[Xtreme]

The new Honda Accord received the Car of the 2018 North American Car, Utility and Truck of the Year (NACTOY) award alongside the Volvo XC60 and Lincoln Navigator. Pretty prestigious considering it had to be approved by more than 60 jurors well versed in the automotive industry. Seems like the Accord was just an overwhelming well equipped vehicle with ample space.

“Honda seems to have executed some sort of magic trick — not only is this 10th-generation Accord far sleeker and more decisively styled than its predecessor, it’s somehow roomier inside, too,” said Chris Paukert, a NACTOY juror and managing editor of Road Show by CNET. “Even in low-end trims, it drives well and offers a strong amount of standard equipment.”

The North American Car, Utility and Truck of the Year Awards Names Honda Accord, Volvo XC60, Lincoln Navigator 2018 Winners

 

[BoostedAccord]

Not bad at all considering all we're seeing now are the generic trims and nothing special. Just imagine if they had SH-AWD and other advanced tech that will make this platform and the Accord shine.

 

[Scotty]

Yeah I really hope Honda does try to offer sportier trim levels, with similar styling and performance to that of the Type R. We all know that the Accord has long been a benchmark for rivals in the sedan segment and its not surprising to see it win car of the year. If they don't plan on offering these trims I suppose we can always go the route of aftermarket, so lets hope there's lots of support there.

 

[Xtreme]

There's a lot of performance sedans out there and it's really not worth the cost depending on what kind of boost you want. The Accord already beat a lot of rivals to take home the award, so I can't imagine what you'd do to improve an already great car.

 

[Scotty]

Yeah I'm not sure that Honda has any interest in offering a tuned version themselves, seeing as how the Civic Type R already serves that purpose and is selling incredibly well. I guess things might be different if the Civic was released as a coupe instead of a hatchback. And i don't think any aftermarket mods would do much to improve performance, it would be more about styling/sound such as an aftermarket exhaust/intake.

 

[Accordian]

The Accord may be winning prizes, but Honda isn't doing enough to market the car and their U.S. sales this month shows it with a decrease compared to the previous year. The car itself is better than its predecessors imo, but that's not enough if people doesn't know about it.

 

[RagerX]

The Accord may be winning prizes, but Honda isn't doing enough to market the car and their U.S. sales this month shows it with a decrease compared to the previous year. The car itself is better than its predecessors imo, but that's not enough if people doesn't know about it.

I believe most buyers are trying to look for special deals when buying a car. Right now, I don't think there is any good deals other than the cash backs. Which makes people look the other way and also the minor people with the whole V6 vs 4 Cylinder deal. On the other hand the 2017 are selling out like hot pancakes right now because dealers are trying to get them off the lot with lots of good deals.

 

[BoostedAccord]

I believe most buyers are trying to look for special deals when buying a car. Right now, I don't think there is any good deals other than the cash backs. Which makes people look the other way and also the minor people with the whole V6 vs 4 Cylinder deal. On the other hand the 2017 are selling out like hot pancakes right now because dealers are trying to get them off the lot with lots of good deals.

Anyone patient enough to wait for end of year deals will be met with some surprising discounts because often if they don't sell those cars by the year end they can lose even more money. Selling a brand new 2018 car in 2019 is not fun.

 

[Scotty]

Do you think that Honda is going to have problems selling the new Accord though? I'm not sure how likely it is for there to be brand new models still sitting there a year later. But if you're not in a rush it might be a great way to save some dough.

 

[Accordian]

With models like the Accord that were designed to be a bread and butter kind of car, supply is unlikely to run out in the next year or two. So waiting won't be a problem if you prefer to hold out or get the 2018 model year Accord instead of the 2019 one.

 

[Xtreme]

Supply won't be a problem, but pricing may go up a bit for the 2019 model year depending on trade policies. Once saw a car go up in price for the next model year even though there was not additional equipment added. May not have been a Honda car, but it is possible.

 

[Scotty]

Supply could become an issue if manufacturing costs become too great. I wonder what this means on the availability of parts as well for current models that have metal components.

 

[Xtreme]

Seems like there's an excess amount of Accords due to slow sales, surprising considering how much praise is heaped onto the model. Apparently, inventory levels are at a 104-day supply and that's pretty high by dealership standards. They blame the lack attractive leasing options.
Maybe Honda will offer better deals with such slow sales. http://www.autonews.com/article/20180312/RETAIL01/180319967/honda-accord-sales-redesign

 

[Ghawkins]

The awards all come from the media that consist of all car guys. They value car dynamics; handling, performance, fuel mileage, etc. Style certainly is an issue, but radical change in a very conservative market is hard to make happen. It’s been done in the past in this market by Ford. The rounded Taurus was initially rejected but was ultimately successful. If only Honda would park an ‘18 Accord beside a new Audi A7 ($70,000), buyers might look up. A Car and Driver tester commented that he has recently spent several days in an E Class Mercedes Benz. He Couldn’t think of anything the Accord could do that wasn’t at least as good as the M-B. The Mercedes is in the same price class as the Audi, only much cheaper, more reliable, and more economical to own. With the four cylinder engines, faster too!

 

[Scotty]

I would have never though that Honda would be seeing low sales with the new Accord. Considering how proven the platform is and how highly its been reviewed so far, I'm curious what the hesitation is from buyers. I guess there are always risks associated with changing the styling on such a popular model, and maybe the new Accord isn't to everyone's liking.

 

[Xtreme]

It's a problem with how budget cars are perceived these days, which is a shame when someone considers how much something like the Accord has to offer. Yea, it may not be as fast as a E Class Mercedes Benz or have all that leather inside, but they don't cost an arm and a leg either. Honda needs to put a bit more money into their marketing department unless they plan to sell to car guys only.

 

[Scotty]

Or they could just take the hit to Acura sales and bring back the SH-AWD system in the new Accord. I know for a fact that that would bring in buyers. I'm not sure how many people still perceive the Accord to be a budget car, its certainly proved itself with all the awards its been winning. And we've seen performance specs that come out of a tune.

 

[Accordian]

There's actually a hybrid version now, called the Sport Hybrid SH-AWD but that's used in Acura's top tier models like the 2014 Acura RLX adn teh NSX concept. Not something we'd see in an Accord for years to come. Honda can also take a profit hit and offer better incentives for new buyers to move more Accords off the lots. I'd welcome that later down the road.

 

[Xtreme]

It's only a matter of time until higher end features become the norm and start appearing in more affordable vehicles. But for now what the Accord has to offer is more than enough for me.

 

[Scotty]

Well they are definitely going to have to do something about the current financing/lease options because they're struggling to sell the new Accord, and they really shouldn't be. There is no denying that the new Accord is a great package, but it hasn't been set at the proper rates to be competitive.