"In regards to Honda’s research, who do they ask when researching plastics colors?" - 100Acre: I've wondered this same thing for years for any big business? Who is the brain-child that they hired to find these "focus groups" anyway? Someone with a 3rd grade education as well as blind or def? 20 some years ago I worked at GM and I was in the same building that they designed the Pontiac Aztec. Saw the entire development process happen and when it came time to determine what the foe-mini van was going to look like, there were several examples in the mock-up room. One of which, if they built it, I was seriously considering buying one. But nope, what was decided on was the one the "focus group" that was surveyed liked the best and well, you see what that vehicle was.😝
"I wonder why so few Trail models are available?"- 100Acre- this is because we are dealing with ultra-conservative Honda here. Ever since the "loosing face" of the 1986-87 3-wheeler class action law suits, Honda has never again been the innovator-risk taker that they were in the 70's and 80's. Their business model now is to sit back and wait for the competition to innovate and come up with the cool new products, then wait and see if the market is there for this new thing, then Honda will act a few years later and develop a very conservative product for that market and hope that their Honda faithful will step up and buy it just because it is a Honda, not the best product on the market.
I admit, I am one of those Honda faithful. I own several that are old and still running the same as when they were new. I also have 2 of Honda's last really innovative off-road products: an '83 ATC 250R and a '86 TRX 250R. But, I have to say my P500 does exactly what it was designed to do - fun little utility vehicle at a low price-point
