I see the Target reference as positive.
Over the past five to ten years we have seen a major shift in the retail environment. Department store retailers used to hold strong market positions with improving year over year sales and profits. But then consumers started to become savvy. Less emphasis was put on having the latest fashions and name brands and more care was taken to purchase value. That is where the discounters come in. They realized this years ago - that consumers did not need expensive name brand products and services when they could purchase a comparable product (from a functionality standpoint) for much less.
So what is my point here? Target offers "cheap chic" - a good look for a great value - which is the market that Honda is going after. Its base model is under $26K, which is a great price for a vehicle in that class. In fact - I am not sure you can find another vehicle in the class for less (maybe a 4 cylinder, 2-wheel drive Highlander?). The question we have to ask ourselves is: do we need all the accessories that make the car fun to drive? If they are that important - maybe you should look at an MDX or some other midsize SUV.
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