http://www.vtec.net/news/news-item?news_item_id=819123

 

I think they sold almost every '09 RLs they built for February, lol? IIRC, dealerships hardly got any
'09s from Acura, and that production had been scaled down. I may be wrong though.

 

Yow. Can't put any positive spin on that.

 

What is interesting is that the RL seems to be getting company @ the bottom of the barrel w/ the Lexus GS, which sales dropped 56.4% to 595 units. This would seem pretty normal for the industry right now but the Infiniti M only dropped 30.0% to 1,107 units.

Since its debut, the GS has consistently been the 3rd best seller but it suddenly has taken a sharp turn ... wonder why?

 

Like vybzkartel said, I agree it has to do a lot with available inventory. Coupling that with the lower demand for expensive cars due to the economy, and the expectation of a new gen next year, yields you a bigger drop off then the other models.

The BMW 7 series is in the same sort of boat. They sold 10 in February. That's right, 10! Compared to 1500+ last February. It's their most costly model and it's being refreshed this year. Makes it a hot potato. Or is that Potatoe? Where's Dan Quayle when you need him?

 

Do we really think there will be a new 2011 model RL with the current economic climate? Or will we be left to languish for years like the first generation RL? I have not seen much news on what happens with the RL, other than the Car and Driver article on the Fit which parenthetically confirms the RWD Acura platform is dead.

If I were Honda, I might question the wisdom of wasting resources on a low selling model when smaller, more efficient cars seems to be the way to go, if for no other reason than people are feeling frugal, and will continue to do so for a long time. Of course, I am not Honda, and I have been so wrong before about the future of the auto industry....

 

Yes Chas, I think they will/should move forward with it. First, it's the smart thing to do if they want to elevate the brand as they said. Second, this recession shall pass. They/we can't act like the world is coming to an end. They need to make a larger more expensive flagship to compete with the LS, etc., otherwise the brand will remain incomplete. RWD is not the key problem to me. It's like a manual transmission- heading towards being irrelevant in the sedan segment. They can stick with AWD and be very successful, just stop offering FWD vehicles with the brand. That is what really seems to be a mistake rather than the lack of RWD sedans.

 

Inventory must really be low. Back in December when I helped someone get a 2008 TL, the dealership had only 1 white 2009 base RL (and several 2008s). Every time I drive past the dealership, I still see it sitting in the front of the lot. According to Edmunds new Inventory feature, that 1 lone RL is still it for the dealership; it still shows 2 2008s there as well ... too bad I am not in the market for a new car bc I bet I could either of those really cheap.

The salesman suggested that they were having a hard time selling the RL bc it had no navi which is a must for that price point of luxury. I also found it interesting that they had a TL, TSX, RDX & MDX in the showroom but the 1 & ony RL they had was outside ... granted right up front so you can see it from the street but still outside in the cold.

 

My local dealer is the same. They have one or two RL's on the lot. Dealers just aren't getting them allocated to them. Can't sell cars without inventory. Like the 7 series, the manufacturer seems to have just stopped making them given the market conditions and production cycle timing.

However, that doesn't mean the RL and 7 should be dropped from the line! In fact, this is when you need to be refreshing and trying to create some noise (assuming you can afford it). That's a whole other issue.

 

Mercedes has pretty much ended production on all 2009 vehicles so not building any more RLs is probably normal. Even 2 years ago when I was with them they talked about cutting production.

 

I have no issues at all being the only owner in New York with a Red CMBS...after installing the quad "power tips" I will be in the new exclusive club :-)

 

A non navi RL? is there such a thing?

 

An RL without NAV would be...

 

It's the mooch model.