[Xtreme MDX]

This could be good news for us looking to tune the MDX. The Honda Motherland should come up with tons of upgrades and aftermarket parts for the MDX I hope. This is one I will try to get updates on. This little tidbit is straight from Temple of Vtec website under the heading " Upcoming JDM Models".

 

[RedMdxMemphis]

Just wonder how the Japanese park their MDX at home, which could be considered a huge car by their environment?

 

[Iceman]

Besides being far too big for most of the Japanese market, I'm afraid to see what shipping MDXs across the pond will do for the supply here in the States...

 

[frostyra]

Xtreme MDX: how about giving us a URL to get to? I couldn't find it on "templeofvtec.com".

Thanks

 

[mogur]

My guess is that they will sell only a very limited number - and expect that to be the case - as it is not the type of vehicle that the Japanesse in general have any desire for. It will be a specilaized niche vehicle and they probably will sell far less than a thousand in a year.

This could be good news for us looking to tune the MDX. The Honda Motherland should come up with tons of upgrades and aftermarket parts for the MDX I hope. This is one I will try to get updates on. This little tidbit is straight from Temple of Vtec website under the heading " Upcoming JDM Models".

 

[mogur]

Re: Re: MDX will be introduced to the Japanese Market in August....

My guess is that they will sell only a very limited number - and expect that to be the case - as it is not the type of vehicle that the Japanesse in general have any desire for. It will be a specilaized niche vehicle and they probably will sell only hundreds in a year.

 

[GatorGreg]

Hopefully it will retain the "MDX" name over there, lest we have to hear from the trolls what they are constantly pointing out relative to the Lexus RX300 (e.g. "In Japan, they sell the RX 300 as a Toyota Harrier") I suspect it will keep "MDX", but be sold as a "Honda". This will surely please the trolls who still hold on the false belief that the MDX being a Honda is somehow a bad thing The fact that the MDX is a Honda is one of the primary reasons I wanted it, and one of the primary reasons the automotive press loves it as well

 

[cardingtr]

Being on the larger size in Japanese market, Honda will probably add power folding side-view mirror and cars there have power door closing too.
I wish we have those, esp I got kids to pick and drop off school and a tight garage for two.

Temple of VTEC: www.vtec.net

 

[golfski]

Besides being wide, the other major problem is the left hand drive. It wouldn't be worth re-tooling, unless the market was bigger. You see the odd left hand drive big American car in Tokyo, but they're very few and far between. The MDX would definitely be a niche vehicle. Note on the name - the Acura name is only used overseas - in Japan it would almost definitely be rebadged under the parent company name - and probably with another model name instead of MDX. Remember, this is a country where the 240Z was known as the "Fairlady".......

 

[Fireblade6]

Niche cars like the Honda S2000 and the Acura NSX...Am pretty confidant that it will be called the Honda MDX like the Honda NSX. I dont know bout it being wide..I mean the Lexus SUV and Toyota Land Cruiser are available in Japan..I have seen plenty of them. Keep in mind...cities like Tokyo, Nagasaki and Yokohama are congested when it comes to traffic and roads..however..there are PLENTY of countryside roads out there...

As for after market parts...You can actually contact MUGEN and get performance headers and exhaust systems for the MDX. 270 HORSE!!

 

[Ronsully]

Having lived in Japan for half my life I would tend to agree with Fireblade. I don't think the X is too wide. My last visit a few years ago my uncle had just purchase a new Nissan luxury sedan. That darn thing was huge it, tank like, it had all the bells and whistles Navi with a built in TV turner and dvd player. Anyway, if you can drive the streets in Japan and live you can drive anywhere in the world.

 

[golfski]

Having lived in Japan for half my life I would tend to agree with Fireblade. I don't think the X is too wide. My last visit a few years ago my uncle had just purchase a new Nissan luxury sedan. That darn thing was huge it, tank like, it had all the bells and whistles Navi with a built in TV turner and dvd player. Anyway, if you can drive the streets in Japan and live you can drive anywhere in the world.

If it was that big, that would be the Nissan President, which is known here as the Infinity Q45. It's a big car, no doubt, and is used largely as a company car (those discreetly badged company limos) - as a privately owned car in Japan, it's definitely a niche vehicle. It's wide, but in fact, the MDX is wider.... I didn't say that the MDX is "too" wide, only that the width will be a problem. About driving in Japan (the streets are confusing - the drivers are generally pretty good though)........ Navi in Japan isn't a luxury, it's a necessity!

Fireblade: I didn't know that Toyota sold the Lexus brand in Japan. I've seen them in Singapore, but only Toyota in Japan. Maybe the ones you saw were re-imports (or Land Cruisers that were re-badged by the owners). I have to admit that I've only been to Japan on business (although many times), and don't spend a lot of time outside the city centers. The only Land Cruisers I've ever seen were around the airports, being used as Security vehicles.

The MDX's left hand drive's still a MAJOR limitation...........

 

[Tech555]

Plenty of large vehicles in Japan

Guys, I suggest you travel to Japan before making the assumption that all vehicles are small there. Sure there are plenty of extremely small cars (gasoline exceeds $6.00/gallon) but the average Japanese person does not buy a vehicle for commuting purposes. (90% of the population uses public transport). And don't forget there are city buses, trucks of every variety, and numerous other large vehicles that don't have any problem getting around.

Instead there is a huge market for status symbol vehicles. The larger the better. You can easily see lincoln Navigators, Mercedes, BMWs, Range Rovers, and of course large Toyota Land Rovers. The Toyota Crown and the Nissan Gloria are full size sedans similar to the Ford Crown Vic in size. There are also plenty of SUVs such as the Harrior (rx300), X-Trail, etc. An interesting note, in the Tokyo metro area, the cost of the parking space (which you have to have before getting a license tag) can exceed the cost of the vehicle.

