Surprised the MDX is doing so well, even though it's the best in its class.

 

The TSX out sold the TL.........Hmmmmmmmmm

 

Class comparison from Club Lexus I have not verified any data.

Entry Level
3 series (all models)-
C-class- 4,022
ES- 4,010
A4/A5-3,606
LaCrosse- 3,400
G37 (Sedan/Coupe/Convert)- 3,288
IS- 2,851
CTS- 2,705
A4- 2,532
G37 Sedan- 2,102
TL-2,059
MKZ-1,733
HS-1,407
S60-753(now includes V70 wagon, remember life cycle is over)
9-3- 249

 

I wonder if the TL is losing sales to the V6 TSX now.

 

Sad the 3rd gen out sold the 4th gen. Bad bad Acura.

 

I love my TL, but any which way you cut it, the TL isn't pulling its weight for Acura. And looking at the competition I don't think we can blame the economy or the the new body style when you compare it to last year. Something has to change and fast.

 

The V6 TSX is produced in very small quantities so it most likely has very little effect on overall TL sales. The TSX in general is selling better than the TL most likely due to the lower cost and also due to a more conservative styling.

It's really gotta be very disappointing for Acura. I mean the TL is such a great value, not to mention tops in its class as far as resale value, safety and reliability. What's really hurting TL sales is obviously the economy as well as stiffer competion but more importantly polarizing styling. I can understand Acura tried to make the 4G stand apart from the crowd, but public sentiment is very difficult to guage and predict. Acura took a big gamble here and so far they're losing.

 

For a new model the car should be doing better but given the price, size and polarizing style change at least it really is not any worse off. The brand as a whole is down 28%, the TL itself is down 28%. Last year at this time the car made up 32% of total Acura sales and roughly 90% of those sales came from 08 model 3G's, as of this year the current TL also makes up 32% of total Acura sales. This number is from Jan 08 so it includes only a hand few, if any remaining 3G's. That makes it the most consistent Acura model in these regards.

I don't think anyone at Acura is thrilled by the sales but they don't actually have anything to be too upset about either. Besides the TSX all the other models are down more than the TL YTD and the small amount of TSX sales decline YTD is probably due to the style and direction of the new TL and that is not really a bad thing either. That was likely anticipated by Acura and that's probably why the TSX V6 was introduced in the first place.

 

hmmm... that explains why I have not seen one TSXv6 to date. I would have expected Acura to ramp up production of these to plug a little bit of the 3G TL void. On the other hand, its pricing is outright stupid.

 

That was for the 3G...I dont think the 4G will have great resale value...just look at what happened with the 6th gen Maxima

 

The Accord is up 7.5% and the TSX 35% which both compete "indirectly" with the TL. People are shopping for value right now and not willing to go the extra distance for the TL. Could be confidence in their paycheck, want better gas milage, don't like the polarizing style or accepting a new frugal lifestyle - who knows. TL is just slotted in a tough market segment now. The TL will continue to be a major line for Acura but may take a little more time for the right balance to be found again.

 

Tadam! I think you nailed it! The TL is an incredible package but it was launched at the wrong time: moving upmarket in a recession can be difficult!

 

that is correct. consumers are not blind, who will pay 35k-40k for an U.S. made import with sohc engine and old 5 speed auto nowadays. honda/acura must improve their motor and tranny asap. well, the 6 speed auto is a start.

 

Considering the jump up in fit and finish quality from 3G to 4G and considering the value for price this car has, I would say it continues to hold that good resale value.

 

Honda has always marketed in a way that has some model overlap. It's not always an Acura vs an Acura, either. Potential purchasers sometimes are picking between a Honda at a well optioned, top line possibility and an Acura priced about the same.

Their feeling has always been that for one reason or another they will sell a total volume of vehicles that is higher than it would be if they didn't market more than one vehicle in which a single purchaser would be itnerested.

This has been going on forever, and has served them well through the past twenty years.

I mean, if you go back to 1998 a potential buyer would find himself considering an Acura Integra GS-R against a Honda Prelude VTEC.

 

I agree with you two. It was time for a new TL, but the people were simply not ready for the ultimate Keen Edge Dynamic at the particular time that the TL 4G hit the streets.

It's a great car, and I expect that it will sell fairly well considering the economy, especially as we we are able to spread the word that it's a truly fantastic vehicle.

But...I think you two are basically correct.

It wasn't the right time to make this kind of performance, styling and safety statement.

