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Honda to compete with Smart?

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Honda is apparently working on a super mini car to compete with the Smart, but especially the Toyota iQ (Scion in the US).
Not sure if it will be strictly 2 seater like the Smart or a small 4 seater like the Toyota.

Who would have know, just a few years ago, that these major players would actually sell cars that small in the US.
We’re not sure about the Honda yet, but I bet they’re watching Toyota’s results with the Scion Version of the iQ closely…

Conversation 17 comments

  1. This is getting freaking ridiculous.

    I love Honda more than the average car buyer, but its apparent the Japanese company is becoming the new Toyota, by killing off sporty models in favor of stodgy appliances that only your nerdy neighbor wants.

    Hey Honda, why don’t you try building some personality into your new cars instead?

  2. Hondas are superb cars and that’s why I own one (’04 Accord EX-L sedan).

    Shouldn’t be a problem for Honda to build a mini car because that’s what Honda successfully offered us back in the early 1970s.

    Amazing the those tiny Hondas grew to be what they are today.

  3. Vince, It really is a no brainer when it comes to the lack of intelligence over at Honda. Acura is starving and all they need to do is bring back the Integra at an affordable price to save their sorry asses! But instead they are chasing a small niche market which will appeal to about only a 1% of U.S. buyers.

  5. These minicars have extraordinary poor crash test results. I am at a loss why a company that has made so many strides into building very safe cars would build such a human trap.

  7. Oh look, another minicar! YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWN! Wake me when Honda builds something remotely interesting.

  9. “Anonymous said…
    Vince, It really is a no brainer when it comes to the lack of intelligence over at Honda. Acura is starving and all they need to do is bring back the Integra at an affordable price to save their sorry asses! But instead they are chasing a small niche market which will appeal to about only a 1% of U.S. buyers.”

    Umm, guy, you might want to check their sales figures. They are doing pretty well considering the sad state of the economy.

  10. Oh… Honda and Toyota are tit-for-tat. And Honda has already started moving Toyota’s direction. As mentioned before, no sporty models. What about 4wheel disc breaks on all models or even multi link suspensions? They starting cheaping out their cars when the RSX replaced the Integra, and the new Civics/Fit came into being. So we should have expected this thing to come around… probably will be just as underwhelming as the Fit.

  11. With such a short wheelbase I would think that the lawn mower deck would be hitting all 4 wheels at once. Do you think a 6’5″ 275lbs AMERICAN MAN would fit into such a small lawn mower? Can you get fatter tyres for golf course use?

  12. Its only a cheap small car.
    Its not supposed to be a $100,000 super car which everyone seems to expect.

  13. “Anonymous said…
    Oh… Honda and Toyota are tit-for-tat. And Honda has already started moving Toyota’s direction. As mentioned before, no sporty models. What about 4wheel disc breaks on all models or even multi link suspensions? They starting cheaping out their cars when the RSX replaced the Integra, and the new Civics/Fit came into being. So we should have expected this thing to come around… probably will be just as underwhelming as the Fit.”

    Dude, you are an idiot. Please do some research instead of repeating what you hear on other (Nissan) fanboy forums.

    Sporty vehicles? Civic Si (coupe and sedan). S2000. Accord V6 Coupe 6M (spanks the Altima coupe). Fit. Even the Insight can be considered sporty for a hybrid vehicle.

    Disc brAkes (not breaks) are not needed on all models. Drums are cheaper and require less maintenance. Do you really think some soccer mom needs disc brakes to commute in traffic? Discs do not stop any better than drums in DAILY driving.

    The RSX was better than the Integra in every respect. I owned a ’99 Milano red Integra GSR and I can even say the RSX was better.

    The new Civic is a best seller, and the Fit is always rated as best in class by all major automotive publications. So how is it underwhelming exactly?

    When you want to be schooled some more, please respond to this post with an INTELLIGENT and INFORMED response.

  15. Hey Vince, Speaking of new Honda’s here’s some weird news I would like to share with you. I live in Westerville, OH (not to far away from the Honda plant in Marysville)and was at a local restaurant and had to do a double take at a current Honda CR-V that was parked in the parking lot. The top grille was the Crossbow Chrome design right off of the 2002-2004 CR-V and it was much bigger than the current opening due to modifcation to the edge of the hood. The lower horizontal grille was much narrower than the current model. Also the lower black plastic fake looking skidplate front bumper with the four huge knobs was replaced with a much lower version below the fog lights minus the knobs. The side lower rocker panels where smooth minus the fake skidplate knobs also. It really looked much nicer than the current CR-V. Could this be the mid-model refreshening out in plain sight?

  16. “very sweet. I was looking to replace my Infiniti QX56 with something, this may be it!” REPLACE??? I think you mean “ADD ON TO”. like adding a room onto you home. this could be used as a car top carrier for you small items (like golf balls) or mabey ride on the back bumper of your Infinity to be used for riding through stores like one of those scooters they sell to fat people.

  17. Honda to compete with Smart? Wait, are Smart cars selling? I’ve seen five. Two of them as Red Bull promo vehicles, and one was a zip car. So they don’t count. Why do I feel that these terrible cars are being forced on the public… like the Jonas Brothers are being forced on the unsuspecting public.

    Toyota has sucked at selling their boxy Scions to anyone under 60. And the darling of the micro cars, the Fit, isn’t a homerun seller either, despite what anyone says. The Jonas Brothers can’t sing, and the Honda Fit can’t crash head-to-head at 30mph with an Accord. When one of these turds can get better mileage than a midsized Jetta diesel, or doesn’t fold like an accordion in a crash test, maybe we’ll start seeing them on the roads in serious numbers.

    That said, this Honda looks good for golf club community purposes. I’d take this over a Toyota iQ. But that is about as appealing as the Jonas Brothers. i.e. not at all.

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