Spy shots of the 10th gen Honda Accord have surfaced and early critics are of course lamenting its looks.
We’ve already seen a couple of spy shots of the 10th generation Honda Accord but this newest batch gives us a better representation of what the new Accord will look like. And of course, the internet has responded in kind with plenty of criticism thrown the Accord’s way. We’ve linked a couple of the spy shots of what the Accord was captured looking like below courtesy of Autoblog on their posts earlier today (Apr. 17,2017.) Although there might be early critics of the Accord’s newest styling direction, like a battleship in the middle of a pond, it’ll take more than a new front end to change the trajectory of the sales success the Accord has garnered over its 40 plus years in America.
Spy shots show a @Honda #Accord under development that looks like a grown-up #Civic: https://t.co/qkdnWfCLNK pic.twitter.com/1bRNKMQpLe
— Autoblog (@therealautoblog) April 17, 2017
EXPOSED!!! NEW Spy Shots of the NEXT Honda Accord!!! #Honda https://t.co/14c84wsl02 pic.twitter.com/6ehbvXaBqY
— JACK O' DIAMONDS (@JACKODIAMONDS1) April 17, 2017
First, there’s the front profile of the 10th gen Accord. Although Honda tried its best to hide the new look with heavy camo, we can plainly see Honda aiming at a “grown-up Civic” look with a new face taking heavy styling cues from the 10th gen Civic. You’ll be able to differentiate the new Accord from its old look thanks to Civic-inspired headlights and grille.
Then there’s that fastback functional look in the rear. Honda is among only a handful of manufacturers (including Audi, Tesla, and Hyundai to name a few) that opt for a four-door sedan to include a fastback look in the rear. Honda tried it to rave reviews on the new Civic and now it looks like they’re carrying that design element over to the Accord. Defined by a continuously sloping rear line from the roof to the bumper, this styling cue has known aerodynamic benefits compared to the traditional 3-box design.
It’s been a full five years since the current 9th gen Accord hit the market and since then Honda has continued to enjoy a steady stream of sales hovering in the high-20 thousand range according to Good Car Bad Car and Honda’s latest sales numbers. Despite its stellar reputation and reliability record, the Accord has always played second fiddle to the best selling mid-sized sedan, the Toyota Camry.
It would be remiss for Honda to mess with the Accord formula more than necessary. If they’ve learned anything from Camry it’s that a bit more aggressive design doesn’t necessarily translate to more sales, and importantly fewer sales. The demographic of Accord buyers, like Camry buyers, plants them as Gen X/Y and baby boomers. It’s not likely that this demographic is even aware of these spy shots as much as the more connected generations. Sure, the Accord will gain a slightly edgier look thanks to the Civic and we might see their powertrain package shift to Honda’s turbo engines with the possibility of no V6. but rest assured Honda will make sure the experience will be the same if not slightly better. Reliable transportation with plenty of room and a touch of sport above the Camry is what defined Accord and that’ll continue through the Accord’s 10th generation.
