Honda Odyssey - The 'Ultimate' Minivan - Anybody Surprised?

Cars.com, an online resource for new and used car buyers, announced today that the Honda Odyssey is the winner of its first-ever Ultimate Minivan Shootout. The site took six redesigned 2011 minivans under $45,000 and put them through a series of rigorous head-to-head challenges to determine which one was the best of the pack. The 2011 Honda Odyssey took the title for its styling, comfort and overall ride.

"Minivans haven't always been so cool; in fact, some car shoppers have shied away from them," said Patrick Olsen, Cars.com's editor-in-chief. "The reality is that today's minivans are sleek, practical and drive very well, which fulfills the needs of many families. Looking at the Honda Odyssey, its overall package of innovative features, design and a great ride propelled it ahead of its competitors. The $42,000 price tag might seem steep, but the features that the consumer gets for that money are unbeatable."

Cars.com, USA Today, Motorweek and an Atlanta-area family of five tested the vehicles over a period of three days. The first day consisted of 175 miles of highway driving to determine the true gas mileage for each van. On the second day, the experts took turns driving each of the six minivans evaluating ride, comfort, handling, style and functionality. On the final day, the local family evaluated the minivans from a car shopper's perspective to determine which features and design aspects were most important to them.

"We wanted to put these minivans through real-life tests with input not just from the experts but from a family with children," said Olsen. "This shootout takes into consideration the important insight of what the family thought was a good minivan and which one truly met their needs, because their opinions are important and reflect what all minivan shoppers would want."

Vans tested in the Cars.com Ultimate Minivan Shootout included the 2011 Chrysler Town & Country priced at $40,835, the 2011 Dodge Grand Caravan priced at $34,055, the 2011 Honda Odyssey priced at $42,250, the 2011 Nissan Quest priced at $38,040, the 2011 Toyota Sienna priced at $41,144, and the 2011 Volkswagen Routan priced at $34,750.

Are you a Big Fan of CREATIVITY?...this is it!

Honda's most recent advertising campaign caught me off guard and blew me away. I've been a lifelong fan of anything creative, with some limits. If I find it creative, I stand and I applaud! Be it the new interfaces in the latest Honda Cars, Trucks, Vans and Hybrids, a new gadget, some new automotive technology, or in this case...Advertising. Advertising content is always a source of amazement for me in the realm of Creativity!

So check Honda's latest, fully integrated national advertising campaign for the all-new Honda Civic. The campaign started last month.

It is designed to demonstrates the idea that we are all diverse in many ways, e.g. life-styles, tastes, wants and needs. And here's Honda, stepping up with an answer and a solution for matching us to the right car. There's a unique Civic for each of us. There's a current market trend moving toward product personalization and the Civic is positioned to be the latest canvas for that trend in small cars.

You'll be captivated, maybe repulsed, nonetheless engaged in the TV spots. I was. You'll also be seeing more of the same in publications such as Elle, ESPN the Magazine, Maxim, PARADE, People, Rolling Stone, Time and Wired. There's no escaping the message in the media.

You'll be introduced to five outrageous characters and see the same five characters in all the magazine ads.

This is prologue, this is what we mean by 'making it fun' to buy a car. Stop in and get your photo taken with the lifesize 'characters'...they are all in our showroom, TODAY!

And you may even see the message going out in the theater, billboards, etc.

The theme is "To Each Their Own," there are five distinct characters. Each represents a different Civic model and shows that there's a Civic right for each person,no matter who-or what-you are:


- Cesar, the Champion Luchador, is somewhat of a celebrity. He's handsome, charming and a bit vain so he, of course, appreciates the Civic Coupe's sleek lines.





- The Monster, Teeny, is a bubbly and studious college coed. Her practical nature and frugal budget align with the fuel-efficient Civic HF model.


- The Urban Woodsman, Jack, lives in the city but is at home in the woods. He likes his Civic Hybrid for its great fuel efficiency, which comes in handy on his many trips to the great outdoors.


- The Ninja, Aiko, is cute, innocent and deadly. A martial-arts phenom who's partial to red licorice and arcade games, she pairs well with the high-energy performance of the Civic Si model.











- The Zombie, Mitch, is a salesman who's into high-tech gadgets. His Civic Sedan is loaded with options like Bluetooth HandsFreeLink and navigation system with FM Traffic.



The All New Civic is a seamless evolution, inventive and cool, a succesive refinement. It will turn many to realize that it is well-designed, moderately trendy and technologically advanced.

We've known for a long time about the inherent diversity of Civic drivers, And this Civic will be engaging to each market.

I hope you get a chance to see the commercials. They are absolutley entertaining and do a great job of revealing that there's a Civic out there for everyone.

Background music plays a prominent role in each spot and is provided by several breakthrough artists, including: Snake and Jet's Amazing Bullit Band, McChris, Barry Louis Polisar, The Virgins and Oh Land.

Watch for the TV spots in the broadcast of Modern Family, How I Met Your Mother, NCIS, Vampire Diaries, Bones, Fringe, Chuck, Nikita, The Bachelorette and So You Think You Can Dance.

Honda Salutes FB fans - 1 Million Strong and Growing!!!

First Shift (5/5/11)