NwTSXmt

We should stop talking about this 4 door Beast, its starting to sale


Acura Division's MDX was the top-selling Acura model for the month with sales of 4,077, up 83.6 percent. Combined with RDX sales of 1,382, up 83.8 percent, Acura light truck sales increased 92.1 percent for the month. Acura TL sales totaled 2,514, up 23.6 percent, followed by the TSX with sales of 2,256, up 7.3 percent

compewterbleu

...surely you jest, why what will the 4G TL haters do with themselves, attack BMW? Ooh no that would sacrilegious...say seven Bavarian Motor Works and all shall be forgiven. You do realize you risk wearing the scarlet badge of "fan-boy" for sullying ones lips with such evil talk.

Kingmeow

I see those MDX'es EVERYWHERE. (Not complaining though.)

VTEC Racer

So true lol.

The haters have created mile long lists for why they believe the TL hasn't been selling as well as expected. What about the Lexus IS and Audi A4? The TL outsold both. So what's wrong with the IS and the A4?

black label

What you guys are missing is that the TL is assisted with sales by massive sales incentives of both the cash and finance type. The TSX will never sell as many units as the TL because they don't manufacture as many as the TL. The incentives on the TSX are less than half of what is available on the TL. The fact that the TSX sales are close to the TL is very telling as it means TSX supplies are very low while TL supplies are still quite high (unless you are looking for a 6MT). The 2010 MDX didn't get any type of cash incentive until the end of last month when the 2010 models were nearly depleted the only reason it did was that the 2011's were arriving and they needed some incentive for people to buy a car that is technically 1 year old vs the one that just came out.

Just to clarify that point, in my district, there is currently a 98 day supply of TL's on the ground ready to go. We have enough TL's to last us past the 1st of the new year based on this years selling pace. This is not a good thing being that 2011 models are arriving.

winstrolvtec

Yes, compared to other Acuras it is assisted more by incentives but compared to the majority of the competition it's no better or worse. The TL still leases very poorly when compared to most of the competiton which also doesn't help.

VTEC Racer

Exactly. Everyone is offering large incentives right now. They are pushing the 2010's out to make room for the 2011's. The lease deals on the TL are terrible.

docboy

I'm curious, what is the supply/selling rate of the 6MT TL?

BLEXV6

I am starting to see a ton of TL's on the road

NwTSXmt

People still lease cars...wow

NwTSXmt

...Im scared of the internet bullies...

VTEC Racer

About 20% of car sales are leases.

black label

I just ran a locate for all colors in a 6MT for the states of MA, NH, VT, RI, NY, NJ and CT. There are 5 cars available and no more coming, 3 black on black, one black on umber, and one white with taupe. I can't tell you if these are all truly available but they haven't been reported to Acura as sold. The 6MT probably would have sold just as well with no incentives, it's a niche car and the people who want them will buy them as long as they are getting a reasonable deal.

One of the reasons the vehicle doesn't lease out well is a relatively low residual value. The residual value is low because Acura is afraid what these cars will be worth in 3 years.

Don't get me wrong, if you can get past the appearance of the front end, the TL is a hell of a car and IMO a great value for the price. Unfortunately we live in a superficial society where looks count. While the MDX is selling well based on it's own merits, the current TL is selling well based on the incentives available.

Mr Marco

Yes indeed, see you in the confessional. Not to mention the lack of new style, (especially notable on the 5 series wheels, circa 1997). But more importantly that Baby bear, Momma bear, Daddy bear stretch to fit styling that keeps me guessing what model thou neighbors car might be!

Mr Marco

5%, equal to the number of Americans who work from home. The smartest part of America.

NwTSXmt

that was good...So I guess you work from home.....

winstrolvtec

Black Label pretty much summed it up. Acura's conservative nature carries over to it's financing department as well. Their residuals start out well and even at this point of the year are respectable, and not to say leasing a TL is a bad deal cause it isn't, but many brands are doing the opposite of Acura and are jacking the residuals even late in the year just to move the poduct NOW even if the car doesn't hold up value later.

So maybe they outsell the TL (most only by a little) but they profit less from them. While we all read into our car as far as these monthly figures go, it tells almost nothing about how the company is doing as a business and from a profit perspective. One thing about Honda/Acura is they know how to balance all these elements so no matter what they rarely lose.

