YPSILANTI, Michigan (Reuters) – Honda Motor Co (7267.T: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) needs the next generation of its bread-and-butter mid-sized car, the Accord, to be a hit in the United States.

The Japanese automaker is counting on the 2013 Accord, being launched this month, to recapture share in the U.S. market’s largest and most competitive segment. Rivals are not standing still, with Toyota Motor Corp (7203.T: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), Nissan Motor Co (7201.T: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), General Motors Co (GM.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) and Ford Motor Co (F.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) rolling out redesigned models of their own.

DETROIT (Reuters) – The time has come for General Motors Co (GM.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) to cut ties with its money-losing European business, Opel, which has been a drag on the U.S. automaker for years, a Wall Street analyst said on Thursday.

The Detroit company has lost $16 billion in its European operations, which include the Opel and Vauxhall brands, over the last 12 years, Morgan Stanley analyst Adam Jonas said. The eurozone debt crisis led consumers in the region to pull back on spending, causing GM last year to abandon its target for break-even results in Europe for the full year.