Honda Motor Co.'s reputation for world-class manufacturing may belie a slipping emphasis on design just as the automaker's North American factories are preparing to return to full production.
Consumer Reports' decision this month to pan the Civic, a onetime favorite, shows Honda may need to focus as much on design as it does factory accolades and ramping up after the March earthquake and tsunami, said Jim Hall, who runs automotive consulting firm 2953 Analytics Inc. in Birmingham, Michigan.
"Customers don't care about how the cars are made," Hall said. "They care how they drive and how they look. If you are doing an exceptional job building a mediocre product, that impresses the industry but not the buyer."