cbusAcuracls

Promises promises promises.

With the new 08 Accord 268 hp 6mt dynoing hp #'s close to what the 08 TL-S is I don't see any gap forming between Honda/Acura like they are saying.
Also with the "plenum grille" with the ugly black cheap honey comb grille under it on the 09 RL I don't see how this as well broadens the gap between Honda Accord and Acura..esp. on Acura's flagship car (RL). Acura has alot to compete with Lexus and BMW styling. Hopefully they can do all this but still keep their cars practicle and inexpensive unlike Lexus and Bmw.

Colin

Not really, I am asking who the distributer is. There is a fundamental disconnect in the way car sales are perceived by the general public.

Honda Motor Company (HMC) does not sell any cars in America. They are the manufacturer and they sell their product to American Honda Motor Co. (AHM).

AHM then resells the cars to the individual dealers for resale to customers. AHM is responsible for future warranty claim payments, handling the parts inventory, and, if necessary, providing a financing arm (Honda Finance). This is the reason a Honda bought in Europe might have difficulty getting warranty service in America.

So my original question was who is the distributer of Acura in Canada? (could very well be AHM). And does Canada treat cars built in Japan with different tarrif rates than cars built in North America like the TL?

CGTSX2004

iTrader: (1)

I'm gonna guess it's these folks. http://www.honda.ca/

Colin

It looks like it's someone other than AHM. Each distributer is going to set their own MSRPs as is their right as Distributer. Obviously they feel the car is worth more in their market than AHM does (not sure what that means?)

To add on: If Honda of Canada only gets 15,000 TSXs a year and will sell all they can get their hands on, why wouldn't they raise the price? If you charge more and can't sell the cars, you can always discount them. If you charge more and sell them all, then you make more.

I'm not saying this is the case, but if there are limits on their allocation it might answer some of the reason why there is a difference between US and CA?

dom

Pretty sure Honda Canada is owned and operated by AHM although I could be wrong. So, the system is identical to that of Honda in the US.

Not sure about the tariff rates on cars built in Japan vs NA.

They'll charge what the market will bear. Last I heard, Acura sells 4K TSX annually up here and about 6K TL's. The market is minuscule compared to the US.

Colin

Thus the chicken and egg conundrum: Do they sell so few because of the pricing, or is the pricing dictated by the supply?

Colin

Heres an interesting tidbit from cnet:

http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-13746_7...ml?tag=keyword

dom

In Canada, its pricing IMO. To put things in perspective, Acura Canada sold just over 20,000 cars for 2007. Lexus, sold just over 8K. The reason for that? The CSX and the fact that Acura are for the most part cheaper. I think Acura may be the #1 "luxury" nameplate in Canada going by sales.

Canadians in general buy cheap cars. The Civic, Mazda 3 and Corolla are the top sellers up here vs the Camry and Accord in the US.

26Shaun

Not sure if anyone has thrown this out there yet, and I know that a lot of people have mixed feelings about the stated lower HP output, but did anyone think that the "201 hp and 172 tq (with manual tranny)" comment actually meant the automatic could have MORE hp and torque than the manual? I know the way they worded that makes you think pessimistically, but a lot of companies PRs likes to play tricks on people at times with the way they word things as it gets people talking. For all we know, there could be an SH-AWD system coming to the TSX with the automatic tranny only. In my opinion, the way they worded that statement left things completely open and it is very possible the SH-AWD can still show up at the launch of the TSX seeing as how there are currently no manual trannys developed by Honda that mate up to the SH-AWD system in several of their other vehicles.

dom

The part about the AT having more power is highly, highly unlikely IMO.

5thTo2nd

Actually, I agree with you 100%. Some people are stupid but that's the way things are. Actually, stupid people are made even stupider by the marketing efforts of car companies who insist that the frills they add to cars are needs and not wants. But hey, those stupid people also contribute to the used car pool when they finally hit the buyer's remorse stage

5thTo2nd

Which is precisely why Acura Canada needs to offer incentives to lower the price of the TSX so it is more in line with the new lowered MSRP of the IS250. I'm sure many Canadians are taking a harder look at the IS250 now that it is cheaper.

Red@8

Not entirely true. We both pay the same for our cars, its just that $28k in canada buys you a lot less then it does in the US. I paid $28k otd for my tsx. In canada that would have got me a fully loaded corolla or civic (non si).

Obviously models and such come into play at this point but i am just trying to prove a point.

5thTo2nd

Nice. Any info on the actual embargo date so we can get some "first drive" impressions?

bibby

More comparisons for you Americans to know about how Acura is pricing in Canada:
TSX currently runs $38k
Audi A3 runs at $32.3k (includes leatherette now, but no moonroof)
Audi A4 runs at $35.3k
Lexus IS250 at $32k
BMW 323i at $35.9k (includes leatherette and a V6 at 200hp)
Acura TL runs at $43k (without Navi)

And for the record..
Accord V6 runs at $36k (leather, but without Navi)

Acura TSX is "suppose" to bring "value" into the luxury segment. And also, Acura brings good reliability (that's why I bought one) just like Lexus does. The IS250 used to cause more for the equivalent package against the TSX, now the gap is a lot closer than before. And if you add moonroof to an Audi A4, it still costs lower than a TSX. And besides the IS, which runs about the same accel. as TSX, the other cars on the list can certainly outrun TSX and can achieve almost same gas mileage. Not too sure where Acura is heading, especially when they have the Accord relatively at the same price as the TSX. Think they just shot themselves in the foot.

Do I like my TSX? Of course. But the way the Canadian market is going, if I am looking for a car within the same price range and same features, I'd probably be going for another brand.

jlukja

...and in case anyone is wondering, today's exchange rate is $1.00USD = $1.0127CAD.

gt0279a

Not until the NY Auto show.

