本田營銷亂象

????業界一直對本田汽車公司（Honda）對美國市場明顯缺乏理解頗有微詞。最近，這種不足被放大了，因為權威消費雜志《消費者報告》（Consumer Reports）多年來首次沒有推薦市場熱銷的“思域”（Civic）車型。8月初，我本人也曾對本田汽車明顯對消費者需求缺乏敏感發表過評論。

????現在，本田汽車公司已作出一個讓人驚訝但又在情理之中的決定：聘請一位前克萊斯勒汽車公司（Chrysler）高管出任市場營銷總裁。之所以說它讓人驚訝，是因為本田是最為封閉的公司之一，很少從外部聘請高管；而所謂可以理解，是因為還有誰能比一位美國營銷高管更能理解美國消費者呢？

????在報道這一任命公告時，《汽車新聞》（Automotive News）雜志也對本田汽車公司的內部管理混亂有所涉及。這家日本汽車制造商將產品研發、產品規劃和營銷與汽車銷售隔絕了開來。換言之，最接近消費者的人居然在規劃桌前沒有一席之地。

V8引擎凋零

????最近，基于飛漲的油價和對人們氣候變化日益關注這兩點，我曾經宣告大多數V-8引擎即將退出歷史舞臺。這一觀點本來是直指底特律汽車廠商的，但對V-8最新的訃告則來自豐田汽車公司。

????豐田宣布，它正考慮停止在其2013版的旗艦運動轎車雷克薩斯GS上采用V-8引擎。豐田聲稱搭載V-8的車僅占GS總銷量的10%。但留意一下就會發現，唯一用來替代標準V-6引擎的是一款V-6混合動力引擎，可見汽車業的發展方向是：更高的燃油經濟性，更小的扭矩。

出租車業亂局

????日產汽車公司（Nissan）的改款面包車贏得競爭，從2013年開始將成為紐約市出租車的指定車型時，這家公司曾經興奮不已。但是，正如我在今年5月所寫，這類備受矚目的公共交通項目的歷程往往曲折多變，因此日產有理由保持謹慎。

????果然，隨后不久傳來了消息，福特汽車公司（Ford）的交通連接面包車（Transit Connect van）也已獲準在同一時間用作出租車。福特可謂出租車行業的巨無霸。其維多利亞皇冠（Crown Victoria）多年來一直是紐約黃色出租車隊的中流砥柱，而其交通連接面包車也獲準在其他大城市如波士頓、費城和芝加哥投入使用?；谄湫郯砸环降囊幠＝洕鷥瀯荩@款車可能會在紐約獲得足夠多的公眾支持，推翻日產的獨家經營方案。畢竟，不久前紐約在遠為重要的：任期限制問題上也曾改變主意。

薩博土崩瓦解

????薩博汽車公司（Saab）的新主人沒能順利加速“起飛”并不讓人意外，但這著實讓世界各地的車迷痛心不已，他們深愛薩博的個性和鮮明外形?，F在有傳言說，部分薩博的經銷商已經打算洗手不干了。而首席執行官維克多?穆勒還希望為公司注資，撐到10月中旬，期待屆時中國的一樁經銷交易能夠雪中送炭，但在如今這種經濟環境中，沒人會抱太大希望。

????譯者：清遠

Honda's marketing mess

????The auto industry has been buzzing about Honda's apparent loss of understanding of the U.S. market, a failure dramatized by Consumer Reports' failure to recommend the best-selling Civic for the first time in years. Earlier in August, I commented on Honda's apparent insensitivity to customer needs.

????Now Honda has made the surprising but understandable decision to hire a former Chrysler executive as its marketing officer. It's surprising because Honda is one of the most insular companies and rarely goes outside to hire top executives; understandable because who better to understand the American customer than an American marketing executive?

????In reporting on the announcement, Automotive News shed some light on the disarray at Honda. The Japanese carmaker separates product development, product planning and marketing from auto sales. In other words, the people who are closest to the customer don't get a seat at the planning table.

V-8 engines: Decline and fall

????Recently I posted a death notice for most V-8 engines on the grounds of rising gasoline prices and growing concerns about climate change. The comment was directed at Detroit, but the latest obituary comes from Toyota.

????The company revealed that it is dropping the V-8 option from the 2013 version of its flagship sport sedan, the Lexus GS. The stated reason was that V-8s represented only 10% of all GS sales. But when you discover that the only alternative to the standard V-6 is a V-6 hybrid, you understand in which direction the industry is headed: better fuel economy and less torque.

Taxi turmoil

????Nissan was pumped when its modified van won a competition to be named New York City's official taxi beginning in 2013. But as I wrote in May, the checkered history of other high-visibility transit projects should give it cause for concern.

????Then came news that Ford's Transit Connect van has been certified for taxi use in the meantime. Ford (F, Fortune 500) is the 800-pound gorilla of the taxi business. Its Crown Victoria was a stalwart of the city's yellow cab fleets for years, and the Transit Connect is approved in other big cities like Boston, Philadelphia, and Chicago. With scale economies on its side, Transit Connect might generate enough public support in New York to overturn Nissan's exclusive arrangement. After all, the city not long ago changed its mind on a far more important issue to its citizenry: term limits.

Saab's crack-up

????The failure of Saab's new owners to gain take-off speed isn't unexpected, but it pains car lovers everywhere who admired Saabs for their individuality and pluckiness. Now comes word that some of its dealers are ready to throw in the towel. CEO Victor Muller still hopes to finance the company until mid-October when a Chinese distribution deal kicks in, but in today's economic environment nobody is holding their breath.