The minivan dilemma: Honda Odyssey

And a never-ending odyssey it seems to be... trying to sell and/or advertise a minivan in an exciting way. The problem is: a minivan is just not exciting. It's neither nice, nor sporty, nor does it fit any of the emotional categories that get a guy's juices flowing. Just imagine the guys from TOP GEAR, and their blunt, unfiltered comments about any kind of this unfortunate automotive species.

Well, here is another failed attempt. What the hell was Honda thinking? Lighting fire around the car? Showing an image of a panther for a split-second? Filling this vehicle with a Marshall sound system? The only thing that's missing is some B-list celebrity testimonial as to how awesome this car is. Urgh...

Let's be honest for a moment. The target group for a minivan is, and always will be a family with more than one kid. No single guy in their right mind would spend a buck on a minivan. No married man with the kids sent off to college will be willing to continue driving around, and being seen in one. This is a functional car, and while the kids live under the same roof as the parents, this species has a right to exist.

What's wrong with this commercial / car? Multiple things:
a) the fire & lighting - it's just stupid and a desperate attempt to create excitement
b) the panther - Jaguar owns the positioning territory associated with a cat of prey
c) the Marshall sound system - a complete waste of money loading a minivan with that kind of technology

Honda had better put out a special edition of their CR-Z, the Element or the Ridgeline. The kind of guys who drive these cars might appreciate this 'rock' angle and a Marshall sound system. They will however, never ever voluntarily set foot into a minivan.

This is just a totally wrong concept of a car. The advertising only makes it worse.