It starts the 'media preview' on 3/18 and opens to the public on 3/20.

psteng19

Probably not.
Nissan did the same thing in the 350Z, with the manual version more powerful than the auto.
That means if there's going to be a power difference, it's you auto drivers that are going to get less power

Well, you guys get shafted right off the bat already. More drivetrain loss and ~80 lbs heavier.

rb1

I don't really disagree, but I just see the new motor as a subtle refinement of the first one. The 2006+ TSX was noticeably torquier than it's predecessor, even at 3000 RPM, so who knows?

I'm more of torque hound, and with the TSX's weight, the only way to "solve" the power complaint is either forced induction or more cylinders. A normally aspirated I-4 simply won't cut it with the power fiends when you're dealing with a 3300 lb car...

Colin

You are assuming there is infinite supply. The part of your equation that is missing is availability. If Acura of Canada is limited to only 4000 TSXs/year, AND they are able to sell everything they get, there is no need to lower the price.

Heres an analogy. You are a baker, and you make really good cupcakes, some of the best on the planet. The problem is that you can only make 10 dozen a day. You charge a little more for you cupcakes but not as much as at those fancy ones in the starbucks stores.

People always say, "you should lower the price on these things.... you could easily sell twice as much!" They don't realize that you can't make twice as much so if you lower the price, you only make less money on each one that you sell. So you keep your price the same.

hans007

i have no idea why people keep saying the 1 series looks good.

first off its tiny inside. and it has that horrible droopy door crease and awful headlights. the 1 is awful. even people in europe say it looks awful.

sure it drives better, but A LOT of people who buy these cars are not even going to care, and the 1 series is just plain an ugly car.

TSX420J

So far I've seen all the pics from page 65 and up, but I didnt remember seeing these.

http://bp1.blogger.com/_FoXyvaPSnVk/...00/hacr_24.jpg

http://bp3.blogger.com/_FoXyvaPSnVk/...00/hacr_25.jpg

TSX420J

http://carscoop.blogspot.com/2008/02...da-accord.html

Colin

Ok these were posted back around page 69-71. :troutslap

TSX420J

No they weren't. Those pics are of the same car but at a different angle and very blurry.



LOL

Mokos23

it's for people who want to get into a bmw and brand status at a value price.

think about it, it would be a no-brainer for me if there was a 128i 4dr and TSX at the same price point. i would get the 128i 4dr over the TSX in a heartbeat.

datadr

Comparably equipped, they will never be "the same price point". Base price is similar, but it doesn't have power seats, leather interior, 6-disc CD, heated seats, HID headlights, etc. By the time you add the "options" packages to get you the same equipment, you're probably into 35K or more. That's TL territory, and the TL kicks this thing's ass. Not to mention it's a 2-door vs. a 4-door.

Plus, I agree with hans007 - it's ugly. The new TSX is still attractive, even if the grill isn't appealing to many. The 1-series looks like a Hyundai Elantra with a BMW font-end.

ostrich

I knew that I saw the 1 series body somewhere before.... now that you said it, it all makes sense now! Yes, it looks just like the Elantra body!!! LOL

cmschmie

I guess to finally put my in...

The new TSX, based on the Press Release image, actually looks pretty good. The grille is a little much to handle, but overall, the car looks good...IMO

I haven't read through this thread much the last couple weeks, but has a Type-S version been confirmed? If so, what does that mean?
I, personally, still think a SH-AWD/Turbo TSX is a bit of a pipe dream

5thTo2nd

Very true Colin. A recent article mentioned that Canadians tend to pay whatever price is given to them. "Charge what the market will bear" so to speak. So what we have is Canadians who have shown they are willing to pay a touch over $40k (out the door) for a brand new TSX.

But with the number of cross-border shoppers and the weak US dollar Canadians are starting to look at their other options....in your analogy, that would be equivalent to Starbucks lowering the price of that fancy plain cupcake to less than what you charge for your cupcakes, even though yours has sprinkles. Sure, Starbucks' base price is lower and it's a plain cupcake, but once the customers are in the door, it's a simple up-sell for some to pay the extra to get sprinkles.

Colin

Sorry, I was only 'ball parking' the page. In actuality the original post was back on #1087 here: https://acurazine.com/forums/showthr...&page=44&pp=25
Unfortunately that makes you even later to the party than I originally thought! But, hey, no worries, mate. I don't blame you for not wanting to read through all those pages!

Colin

Damnit! I like sprinkles, and I want my sprinkles and I don't want to pay for them. They used to included in my older cupcakes! My old baker (who I really like) told me that you were going to do this! I'm going back to my old baker till I can afford this.

(....and the customer goes back to his old baker and tries to get a lower price on the cupcake by threatening to buy the fancy cupcake down the street)

montebello13

^ you ok colin? you went a lil crazy there....

Colin

heh, I just want my sprinkles for free...

TSX420J

LOL, I must have been falling asleep because I read from 65 all the way up until now.

I'll trout slap myself now.

Colin

LOL

PR RDX

Could be, but what I don't get is , why would Honda develope an all new engine (K23T) and use it only in one low volume model? (RDX)

5thTo2nd

Good point. Too bad it's horrible on gas though.

Colin

I've asked the same quesiton myself many times over. I've even asked those at Acura that we talk to. Best guess is that is was a test program that didn't meet expectations. It would make a nice engine for a sport coupe though....

Red@8

The F20 (?) for the s2000 would fall into that category as well right? What about the fit and insight? Not arguing with you just want to see if it has been done before?!?!?