New Acura design chief admits company went "a little overboard" with The Beak

[Mazda 3s]

Automotive News reports Toshinobu Minami, the new head of global design for Acura, says the company may have gone "a little overboard at some points" with the company's shield grille. Minami said Acura has had bad feedback on the design from multiple directions, but says the company isn't going to "buckle under that pressure." Instead of scrapping the beak design all together, the designer wants to keep the corporate look while simultaneously reaching further out toward a premium design language. Honda, meanwhile, will receive models with a sportier and more active-looking exterior. Acura recently debuted more demure interpretations of the shield grille on models like the ILX and the NSX Concept.

Minami says reactions have been somewhat less vitriolic compared to the past, and the designer contributes that in part to people growing accustomed to the look. It's either that, or we're all just tired of complaining about how awkward the Acura stable looks when the company is happy to run around with its fingers in its ears.

http://www.autoblog.com/2012/06/19/n...tle-overboard/

[BetterByDesign]

Design language and Honda in the same sentence makes my head explode.

[2.0T_Convert]

Design language and Honda in the same sentence makes my head explode.

I never found anything wrong with the exterior on these:

[BetterByDesign]

keep going

[2.0T_Convert]

keep going

I ran out of good looking late model cars to post.... I find any minivan or CUV from Honda butt ugly.

I'm not counting the S2000 because even in 2008 it was already 2000-late.

[alleghenyman]

I ran out of good looking late model cars before I posted....

Ftfy

Those all look lumpy and disproportionate and they have nothing in common except the badge on the grille. They all may be styled for maximum aero except the Accord but there is no consistent theme and no sense of function. I'll give Acura credit for at least having consistent design language.

[Inspector Detector]

Acura's roughest times was when the new TL debuted the new grill with gobs of chrome on it. All the auto mags I read then took notice of it, and I can't remember anyone having anything good to say about it. I figured the average car buyer who walks into the Acura showroom then wouldn't be so offended/critical about it, or so I thought.

[2.0T_Convert]

Ftfy

Those all look lumpy and disproportionate and they have nothing in common except the badge on the grille. They all may be styled for maximum aero except the Accord but there is no consistent theme and no sense of function. I'll give Acura credit for at least having consistent design language.

I don't really care for consistant design language.

I wouldn't want to see a Corvette that tries to tie in a common design language with a Spark or Cruze. The Honda cars I posted all look good to my eye and I even put my money into owning two of them.

[randy]

I parrot Mr. Minami's comments, and respectfully disagree.

[C4 A6]

Ftfy

Those all look lumpy and disproportionate and they have nothing in common except the badge on the grille. They all may be styled for maximum aero except the Accord but there is no consistent theme and no sense of function. I'll give Acura credit for at least having consistent design language.

I dunno...seeing that Dodge [+] grill on EVERY car isn't aesthetically pleasing either. And up until recently, it looked like an afterthought on many of their cars.

[03GTI4Me]

[Yo Teach]

I don't really care for consistant design language.

I wouldn't want to see a Corvette that tries to tie in a common design language with a Spark or Cruze. The Honda cars I posted all look good to my eye and I even put my money into owning two of them.

The Corvette does have a unique place in the Chevy lineup and should not wear corporate styling. I also apply that notion to other mainstream, non-luxury carmakers who have one or two unique, sporty halo cars.

[SVTDanny]

Minami says reactions have been somewhat less vitriolic compared to the past, and the designer contributes that in part to people growing accustomed to the look.

What a great way to explain this one away. "Oh, they'll stop complaining eventually..."

[HerrGolf]

Something like the beak DOES work when coupled to a superlative, unique car. But the latest Acuras, while very nice, are not superlative compared to their competition in the way that, say, a Lexus SC was in the '90s (I'm sure I could come up with a better example). The problem with Acura was never styling, it was the ordinary nature of their more expensive sedans. Such unique styling on such dull cars just comes across as bizarre.

[Aonarch]

Hate it

[Eightysixturbo]

wuh woh. The lack of future beaky-ness might cause a cult beak loving following among TCL'ers

[classicjetta]

What a great way to explain this one away. "Oh, they'll stop complaining eventually..."

It's like German automakers refusing to add cupholders in the 1990s. No matter how many years of education and experience you have, you're never smarter than your customers.

[genjy]

Minami said Acura has had bad feedback on the design from multiple directions, but says the company isn't going to "buckle under that pressure."

So--it's basically saying Acura knows the beak looks like crap, but it's too stubborn to fix it.

