Which Models Made Forbes’ Flop List?
Coming on the heels of Honda announcing it will discontinue the Element, Forbes revealed its list of 2010 automotive flops, which included the boxy utility as well as a handful of other models from that manufacturer.
The site turned to a panel to pick its top flops. The Element as well as the Insight and Crosstour were included on the list. A model from Honda’s luxury brand was also among those the site chose — the Acura ZDX.
The rest of the list included the smart Fortwo Pure Coupe, Lexus HS250h and Suzuki Kizashi
The Forbes panel that compiled this list incorporated nominations from Jake Fisher, senior automotive engineer for Consumer Reports; Troy Snyder, director of product development at NADAGuides.com; and John McElroy, the host of Detroit’s Autoline Daily.
“Dwindling sales is one way to determine an automotive flop. Excessive hype before a launch, with media silence afterward is another. So is a round of scathing reviews from auto critics, and a Consumer Reports rating that places a car among the 10 worst vehicles of the year,” panel members stated.
“Sure, some owners of these vehicles might love their cars and may be completely happy with their purchases. But overall these lines failed to meet expectations,” they added.
The Forbes panel went on to offer more about each vehicle it mentioned.
smart Fortwo Pure Coupe
MSRP: $11,990
Why it flopped: Poor handling, poor public perception of its ability to withstand a crash, not enough gains in fuel economy to justify the first two problems and declining sales.
Honda Insight
MSRP: $18,200
Why it flopped: Poor handling and drive performance when compared to the Prius and low sales.
Lexus HS250h
MSRP: $34,650
Why it flopped: There was a lot of excitement about it because this seemed to make total perfect sense, but unfortunately it just didn’t perform. The fuel efficiency wasn’t that good — it gets the fuel efficiency of a Toyota Corolla, so sure, it’s got leather, but it doesn’t really live up to what was promised.
Acura ZDX
MSRP: $45,495
Why it flopped: Polarizing looks, small interior, low sales.
Honda Crosstour
MSRP: $29,790
Why it flopped: Polarizing design and not as much space in the trunk and rear as consumers expect for a hatchback-crossover-sedan.
Suzuki Kizashi
MSRP: $18,999
Why it flopped: Low awareness of Suzuki brand in America.
Honda Element
MSRP: $20,875
Why it flopped: Seven years straight declining sales and odd design.
For the complete story from Forbes, click here.