Originally posted by jaje
maybe we are looking at different directions...i think honda is the premier japanese motorsports company with its total involvement and domination of motor sports and motor bikes...how it is run by engineers, how it rotates its production car engineers into F1 or someother area that pushes the edge of technology (that later gets applied to its production vehicles)...through this technology you get more from less
nissan on the other hand uses big block or forced induction as its main route (with some few noteable exceptions sr16ve [170hp])...that's nice and all but i like efficiency over size...b/c larger engines weigh more and require a heavier frame, etc...this all boils down to lessening the agility of the car...for instance the nsx type r in the jgtc championship doesn't make near the power of its gt-r and supra competitors...but through lighter weight more than makes up for the disadvantage
I guess I see your point...but I think when we talk about a sporty image I believe we are only referring to production vehicles (more specifically in the U.S.) Nissan is trying to portray a sporty image here. That is what they want to be about here. Thats what they have always been about here. when they stopped in the 90's, it started the downfall of nissan. Now they are back to that image and they have been regaining market share for the past 2 years. I know honda uses a lot of its f1 tech. in production vehicles, but they arent necessarily known to have a sporty image to your average consumer. They are known to be higly reliable, dependable, fuel effecient, and very very environment friendly. While nissan also makes reliable and dependable cars..honda is better known for it and may even be a notch above in reality. but they do definately shine in being fuel effecient and environment friendly well above all others.
We all know honda makes just as reliable cars as toyota...but we all also know that's toyotas main image. their image is they make the most reliable cars bar none. I have differing opinions on that image but that is what their image is.