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Dave Marek retires from Honda
The Honda 'lifer’ stepped down 1 January
Longtime design executive Dave Marek has retired from Honda as of 1 January 2026.
His departure, unlike some of late, was anticipated and there has been a succession plan in place for while now.
Dave Marek represents an endangered species in these rapidly-changing times: A "lifer"- a designer that has spent his entire career at one OEM or studio.
His passion for car design began as a young child, as he once wrote, “I remember being four years old, standing in front of Obexer’s General Store in Lake Tahoe when I saw my first Corvette. I had never seen such a compelling, alien design. So, I did what I thought made sense at the time: I ran after the car. Literally. Ran down the street, dashing toward this car. My dad had to chase me down on foot and rescue me before I got myself hurt. After I had this visceral reaction, I started drawing cars. This was my introduction to the idea of automotive design: that cars could be something that were envisioned and built from the ground up.”
Marek’s father intervened again in his teenage years, taking the car-crazy Dave to visit ArtCenter, where he saw the excellent student work, and also saw his future.
“I’m not shy about telling people that ArtCenter saved my life. It may sound like hyperbole, but it’s not. My dad suggested ArtCenter at a time in my life when I couldn’t have needed it more. Upon first seeing the gallery work on display at the College, my first thought was: ‘What have I been doing with my life?’ I didn’t realise such creative perfection was attainable; I needed to see it with my own two eyes.”
Marek would graduate from ArtCenter, with honors, in 1987, and go to work for Honda.
Once established at Honda he would become an indispensable member of the design team and was Honda's design project leader for the U.S. He would lead the design effort for a number of signature vehicles, including the 1994 Honda Accord Wagon, 2003 Honda Element and 2006 Honda Ridgeline. Additionally, Marek led the design of the first Acura model to be designed, developed and produced in America, the 1997 Acura CL.
In 2014, Marek was named Acura Creative Director, and then Acura Executive Creative Director in 2016.
On April 1, 2021, his role moved within American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) as part of a corporate restructuring that led to the integration of the auto styling operations of HRA into AHM. During this time, Marek played a critical role in bringing Acura Precision Crafted Performance design language to life in the brand's products, both in concept and production vehicles. This includes the series of EV concept models, most recently, the Acura Performance EV Concept.
In April 2024, Marek assumed his final role at Honda as R&D executive advisor.
In addition to his work at Honda, Marek has also taught at his alma mater for a number years.
Among his many lessons to students is the 10 second rule: “The ten-second rule dictates that a customer generally knows within ten seconds whether or not they like something enough to buy it. As a designer who creates things intended for mass consumption, you must take all five senses into account when considering the ten-second rule. In a sense, you’re putting yourself in the buyer’s shoes.
“ArtCenter taught me that the act of creation (sketching, drawing, making) could be the path to a profitable and spiritually fulfilling future. More importantly, it taught me how to formulate a vision of myself and who I wished to be. That’s part of how I ended up at Honda: I willed myself towards a destiny I saw with clarity when that Corvette flashed down the road before me back in Lake Tahoe. I’ve been chasing that ten-second feeling ever since.”
Sources - American Honda Motor Co., ArtCenter College of Design
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