Maybe we should make a better effort to spread the word.

 

Hmm I don't see that much of a jump at all in this.

 

I have been trying to help my mother find a new car, and trying to get her to like the TL has been a problem as she hates the looks of the new one and prefers the 3G or the RL.

 

I'm quite content on having one of the only ones in my area...We were the ONLY ones for about a year, and now there are 2 10's running around...

The bottom line for me is, I love this car...and I like being unique..so the rarer it is the better...

 

If ALG is of any worth, the 4G TL (along with the rest of the Acura lineup) will continue to have excellent resale value.


Today at 6:00am
Acura Wins ALG's 2010 Residual Value Award for Best Luxury Brand

TORRANCE, Calif. - Dec 02 —

Acura announced today that for the second consecutive year it received the Automotive Lease Guide (ALG) 2010 Residual Value Award for Best Luxury Brand. According to ALG, Acura's line of luxury performance vehicles is expected to retain the highest percentage of their original price after a three-year period. Acura beat out other luxury brands such as Audi, BMW, Lexus and Mercedes-Benz for the highly coveted award.

"It is an honor to win the award for Best Luxury Brand a second year in a row," said Jeff Conrad, vice president of Acura sales. "It sends a clear message to our customers that Acura vehicles represent a smart choice in today's luxury market".

Residual value is a measure used to recognize vehicle quality, reliability and overall brand strength. ALG determines the award winners after carefully studying the competition in each segment, historical vehicle performance and industry trends. Key factors that affect ALG's residual value forecasts include vehicle quality, production levels relative to demand, pricing strategies and resale performance.

Acura
Acura offers a full line of technologically advanced performance luxury vehicles through a network of 270 dealers within the United States. The 2010 Acura lineup features six distinctive models including the RL luxury performance sedan, the TL performance luxury sedan, the TSX sports sedan, the turbocharged RDX luxury crossover SUV, the award-winning MDX luxury sport utility vehicle and the all-new ZDX four-door sports coupe.

About ALG
Based in Santa Barbara, California, ALG is a leading provider of data and consulting services to the automotive industry. ALG publishes the "Automotive Lease Guide" – the standard for Residual Value projections in North America, and has been forecasting automotive residual values for over 40 years in both the U.S. and Canadian markets. ALG is a company of DealerTrack Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: TRAK).

For media information and high-resolution photos of all Acura vehicles, please visit www.acuranews.com. For consumer information, please visit www.acura.com.

 

Huh? This is an odd listing. The A4/A5 are much shorter, but the A5 can be had with a six-cylinder while the A4 comes with a turbo-4 (unless you get the S4, which is around $54K at the dealer.)

I had three Audis in a row, and would have preferred a fourth, but really wanted four doors (for the rear headroom) plus a six-cylinder, stickshift and some performance. Couldn't get it at a rational price in Audi. Am missing the Quattro AWD though; SH-AWD is really pretty lousy as an AWD system.

 

Why is SH-AWD "lousy?" It's been out for a while now but still a very competitive and decent system compared to what's already out there. Unlike traditonal AWD systems, SH-AWD works to improve handling and grip in all driving conditions......Is one of the major reasons why the 6MT TL SH-AWD outhandled and outran the 3 series and S4 at the track not too long ago. There are very few torque-vectoring systems out there.....BMW's is just starting to come out and Audi's torque-vectoring is an additional $1100 option on the A4 and S4.

If you think the SH-AWD is lousy, you should have just bought the FWD TL.

 

what is going on with the RL??? only 176 sold...wow that's horrible!

 

SH-AWD is really pretty lousy as an AWD system.

wow, this is probably the first time ive ever heard that comment made about SH-AWD.

 

+1

If I recall correctly, Audi and BMW began copying Acura's torque vectoring SH-AWD system after it was first introduced. Mimicry speaks for itself.

Technocat, can you explain why you think the SH-AWD system is "lousy?"

 

Yep. Audi and BMW just started to come out with their own that works like the SH-AWD. None of them worked like it before till they saw how good it was from Acura.

 

The RL needs either a full redesign, or a discontinuance in favour of a double pronged marketing effort of the TL and ZDX.

 

You sir are correct, on Audi web site, you can add a new sport differential for an added fee. The way it's labeled, it seems it's supposed to work like SH-AWD.

http://www.audi.ca/ca/brand/fr/model...container=page

And sorry Technocat, I don't mean to call you out or anything unpleasant but I see you take every opportunity to complain the TL compared to it's german «rivals», even if they are priced 15-20kCDN higher (in my province at least, YMMV since you're in the US).

