The R8 concept is ugly!!! It's got the Gallardo shape with the Astin grill and Lexus/Toyota tail. BTW, is the nose even going to pass the European crash standard?
Com'on, you can do better Audi.
2003 NSX -R Wannabe Berlina Black/Red Interior #126
2008 Honda S2000 CR Berlina Black #160
I guess this is what they meant by "toned down". It does look much better.
Acura keeps getting a beating on its designs though, and not just from its customers.
http://www.autoblog.com/2012/06/21/a...patent-filing/
If you're looking for a phrase to capture the excitement of a new flagship sedan, "patent filing" is probably not it. Then again, the 2014 Acura RLX is the replacement for the Acura RL, the least interesting luxury sedan extant. (And yes, we're including Lincoln in that assessment.)
Car and Driver says these images were pulled from a European patent database, claiming that this is, in fact, the new RLX that will go on sale next year. The car pictured in these images adheres quite closely to the RLX Concept displayed at this year's New York Auto Show, with only slight changes to the front and rear fascias and more generic wheels. The side character line that runs from the top of the fender back to the rear door is there, as is the rest of the shape.
In between bashing Acura for its dull design, C&D speculates that the Honda luxury brand may show the production RLX at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November.
sadly, the concept's front and rear fascia is the only design element that looks acceptable in its competitive segment. Take that away and you're left with.. well, an Acura.
+1.
At the first glance, I thought someone photoshop the R8 and NSX concept
If this R8 come out at 2014, people will put a copycat title on 2015 NSX.
If the actual next gen R8 looks like this and coming out around the same time as the NSX I smell trouble for Acura ...
Who does this guy think he is?
The RL was a brilliant design esthetically. I think it should have just stayed that way. Put the money into improving performance/features rather than a redesign, but... whatever... I guess potential buyers' input is irrelevant to an "artist" who's more interested in "expressing himself" than selling a product.
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