It will be interesting to see how the Japan market perceives the MDX, as Hondas are not generally viewed as status symbols there, and acura does not exist as a brand. The Odyssey mini-van is one of the most common Honda's in Japan, so maybe there will be a market for the MDX.

Just wonder how the Japanese park their MDX at home, which could be considered a huge car by their environment?

 

[Tech555]

Left hand should not be a problem as there are plenty of left-hand Odyssey mini-vans in Japan. I assume they will use the same modification for the MDX. Same comment on width. MDX and Odyssey share the same platform.

http://www.honda.co.jp/auto-lineup/odyssey/photo-lib/photo5.html

I agree about driving in Japan. As a foreigner I simply would not do it. Most of the streets don't have names, houses are numbered by build order, not position, and you have to understand Kanji to read many of the signs (much more difficult than hirigani) Toyota does not have Lexus in Japan, but they do sell a L car line. (looks alot like lexus). If you are ever there I suggest visiting the Toyota design center located by Fuji TV on the man made island in the harbor. The show room has every car on display that Toyota sells around the world. (not sure if Honda has the same thing available)

If it was that big, that would be the Nissan President, which is known here as the Infinity Q45. It's a big car, no doubt, and is used largely as a company car (those discreetly badged company limos) - as a privately owned car in Japan, it's definitely a niche vehicle. It's wide, but in fact, the MDX is wider.... I didn't say that the MDX is "too" wide, only that the width will be a problem. About driving in Japan (the streets are confusing - the drivers are generally pretty good though)........ Navi in Japan isn't a luxury, it's a necessity!

Fireblade: I didn't know that Toyota sold the Lexus brand in Japan. I've seen them in Singapore, but only Toyota in Japan. Maybe the ones you saw were re-imports (or Land Cruisers that were re-badged by the owners). I have to admit that I've only been to Japan on business (although many times), and don't spend a lot of time outside the city centers. The only Land Cruisers I've ever seen were around the airports, being used as Security vehicles.

The MDX's left hand drive's still a MAJOR limitation...........

 

[golfski]

Left hand should not be a problem as there are plenty of left-hand Odyssey mini-vans in Japan. I assume they will use the same modification for the MDX. Same comment on width. MDX and Odyssey share the same platform.

http://www.honda.co.jp/auto-lineup/odyssey/photo-lib/photo5.html

If you follow the links above, you'll see that the right hand drive Odyssey in Japan is smaller than the Odyssey sold in North America (similar in dimensions to the first generation Odyssey). However, if you follow the link further, there IS a Japanese version of the North American Odyssey called "Lagreat" (gotta love those names). There's some owner commentaries complete with pictures - one of them show's one parked in a garage - looks very similar (in terms of space) to the MDX in the "Tight Fit" thread. Don't know how many Lagreat's Honda sold in Japan............

I still hold the opinion that the MDX will alway's be a minor, "niche" vehicle in Japan. There may be a perception that there's a huge demand for "status" vehicles in Japan. However, the fact is, Japan still hasn't emerged from a downturn that's over one decade old. One of the issues in Japan is that people aren't spending money like they used to (in the late 80's, early 90's). In very general terms, people are far less concerned with status and more concerned with job security, and how they're going to fund their own retirement (the aging population is one of the biggest issues in Japan).

Also, the very fact that a vehicle is a status symbol implies that it's not common.

 

[Tech555]

I forgot the Odyssey is not the same version as the one made in the US.

Downturn is a relative thing. In the late 80's they threw away dirty refridgerators, now they clean them. (very true) There is still a great deal of disposible income in Japan. When you buy your MDX, where do you think the profits finally end up? The Japanese are making a great deal of money in the North American market. Toyota takes a common vehicle, slaps Lexus on it, and sells it for 50% more in NA as a status symbol. During my last visit there a few months ago, I was very impressed by the number of new vehicles on the road. Go into any department store and you will notice everyone buying very expensive goods. Downturn in Japan is equal to boomtimes in the US. (I was only in the greater Tokyo metro area so I am not sure about the rest of the country)

Maybe Honda is thinking of going after the Harrior (RX300) market in Japan. I noticed quite of number of them and that seems to be the MDX's primary competition in the US. It will be interesting to see how they price it as the Harrior only costs about $26K in Japan. I would guess the MDX will be priced accordingly to compete. It may still be a niche vehicle however as NA manufactured vehicles are generally regarded there to be of low quality (true or not) and as I mentioned before, Hondas are not status vehicles.


If they created a right hand drive version, there would also be a market in the UK and (though I am not sure) Australia.

If you follow the links above, you'll see that the right hand drive Odyssey in Japan is smaller than the Odyssey sold in North America (similar in dimensions to the first generation Odyssey). However, if you follow the link further, there IS a Japanese version of the North American Odyssey called "Lagreat" (gotta love those names). There's some owner commentaries complete with pictures - one of them show's one parked in a garage - looks very similar (in terms of space) to the MDX in the "Tight Fit" thread. Don't know how many Lagreat's Honda sold in Japan............

I still hold the opinion that the MDX will alway's be a minor, "niche" vehicle in Japan. There may be a perception that there's a huge demand for "status" vehicles in Japan. However, the fact is, Japan still hasn't emerged from a downturn that's over one decade old. One of the issues in Japan is that people aren't spending money like they used to (in the late 80's, early 90's). In very general terms, people are far less concerned with status and more concerned with job security, and how they're going to fund their own retirement (the aging population is one of the biggest issues in Japan).

Also, the very fact that a vehicle is a status symbol implies that it's not common.