And lets face it, looks do count so if you are one who likes it chances are you will buy one and if not you won't, but I don't put too much into one aspect of a vehicle alone. As pointed out by a post above, there are those competitors that 9 out of 10 people might say look way better than the TL but sell no more and in some instances less so these things also go beyond just opinion or reception of style. It's never one thing that makes a something great or something bad, it's usually a combination of things.

black label

I know my 1st reply didn't really answer your question so I decided to clarify. They don't break the 6MT out from the rest of the TL's. Basically, it's FWD and AWD but as you can see from the small handful of 6MT's that were left out there, they have sold very very well. What I should have done was show you the # of days supply the district has of MDX's to put the TL supply in perspective. Tomorrow is a new day.

compewterbleu

No, I think we get like GM, Ford, Toyota, BMW, Audi...on and on...incentives sell cars, duh?

compewterbleu

Yeah, heaven forbid someone buys an Acura TL and like it. What would we ever do without the likes of Blacktable and Technokitty to remind us of how, how, how incredibly superior any other vehicle(Hugo included) are to the Acura TL. Someone would be insane to have form for such a car, that would be simply... ridiculous.
Speaking about incentives, just the other day in my local paper I read that if you bought a TL not only would you get low financing, but a coupon for a free Sham-Wow! and a trial copy of Mario vs Predator! Man, talk about a deal. Yeah, I need to confess for I have sinned, momma I bought an Acura TL SH-AWD...because, because, *sniff* I wanted onnnnne*waaaaaaaaaah*, *sniff* I have sinned.

VTEC Racer

docboy

Thanks for the response. If you came somehow find/extrapolate the 6MT supply days, it would interesting info.

But I agree; the 6MT TL is a niche car. I have a feeling demand>supply (however little supply there) for the 6MT TL. IMHO, I suspect the 6MT TL will likely have higher resale value than the auto TL (though dealerships will probably try to play the "manual=low demand" card).

KeithL

I would agree and even argue that Infiniti has larger and more consistent inscentives on their cars, even the 2011 M had incentives within a few months of release. And the G is usually not hard to get for around $4K-$5K under MSRP.

compewterbleu

One of the 4G TL drivers where I work had a Infinit G37 sedan for a few days to test drive before he went to Acura and copped a TL. His reason...he said the G seemed to be like a woman you see in a red dress buy when she opens her mouth she loses much of her allure and that interior real estate was like buying in tract housing.

black label

You get your panties in a bunch faster than a Veyron can hit 60mph. Go back and read the last paragraph of post 13. I think the TL is a great driving car.

This thread is about the sales success of the vehicle and I am trying to offer some perspective that may not be apparent. Just because it is selling doesn't mean it is selling well. When you have nearly a 100 day supply of 2010 model year vehilces sitting on the ground and the 2011's are arriving, you have a problem. An Acura model that is truly selling well is the MDX which there is a 28 day supply on the ground and this is BOTH the remaining 2010's and the 2011's.

It not necessarily about total vehicles sold, it's total made minus total sold that really matters. If you make 2 million of something and only sell 1 million of them it is a sales failure. If you make 10,000 of something and sell them all it is a sales success.

In terms of selling the product they produced, Acura is doing better with the ZDX than they are with the TL. At the current pace, the 2010 ZDX's will be gone before the 2010 TL's will.

realgone

Who cares about the incentives in relation to how well a car sells. Do some of you really believe that someone would fork out $35K+ for a car they think is ugly because they saved a couple of grand on incentives?

Now is a good time to buy 2010's. The internet has made the car buying process a more knowledgeable endeavor for buyers. Because of the internet many now know the best time to buy a car and a starting price for negotiation. A smart buyer would have waited for this time of year to buy because of incentives, having "already" liked the new TL and picked that as the vehicle they wanted.

The increased sales may also be a reflection of how the new TL is growing on people. The new TL design is way different than other cars, it is innovative and new, perhaps ahead of its time. At first, the design was so different, even I did not know what to think and was kind of turned off. People generally don't like or are afraid of change, but the more you see the new TL, the sexier it gets, at least for me. I love the look of my TL and I settled on the new TL after test driving a Maxima, TSX, and G37 Sedan. I felt the new TL was a far superior car to any of those and when I see one of those other cars on the road, having recently purchased my new TL, I have no regrets and am glad, almost thankful, that I chose the TL, not to mention, most or all of those cars also had incentives as well. The incentives only affected my purchase time, not which car I was going to buy.

TechnoCat

The TL is a heckuva performance sedan. I think it's also hampered by being advertised and aimed at essentially a new niche - it has very high performance and larger size relative to most comparably-priced executive sedans (the "official" term for cars like the A4 and 3-series), and certainly a more sports-car feel despite the larger size, but doesn't carry the luxury/comfort touches quite as far. Is it...

• A more useful Corvette or Mustang Cobra?
• A larger Japanese-style rally-car, what you should graduate to from a WRX or Lancer Evolution when you get a serious job and a family?
• A Malibu-sized car with far better performance and somewhat better luxury?
• An Audi A4Q or BMW 328 x-Drive with more space and better performance but less luxury?
• A BMW 5-series with a lot less luxury?
• A Dodge Charger SRT8 with a smaller engine but AWD optional and some nicer touches?

