Off the track, Honda had been tasting success, too. In the 1970s, its engineers had raised the bar for fuel efficiency and cleaner emissions with the CVCC engine. In the 1980s, as its engines were propelling Senna to multiple victories, the Civic and Accord cars were redefining the American family sedan. In 1997, Honda became one of the first modern carmakers to unveil an all-electric battery car, the EV Plus, capable of meeting California's zero emission requirement.
Jump forward almost 30 years from that Senna moment, and Honda is flailing:
On the racetrack, the Honda McLaren partnership is in trouble: The team is without a single win this season, and McLaren is losing patience with its engine supplier and speaking of a parting of the ways.
On the road, the Honda fleet has been dogged by recalls. More than 11 million vehicles have been recalled in the United States since 2008 due to faulty airbags. In 2013 and 2014, there were five back-to-back recalls for the Fit and Vezel hybrid vehicles due to transmission defects. Honda has lost ground in electric cars to Tesla and others.
"There's no doubt we lost our mojo — our way as an engineering company that made Honda Honda," Chief Executive Takahiro Hachigo told Reuters.
In interviews, more than 20 current and former Honda executives and engineers at the company's facilities in Japan, China and the United States recounted the missteps that they say contributed to Honda's decline as an innovator. They also revealed new details of the firm's efforts to rediscover its creative spark.
(AutoBlog.com)
