How many think there should be a car above the RL? Putting Honda politics aside... would it fly if they really pulled out the stops? Seems like the new TL is going to hurt the RL a lot from what I've heard about it. I know the RL doesn't sell but as a longterm strategy isn't it something they should do?

Mercedes has the E and the CLS. Those cars are on the same platform and then the S is ahead of them. Sales of the CLS are slowing but it seems like you have a TL, RL, and a whatever they call it. My buddy who still works at Acura says he's just getting killed over there. Dying on the vine.

 

I do. Acura needs a competitor for the LS460 (aka "Big Lex"). This is a necessity if they are planning to be a "tier 1" luxury marque.

The RL can be for fighting the 5-series or GS.

 

Just on the size front, the TL will be treading on the RL's toes, so you would expect the FMC to go up in size. A pity because I think it big enough now, for my needs. Maybe we really need that RL Coupe!

 

You can't be taken seriously as a luxury brand without a real luxury car. Acura has never made a full-sized sedan with a V8 or higher engine. They need one as a necessary first step to being taken seriously as a Tier 1 brand.

 

Bad timing though...I suspect all large vehicles will dip in sales somewhat due to a soft economy and rising prices. Premium gas here in SoCal is touching $4 a gallon; market manipulation will keep it there permanently. I'm a prime "luxury car" customer by demographics and income, yet I would never consider a car bigger than the current RL. Guess I'm weird.

 

I think they almost have to if they want to move to this so called "tier 1" level. MB, BMW, Audi, Lexus all have a 70K+ full size sedan product. Acura and Infiniti do not and I think that alone causes them to be viewed differently, eventhough the cars they have in the other slots are legit competitors.

Regarding the other related (but separate) question; I'm not as sure about whether they should grow the RL into that slot or add another product to the line. The TL and RL are certainly going to be the same size now. Is there room for two cars in the same size category (even if they lean in two different directions)? That answer I'm less sure of.

Regarding your comment about your buddy; Most of the people that have been around here awhile know my brother used to work for Acura and I still have some good friends there. I was talking with one face to face last week and he looked sincerely worried. He's their top selling salesman and he's not making ends meet lately. Seems the whole car industry is in the tanks right now but Acura is really hurting more than others.

 

I think the true luxury market is somewhat immune to gas prices. As Mike_TX showed, even the big Lexus matches or beats the RL for fuel economy, so even the true luxury shoppers can move up and not be spending more on gas.

I think Acura must have a top-market Lexus LS-like car that isn't an NSX (though one would certainly be welcome). If they don't they're going to lose "value" customers to the Genesis, plain and simple. Hyundai is probably more in the automotive conciousness than Acura right now, and will be even moreso with the Genesis and the new sports coupe coming.

Rob144

 

Acura should have done this 10 years ago. There needs to be a car ABOVE the RL.

Can Acura support the RL and the TL if the two cars are similar size? Well, look at Lexus. The ES and the GS are similar sizes. The GS doesn't have blockbuster sales, but it sells well enough to be in its third generation. They are different cars for different niches. Let's talk about price. The Lexus IS and ES are roughly the same price but they don't overlap, either. So there is room. Acura does not need to follow the BMW or Audi model of compact/midsize/fullsize. They can be more like Lexus, who is their true competition anyway.

 

Good point.

 

Time to shop for a new-car!

No adverts in my post!!

 

Acura should take care of their sales consultants and offer SPINS on their models. This used to be common with Acura... I remember raking them in but seems like they stopped in late-2006.

 

I'm not so sure Acura needs another car positioned above the RL ... just make the new RL a full-sized luxury car and the line will be filled out.

Some of the trouble with the RL has always been that it's perceived as an Accord-size car rather than a "big" sedan. Granted, part of that is that the RL's swoopy lines make it look smaller than it really is, but it needs more interior/trunk room to be taken seriously by the luxury car crowd. And of course, it needs a V-8.

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My preference would be for Acura to keep the RL and introduce an upscale V8 for those who like the bigger vehicles. The current RL is just the right size for my taste. Anything bigger doesn't interest me. They can make a variety of renditions to the RL, including twin turbo's, if they want to distance it from the TL.