Not that it has to be any of these things; it's just that it doesn't seem to have a pre-established niche or a direct competitor.

smarty666

Well I can only speak for the Maxima since I decided that it was superior after driving the TL, TSX, IS, G37, and A4 thus getting it, but those other cars you mentioned, including the TSX have sold very well. The new Maxima is very different then the generation it replaced much like the new TL is much different then the generation it replaced but its selling very well compared to the TL and it too stands out in a crowd. So I'm not sure I'm buying the its still growing on people or its ahead of its time reasoning.

I might be more inclined to agree with you on the people warming up to it reasoning if after the MMC introduction next year the TLs sales go up from the consistent low it has been now.

winstrolvtec

Exactly and if you look at the leasing for Infiniti, mostly the G models, they lease better for this late in the model year on top of having the same type of available incentives and discounts.

It appers to me that Acura is more focused on profit over volume at this stage in the game. Really you can get most cars for invoice minus the available incentives, it's not exclusive to the TL but the only really good financing deal they have is the finance APR which everyone else has too. It seems to me that others are still doing more to generate business compared to Acura. It is not necessarily a bad thing it's just a different approach.

winstrolvtec

I wonder if this was intentional because the 2012 is coming early. You would think Acura would have cut production on the 2010 as necessary and let it run dry to make room for the 2011 as they did last year. It actually could/should have been done sooner and the 2011 should be pretty much all that is avaliable right now.

The problem may be inventory was too low last year when making the transition from 09 to 10'. Looks like they increased 2010 production to carry over instead and are limiting the 2011 production but will produce or stock pile enough when they do finally clear the 2010's so they can make the early production changes at the factory for the 2012. Makes perfect sense if they have a 90 day supply of 2010's.

The 2011 should be rather rare considering it is going to be the shortest production TL probably ever. Recently the TL has been the most consistent model with the least amount of fluctuation for some time now so they know how many they actually sell.

ostrich

I have a feeling that the 4G TL will eventually be a sleeper hit. As people realize how great a car it is, more and more of them will buy it. Surely, it would have helped the sales figure initially if it had less controversial styling, but that's probably a calculated risk that Acura got wrong.... in any case, I love my 4G TL!

JM2010 SH-AWD

I wonder how the days' supply number compares to other cars like the G37? Around here, the Infiniti dealers are making crazy deals on those. I don't think that makes the car a failure, neccessarily. In fact, like the TL, it makes the car a great buy.

compewterbleu

on't wear panties, in fact I don't wear anything at all...you should know you fresh little devil. You so nasty. *hee-hee* And everyone knows the ZDX is produced in limited numbers, silly boy. You just like being a bad boy, stirring up trouble...stopppit. LOL

compewterbleu

there goes the neighborhood...a Maxima. Everyone knows the Nissan to have is an Altima...duh?

compewterbleu

Technokitty has spoken...oooooooooooooow.

compewterbleu

I've got a number for all the TL haters (who just can't get enough of that funky stuff, hater-Aid)...# 2! As in Do-Do...doooooo-doooo, I'mma put it on youuuuuu.

LessisBestmakingendsmeet

Actually from what has been discussed the new ZDX isn't selling particularly well at all and Canadians are saying there is $12,000 off the price of the vehicle. Not sure how accurate that is.

We do know the TL was Acura's volume car but it seems it has been a big swing and miss. The MDX now seems to be the best seller.

Remember 70,000 TL's were to be sold a year per Acura.

Sure there are people that like/love the car but after 2 years the market has resoundingly spoken.

The previous 2 generations were much better received.

Lets hope the MMC helps things.

MurkyRiversTL

^ There are only so many ways the same song can be sung. It eventually gets played out, and this song is past that point.

Either way, the TL increased in sales, its a good thing no matter teh reason. Whether the incentives caused the rise in sales or finally my voodoo spell worked on society. Who gives a flying sh!t.

One would think that, since this is an Acura forum and most of us drive Acuras, that we would all be looking for Acura to succeed no matter what the cost. If not, then please join the anti-acurazine.com (which doesnt exist yet, but there seems to be a large fanbase to populate such a forum )

andrec8513

I leased my '10 SH-awd. You gotta problem with dat!

smarty666

This is a 4G sales thread so you can't expect everyone to be lollipops and puppy dog tails about the sales figures since they are not great and both sides have every right to comment on the sales.

Now if this was a what do you like about your 4G TL thread and people came in and trashed the car then you'd have a legitimate point to complain!