Word: honda
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...make a profit by accommodating XXXL Americans and making their lives easier rather than trying to change them. "I'm not handicapped by my body," asserts Elizabeth Fisher, 42, a 350-lb. computer programmer in Baton Rouge, La., who made headlines when she tried (and failed) to force Honda to provide her with seat-belt extenders for her new Odyssey. "I'm handicapped by stuff that's too small." That situation is beginning to change as more companies modify their products and services to win business from bigger customers. Among the shifts under...
DaimlerChrysler and Ford have for years offered systems for extending seat belts. Honda has made the seats of its Civic and Accord two inches wider in response to customer requests. Car companies are starting to think ahead about this trend, perhaps because dealing with design problems after a product has been brought to market can be costly. Volvo recalled 65,000 station wagons for repairs when it learned that heavy passengers might short-circuit a heating mechanism in their seats, starting a fire...
...persuading even more buyers to customize by offering easy, accessible options online. In a study published this month, Forrester Research analyst Baba Sheddy found that 66% of prospective buyers customized vehicles while researching price online. In a bid to turn speculative customizers into real ones, Toyota's Scion, Honda's Element and Saturn's Ion will let customers order personalized cars on their websites with touches like aluminum pedals and gearshifts, and springs that adjust the car's height. Because young buyers "want something that says, 'I'm unique,'" says Toyota's Jim Farley, the youth-targeted Scion will offer...
Shopping for a new sports car over the summer, David Beverly found plenty of choices, at attractive prices. Hunting for a sexy machine under $40,000, he surveyed vehicles ranging from Detroit's muscle cars to newer models by Audi, BMW and Honda. What really caught his eye was Nissan's sizzling new two-seater, the 350Z. A mortgage banker from Austin, Texas, Beverly loved its specs: a powerful engine, modern design, solid engineering and a price around $36,000, with all the trimmings. After reading raves about the vehicle, he says, "I knew I had to have...
...Porsche. Comparable vehicles now sell for less than $40,000, a pricing sweet spot that is expanding the market. Says Donald Kaufmann, 52, an insurance agent in Baton Rouge, La., who just bought the new Nissan: "I felt I was getting a lot of car for the dollar." Since Honda introduced its S2000 in 1999, sales of the $35,000 roadster have jumped nearly threefold. Mazda's Miata, introduced in 1989, is still purring along, with around 15,000 sold each year. Though Chevy's Corvette celebrates its 50th birthday next year, it still accounts for a third...