What I would like to know is why the SH-AWD system is lousy when Audi is copying it...(«copying» being used as a relative term, you can call it «inspired» if you want...)

But let's return to our topic, in Quebec, sales are up 4% compared to October 2008, who would have tought that.... We're such a tiny market anyway! lol

Peace to all of you! Have a great day!
-YetiTL

 

Adding a sport differential to quattro sounds like it would only make it vector what is available in the rear already, it doesn't seem like it will transfer more power to the rear in the first place but maybe I am wrong. SH allows 70% rear bias with up to 100% of that to either rear wheel. It is still fairly advanced even now.

 

+1.. I love being unique in a sea of 3gs bmws and audis!!

 

I was also quite surprised about the huge jump in MDX sales, considering that a fully loaded one is more than $50K out the door.

But with the economy supposedly on the rebound, I guess those stylish soccer moms decided to get their checkbooks out again.

The 4G TL barely a year old, on the other hand, seems to keep losing steam despite the rebounding economy.

 

When Acura took the 4G TL in a new direction in terms of the size/styling/price, I think they gained some customers at the expense of the RL and lost some customers to the TSX.

Unfortunately for Acura, the numbers suggest the 4G TL lost more customers than it gained with the new positioning.

 

The MDX probably spiked because every one wants one before it gets the shield of shame front end.

 

This time last year there were plenty of 2008s to close out and 2009s on the ground. We have only 4 base 2009s and 4 (300 day old) base AWDs left to sell. Our first small batch of 2010s arrived last month and most were FWD Techs which sold out right away. Also our one 6MT sold in a few days. So our soft TL sales were supply driven.

The interesting thing is that 2009 TSX production shut down in March. I don't remember when 2010s started rolling in, but it was probably in August. Not surprisingly, in June (for example) the TSX sold only 1800 units, most likely due to low inventory.

So no doubt the TL is hurting, but this month is the transitional month and with the low production all year long, it's not as if we're entering the 2010 MY with 30 2009s to clear out. (this is our perspective only, undoubtedly someone will chime in that their dealer has 50 '09s...)

The MDX is similar, we had ZERO production through most of the summer and now they've revved up the production line to push out a bunch of 2009s....(we probably received 15-20 last month) just in time for us to 'have' to blow them out. WTF is up with that?

 

I think ALG is very credible, but this award is for the overall average of the Acura brand. Acura didnt have a single winner in any individual categories. Its awesome though that Acura won this award as it shows on average with its smaller lineup compared to its competition, it has an overall strong resale value.

The problem though, is that their predicted results are based on three year data. This would mean that most of their data, specificaly on the 4G TL would be based on the 3G.

This has been talked about over in "Car Talk" but with the heavy incentives and huge discounts on the 4G I dont think its going to help it in the near future when it comes to awards like this. Especially when the 3G never really experienced the same sales issues that the 4G is having so far.

I think Acura will probably win this award again next year as their data on vehicles like the 4G TL and the 2G TSX will still be based on the previous generations.

 

I don't believe the V6 TSX will eat away at TL sales too much because of the dramatic $5000 price jump between the TSX I4 and V6 models that makes the V6 TSX nearly as expensive as a TL. For a few extra dollars a buyer can get a lot more car. If the gap between the I4 and V6 had been more narrow the TL could have been put to sleep right on the spot.

 

i think the motor with paddle shifters is awesome btw. sure, a 6 speed would be nice, but zero to sixty in 6.5 sec is pretty slick. most sedans can only dream of going that fast.

 

It's the shield people. It's not the economy or supply leading to the TL's woes. I will surmise to bet that if the grille was better implemented like the TSX the sales would improve significantly.

The bottom line is the TSX looks pretty good. The TL's grille is pretty bad but other aspects of the car make up for it. The RL's grille is just down right awful and in that segment, it's a big loser because it does not offer anything more than any of the competitors.

Just my $0.02

 

Even at its higher price the TL is still a decent value, not as much as the 3G was. The build quality is up huge, but in the end you need to get people in to drive the car and the styling is hurting getting people in. Now at least in Novemebr the G did not pants it, but then that car is in it's 3 year. I wonder if the MMC might get moved forward a year to 2011 to help correct some of this, figire add the 6 SPD Auto a redesigned nose and some other goodies and they may be able to salvage the 4G.