[Scotty]

So it looks like following low sales figures, that Honda has decided to halt production of the 2018 Accord at its Ohio plant for 11 days over the coming months. It was only a matter of time before they made efforts to decrease the backlog of Accords, sitting on dealer lots. Think this is indication that Honda made a mistake by discontinuing the coupe model?

 

[RagerX]

No. I believe it's still two major things. No sales incentives/special offers and majority people hate the design. You can look up car reviews and forums... or even Honda Accord Facebook ads. People just hate the design overall. Some like it. And what really turns people away from the dealership is no incentive and no special offers. As of this day, regardless of production or not. The dealerships aren't doing any offers on these cars until end of the year or next year. It's all standard financing with military specials, etc.


It's a smart financial move for Honda to stop the 18 Accord and to re-think what went wrong. I am thinking this is going to become similar to the 9th gen Civics from 2012. Hence the new redesign on the 9th gen from 2013-2015. Source: https://www.caranddriver.com/news/h...civic-sedan-ahead-of-debut-2012-l-a-auto-show

 

[Accordian]

Ahhh yes, the infamous 9th gen Civic that was just pure ugly packaged in car form. Granted the new Accord's lower grille could use some work, but it's still miles ahead of the old Civic design.
I'd assume dealerships will be more willing to hand out incentives and deals when sales still don't pick up after a while and they can't move product. The plant can stop production, but that won't affect the excess amount of stock dealerships have on hand if they aren't selling any.

 

[Mojo]

It wasn't discontinuation of coupes. Sales for them over last several years was dismal. It might also have something to do with the SUV craze and slow acceptance of Turbo engines. But definitely an extreme lack of marketing and incentives!

 

[Ghawkins]

It wasn't discontinuation of coupes. Sales for them over last several years was dismal. It might also have something to do with the SUV craze and slow acceptance of Turbo engines. But definitely an extreme lack of marketing and incentives!

The supposedly non acceptance of turbo engines is a mystery to me. Ford is having great marketing success with their Eco Boost engines. The most conservative customers of all, truck buyers, are loving them. With a Formula One and Indycar using turbos for many years, they are accepted by the racing crowd as well. Honda engineering should be proud of the way these ‘18’s perform. Love my 2.0T Sport 10 speed. I drove a 1.5 CVT. It works very well too. Nissan and Mazda have added turbos. Are they in trouble too?

 

[Neverempty]

It would seem with the new Accord that people either love it or hate it. And those who do like the new design are met with unattractive financing options at the dealer. I have heard that Honda dealers are trying to get approval for better rates and incentives, but that should have been done from release. In a segment that's been rapidly declining over the years, automakers should be doing everything they can to entice buyers.

 

[8yourv8]

In a segment that's been rapidly declining over the years, automakers should be doing everything they can to entice buyers.

Especially with anything that isn't an SUV or crossover or $100,000 + sports car

I got lucky and purchased during flex cash ($1000 through honda finance) and just re-financed immediately after the loan account was established, dropped payments by $80/mo (75 months)

($6000 in interest saved)

Honda's rates suck dick

 

[Boostd4]

It's interesting to me because the new Accord seems to be getting very good press in general. But like others have stated, most car companies today are making their sales numbers by selling SUVs. Ford even announced that they were halting sedan development in NA in favor of SUVs and trucks.

I wonder how much the absence of a V6 is really pushing buyers away?

 

[DDNorCal]

Just bought mine last week and the deals seem pretty reasonable. Buy or Lease, 1.9% up to 3 years, 2.9% up to 60 months. 72 months 3.99%
Dealer discounted $5425 off MSRP for $36,690 Touring 2.0T. I checked out 7 dealers within 40 miles. Maybe they are not moving as well as they would like, re: the slow down of manufacturing.



I tend to agree, the sedan vs. SUV is a main issue.

 

[moparjer]

I know this will not be popular on a Honda Accord forum, but IMHO some reasons they aren't selling is that the exterior look has not been well recieved, the number of complaints on the NHTSA.gov website and carcomplaints.com especially regarding the service brakes and interior accessories, plus the whole sedan market slump. Fortunately, outside of the sedan sales slump things can be changed and/or corrected.

 

[Aces_King]

Totally agree. Coming from an EX Honda salesman, coupes sat FOREVER. It was an extremely Niche vehicle. Honda did a good job at attempting to offer variations of the platform to suit all kinds of people, but the truth is, the market demand for coupes isn't as profitable as sedans and SUV's. Coupled with the lack of sales, and promotions at and around the Accord's launch, made an impact on overall sales and profit. BUT, IMHO, it was overstock of 9th Gen inventory and dealer greed. We still had 2016 Accord sedan and coupes in September of 2017. Launch timing is key, but so is your previous model unsold stock as well, and with so much stock and incentives on the 9th Gen, mark-ups on the 10th Gen just didn't make the Accord more appealing. Adding the hit or miss styling will make another impact on sales.

It wasn't discontinuation of coupes. Sales for them over last several years was dismal. It might also have something to do with the SUV craze and slow acceptance of Turbo engines. But definitely an extreme lack of marketing and incentives!