Who the hell is in charge of Acura?

[Omnilith]

It's funny.... I've never liked the beak, but last December my girlfriend and I picked up a 2012 TSX (free lease because she's an Acura employee), and I've started to appreciate the other lines on the car... and notice the beak less. If it wasn't a lease, I'd still do something with the beak, but you do get used to it.

It sucks that the beak gets all the attention, because beyond that it is a really nice car to drive. The K24 is torquey and fun to rev, the manual shifter is smooth, it handles like a smaller car, and the materials are nice.

[qjetta2004]

It's like German automakers refusing to add cupholders in the 1990s. No matter how many years of education and experience you have, you're never smarter than your customers.

Tell that to the overpaid consulting agencies that these companies INSIST on hiring.

[x1000rpms]

Design language and Honda in the same sentence makes my head explode.

This is ridiculous.. they have, arguably, had a better design language than many other makes for the last 10 years.

BMW for instance! Or wait.. does the existence of a kidney grill on every cay you make constitute a design language?

It's funny.... I've never liked the beak, but last December my girlfriend and I picked up a 2012 TSX (free lease because she's an Acura employee), and I've started to appreciate the other lines on the car... and notice the beak less. If it wasn't a lease, I'd still do something with the beak, but you do get used to it.

It sucks that the beak gets all the attention, because beyond that it is a really nice car to drive. The K24 is torquey and fun to rev, the manual shifter is smooth, it handles like a smaller car, and the materials are nice.

The TSX doesn't get enough positive press.

[Smoltz]

I bet Honda/Acura also expects people to get used to the fact that the front passenger's seatback is not heated. Even VW gets this right...

IIRC, even on the Acura RL, their flagship it had this limitation (at least for 2005 MY). The passenger seat was also not height adjustable, which was also bothersome.

I still enjoyed the car, although mine had some electrical gremlins, one which left me stranded.

[aoj2108]

That damn beak almost ruined all of the Ironman/Captain America/Thor/Avengers films for me. It was front and center in every one of those films.

[Slipstream]

So--it's basically saying Acura knows the beak looks like crap, but it's too stubborn to fix it.

Who the hell is in charge of Acura?

This was the part where my face met my palm as well. Seriously? Did he really just say "**** the haters" in corporate speak?

[eunos94]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Honda...item35bd61bab8

[someguy123]

DAT TSX/TL-S




Really like that TSX, especially.

[leaftye]

If only there was someone within the company who's responsibility was to make sure their designs were appealing to their target market.

[chiphead]

The ILX looks perfectly adequate for its class. I can't believe I'm saying this, but Buick and Volvo have the best designs among attainable cars.

[feels_road]

Instead of scrapping the beak design all together, the designer wants to keep the corporate look while simultaneously reaching further out toward a premium design language.

So, we will get golden beaks, next?

[feels_road]

The ILX looks perfectly adequate for its class. I can't believe I'm saying this, but Buick and Volvo have the best designs among attainable cars.

Is this the premium-class ILX?

[chiphead]

It's a warmed over version based on a economy class car, like the 8l/p A3. Not sure of many other cars in the sub 30k that scream "premium"

[Avus]

but says the company isn't going to "buckle under that pressure."

And that is the ONLY reason why most of your former customers are now driving Mercedes, BMW, Audi, Lexus.... this is a worse decision than giving a go for the beck in the first time.

[whitejeep1989]

The Corvette does have a unique place in the Chevy lineup and should not wear corporate styling. I also apply that notion to other mainstream, non-luxury carmakers who have one or two unique, sporty halo cars.

The Pontiac Solstice, Saturn Sky, and Mazda Miata all integrated fairly well with their larger sedan and CUV brethren. I'm not saying that the Corvette (or Camaro) need to wear a "Malibu face", but a family look can be easily applied to sports cars.

[feels_road]

It's a warmed over version based on a economy class car, like the 8l/p A3. Not sure of many other cars in the sub 30k that scream "premium"

Not sure what 8l/p A3 stands for, but, so, then, where is Acura heading with this?

[whitejeep1989]

I must be getting used to the beak, quite honestly. On the new RDX and ILX, I don't find it bothersome at all. It has NEVER bothered me on the MDX. The revised beak on the TL also looks pretty good to me. So, the biggest beak offenders were the old RDX (which was ugly all the way around), the RL (too lacking of interest to even care), and the pre-refresh TL. I think this whole beak thing is probably a little bit of TCL creating villains where they don't really exist. Then again, the topic of grille design is always a hot button issue here.