DISC: Honda & Audi

[steveb@newkla.kla.com (Steven Buchholz)]

> Tak Cheung said:
>
> I wonder what's the Honda's equivalent before there was a Honda...I would
> say VW/Audi :)....
> 
IMO I have noticed small details over the years that make me wonder if Honda 
doesn't actually look to Audi for ideas.  It started when I noticed that the 
Honda accord sedans had similar tail treatments to my '78 Fox.  It got to the 
point where I misidentified them from a distance as Audis.  The styling of 
all cars came to look a lot like the aerodynamic 5000 design, but it seemed 
to me that Hondas had the most faithfully represented lines.  When Honda came 
out with the Vigor, they switched from a transverse FWD design to a longitud-
inal one, and added a cylinder!  I've never looked under the hood of one, but 
I expect it to look rather familiar.  Honda did improve upon the design by 
taking the power off the middle of the crankshaft to help with weight bal-
ance.  The one that finally convinced me was a sticker I saw in the rear 
quarter window behind the driver's of an Acura (Integra?).  It showed a set 
of four awards that the car won ... each one was circular, and they overlap-
ped just a little bit ... Audi rings!  I'll bet if we dug deep enough we'd 
find some deeply hidden corporate connection between the two companies.

Steve Buchholz
s_buchho@kla.com

How do you say "Vorsprung durch technik" in Japanese?