Page 36 - On The Move - Volume 16, Issue 3

Why Cars Still Matter to Honda

CUVs, SUVs and pickups gobble up the rest. It’s (born between the early-1980s and mid-1990s) and
reached a point where domestic automakers Gener- Gen Z-ers old enough to drive may have their sights
al Motors, Ford and Fiat Chrysler are all but abandon- set on sedans.
ing the car market. Young automotive consumers are drawn to
Yet despite their minority share, cars still repre- cars because they typically cost less than utility vehi-
sent about 5 million annual vehicle sales in the U.S. cles, says Arcangeli, while quickly noting utilities en-
“That’s huge,” Arcangeli tells the Automotive Press joy popularity among the younger set too. “We have
In today’s CUV-crazy U.S. automotive market, Association, during a presentation largely focused a balanced approach to trucks and cars,” he says. Led
you might think an auto executive in charge of car on “why passenger cars matter, especially for Hon- by the segment-leading CR-V small CUV, Honda’s
sales would be as optimistic as a fisherman casting da.” utility/truck sales share is 55% and has grown con-
a line in a swimming pool. But Henio Arcangeli Jr., The thinning out of the competition represents tinuously for the past nine years.
American Honda’s senior vice president-automobile an opportunity for Honda, he says. “Domestics pull- Honda car sales dropped 9% last year com-
sales, seems upbeat about the future of cars. ing out of the car segment allow us to gain market pared with 2017. But the segment decline was more
It helps that the No.2 and No.3 top-selling cars share.” dramatic for GM (21.1%), Ford (17.7%) and Fiat
in the U.S. last year were, respectively, the compact Another reason the future of cars is bright for Chrysler (17%), according to Wards Intelligence.
Honda Civic (325,760 units, according to Wards automakers that stick with them is the high percent- As vehicle prices rise, “obviously a challenge
Intelligence) and midsize Honda Accord (291,071). age of young consumers buying sedans, Arcangeli going forward is affordability,” he says. That’s why
The midsize Toyota Camry claimed first with 343,439 says. “Fifty-five percent of first-time vehicle buyers many consumers on a budget – including multicul-
deliveries. are buying passenger cars. That number jumps to tural segments – buy more-affordable cars. “They are
Still, unlike their dominant days, car segments 70 percent with Generation Z.” Similarly, research a good option.”
account for only 30% of market share in the U.S. commissioned by Nissan indicates many Millennials Source: Ward’s Auto

Nissan Hires Former Ford Design Executive Woodhouse

David Woodhouse, the design executive who left Ford Motor Co. after 20 years in early June, is joining Nis-
san Group. Woodhouse, 50, is the new vice president of Nissan Design America. He’s leading Nissan and Infiniti
design activities in North America and reports to Nissan’s global design chief, Alfonso Albaisa. Woodhouse is also
on the Global Nissan Design Management Committee.
Luring a senior executive from a rival automaker marks a reversal for Nissan. The company has been coping
with a talent drain, with executives in Asia and North America departing in the wake of former Chairman Carlos
Ghosn’s arrest late last year. High-profile executives who have left the company include Randy Parker, Nissan divi-
sion general manager; Jose Munoz, Nissan’s former head of global performance; and Infiniti President Christian
Meunier.
Woodhouse replaced Taro Ueda, who remains with Nissan in a global role, the company said. Nissan, which
is battling a decline in U.S. sales, expects to freshen 70 percent of its lineup in the next few years.
Woodhouse, who began his automotive career at BMW Group, has more than 25 years of automotive design
experience. On June 8, Automotive News reported Woodhouse had left Ford, where he was corporate director of
global strategic design and director of design at Lincoln. A Lincoln spokeswoman said at the time Woodhouse had
“elected to leave the company” but gave no details.
In a Facebook post June 7, Woodhouse said leaving Ford was a “difficult decision,” especially considering
his personal investment in Lincoln. “Ending a long-standing relationship with a corporation is just like ending a
personal relationship multiplied by the number of wonderful friends and colleagues,” he wrote.
At Lincoln, Woodhouse helped develop styling centered around a philosophy the company labels “quiet
flight.” Woodhouse previously was chief designer in Ford’s strategic design studios in London and California and
was part of the team behind the Lincoln C Concept at the 2009 Detroit auto show.
The Ford Shelby GR1, Ford Airstream, Ford
Reflex, Lincoln Continental Concept, Lincoln
Mk9 Coupe and Lincoln Aviator Concept are
among the key vehicles Woodhouse had a
hand in styling.
Source: Automotive News

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