Not sure what to think about this rumour....
Though Honda experienced sales success in 2012 with
the Accord, Civic, and
CR-V,
we hear the automaker may move the three high-volume vehicles to one
platform by 2017. The move could help Honda reduce purchasing costs for
the three models by about 30 percent in three to four years, a new
report suggests, and help the automaker better compete in emerging
markets.
In the U.S., the
Honda Accord was the second-best-selling midsize sedan in 2012, while
the Civic
and CR-V topped their respective vehicle segments. Designing all three
vehicles on one, flexible platform could help increase the number of
shared parts, but that’s not the only way Honda can reduce costs.
Before long, Honda may start asking suppliers to design, develop, and
assemble parts after providing the proper specifications, the report
suggests, instead of the automaker assembling parts already built by
suppliers. Honda also plans to more than double investment in major
suppliers capable of supplying parts in emerging markets around the
world.
With Honda possibly adopting a similar parts-sharing strategy as the
one we’ve seen from Volkswagen, we wonder whether potential cost savings
could be invested back into improving lower-volume models like
the Honda CR-Z or even help make a business case for a “
baby NSX” type car.
Before any of those speculative possibilities happen, though, Honda will debut
the Urban SUV concept to the Detroit
auto show this month. The concept likely previews a Fit-based crossover coming to the U.S. market.
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