With the Acura NSX supercar on the way, it’s obvious the automaker wants to shake things up. No matter which direction Acura takes, however, one trait will always remain: the polarizing grille.
Toshinobu Minami, who was appointed the exterior design chief of Honda and Acura in September, says he wants to make the brand sportier and more active. Although he’s well aware of the bad reception the chrome five-point grille has received, he says it’s here to stay.
“We concede that we went a little overboard at some points,” Minami told Automotive News. “We actually had pretty bad feedback on this initially from different directions. But we are not going to buckle under that pressure.”
That means Minami will keep the beak, though he could continue to tone it down for future designs. The grille was first introduced as part of Acura’s “keen edge” design overhaul in 2008, and has since transformed into a sleeker design on newer models like the new ILX compact sedan and the redesigned RDX crossover. Minami says that although Acura has tweaked the grille, people may be finally getting used to the design feature.
Minami may be the right man to lead Acura’s future designs, since he penned the NSX concept and worked as the lead exterior designer on the last-generation Acura TL and second-gen RL. Of course, Minami isn’t the only company executive with an eye on bringing the “magic” back to Honda and Acura. In a poll of MT WOT readers from yesterday, a majority suggested that Honda should focus on design in its attempt to get back on track.
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