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Need to kill off the ILX and RLX....
matter of fact, kill off the sedans and spin off acura as a CUV and light truck company...
line up consist of; CDX, RDX, and MDX.
I have to think there is a place for an ILX in the line up. How can Honda have their best selling car be the Civic, for like 20 years straight, yet there is zero market for the ILX, which is based on the exact same platform?
Maybe it ultimately just comes down to price point. The Civic is laden with a lot of bells and whistles at a competitive price. What more can an ILX offer at a reasonable price point? I can think of a few things that aren't likely overly expensive- HUD, AWD (ok that's probably a bit expensive), panoramic sunroof, noticeable performance gain over the civic, power folding mirrors, I dunno. Just the first few things that popped into my head.
It's sad when it used to be the trickle down effect with stuff moving from Acura down to Honda... but these days it's the trickle up effect with stuff moving from Honda to Acura. No wonder there's an issue.
Look at Lexus- putting out more models and trims. BMW/Audi/Mercedes putting out more models and trims.
As per the article posted in the Lexus financials thread- they are doing everything they can to separate themselves from Toyota. They even said "we don't want to be known as Toyota+". What about Acura?
Acura? Still 2 SUVS and 3 sedans and only two of them have any sort of sport variant ( one of them- the MDX, isn't even released yet). No coupes, no wagons, no convertibles, no factory customization program, nothing. Acura has no one but itself to blame (or maybe Honda) for where it is today.
They could even stretch the Civic platform, for which the ILX is based off of, to make it more attractive... make it bigger than the civic. People are more willing to pay for something a bit bigger. Gah.. this isn't rocket science!!
the problem is sedan sales down OVERALL.
the only way to fix it is to invest in "light trucks" with CUV's and SUVs. prop up or bolster the MDX success with 2 other smaller models...CDX and RDX.
then have Honda as the "performance" division it already is, churning out performance civics and higher models.
SHAWD Accords!! with 6MT turbo's
it's already proven that the entry level luxury sport sedan market that Acura is in currently IS NOT WORKING
right, but it could very well be a temporary shift in the market. There was a time when minivans were *the* vehicle to have. They were EVERYWHERE. Now, how often do you see them compared to 20-25 years ago?
It seems the market is shifting to CUVs and SUVs, but, the sedan has always been around and has always sold well. Maybe not the best, but well enough to stick around.
Not every sedan is suffering. And who knows the reasons for why they are suffering. Is it bad lease/finance deals on them? Is it something else? Apparently Audi/BMW/Merc don't think SUVs and CUVs are the greatest thing since sliced bread, otherwise they wouldn't offer wagons and sedans and coupes and whatever else anymore.
At the end of the day, gas prices will eventually climb back up to where they were, or likely go even higher and that will ultimately hurt CUV and SUV sales in a big way.
While I think Acura should be proactive and exploit the current craze by adding a baby 'ute, I don't think they should put all their eggs in one basket and focus on just one segment.
Also, yes, Acura's entry level sedan stuff isn't working... because it's about 5+ years behind the times. Yet the Civic and Accord continue to sell like hot cakes, outselling the HR-V, CR-V and Pilot. Obviously sedans are not dead.
Also, yes, Acura's entry level sedan stuff isn't working... because it's about 5+ years behind the times. Yet the Civic and Accord continue to sell like hot cakes, outselling the HR-V, CR-V and Pilot. Obviously sedans are not dead.
in the over-saturated entry level sedans, they are. there are so many great choices.
so much competition
Honda sells sedans well, because they arent marketed as entry level luxury sedan.
they are marketed for the everyday crowd.
it's already a performance company...just needs to inject a few more sporty bits to compete for POWER alongside Ze Germanz
Americans love the V6..
just think about a Honda Accord with 350hp with ALL wheel drive. so sexy
in the over-saturated entry level sedans, they are. there are so many great choices.
so much competition
Honda sells sedans well, because they arent marketed as entry level luxury sedan.
they are marketed for the everyday crowd.
it's already a performance company...just needs to inject a few more sporty bits to compete for POWER alongside Ze Germanz
Americans love the V6..
just think about a Honda Accord with 350hp with ALL wheel drive. so sexy
FFS, Justin
THAT'S WHAT I'M SAYING. THE ENTRY LEVEL "LUXURY" THING ISN'T WORKING. THEY NEED TO REFOCUS AND ADD SOME PIZZAZZ TO THE LINE UP. WHAT IN THE WORLD IS "ENTRY LEVEL LUXURY" ANYWAY?! THAT'S WHY THEY AREN'T SELLING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Let's not forget the cuv/suv market is saturated also.
and what you're saying is Americans love the V6 and an accord with 350hp and AWD would be sexy... right.. so now put an Acura badge on it, and you have a winner. I think that would be a start at least. People want their car to be different than their neighbors.. they need some customization factor, right from the factory. They need something that is actually sporty and actually luxury. That's what people have been asking for.
Acura took the poor selling 4G TL as an indication no one wants upper luxury. That's not true. People didn't want the ugly 4G TL. It shows how lost they are.
you're right.. they need that baby 'ute here. it would sell like hotcakes, I presume.
but that doesn't mean they should turn their backs on everything else, just because it's a tough market.
When Acura was created and came into the luxury segment, that was tougher than what they face now, I would argue. They were nobodies with no history, no proven models, no anything. And they made it. And then they got lazy. Because the 4G TL was a relative flop.
I see other brands spin off, and it seems (from the outside) a lot easier to maintain and control the new brand, instead of trying to not drown with the saddled and heavy old brand
which, right now...it's GOING to be very hard to shake off the sedan stigma of Acura.
since 2009!!!!
and still hasnt got right.
ILX is dead... RLX is dead...HOW MUCH MORE money are they going to lose?
Last edited by justnspace; 04-05-2017 at 11:40 AM.
I would too. Actually, I'd just switch the "K" Kia badge they use in Korea. Looks much better.
That at being said:
twin turbo V6? Check.
wild styling? Check.
plenty of features and tech? Check.
big ass, good looking wheels? Check.
different then an average ol' sedan? Check.
looks like Kia isn't as dumb as Acura.
I'm sorry, I hate hating on Acura... But what they do, at the speed they do it at is simply mind boggling.
Acura took the poor selling 4G TL as an indication no one wants upper luxury. That's not true. People didn't want the ugly 4G TL. It shows how lost they are.
This x200. You can't fix a problem until you accept the real mistake first, and all Acura seems to do is shift and dodge through carefully executed marketing spins to cover-up accepting the real issues and correcting them. Those issues being 1) their designs, and 2) their lack of drive-train and technology innovation. SH-SH-AWD is awesome, but it doesn't carry any weight when the rest of the ingredients being used are a disaster. I won't even go into how behind the interior tech is...
Audi is eating their lunch and proves you can build the right blend of luxury, sportiness, and design appeal into a winning package. The new A4 continues to show how the right balance creates success, even in a market where sedans are the less desired class of vehicle.
This x200. You can't fix a problem until you accept the real mistake first, and all Acura seems to do is shift and dodge through carefully executed marketing spins to cover-up accepting the real issues and correcting them. Those issues being 1) their designs, and 2) their lack of drive-train and technology innovation. SH-SH-AWD is awesome, but it doesn't carry any weight when the rest of the ingredients being used are a disaster. I won't even go into how behind the interior tech is...
Audi is eating their lunch and proves you can build the right blend of luxury, sportiness, and design appeal into a winning package. The new A4 continues to show how the right balance creates success, even in a market where sedans are the less desired class of vehicle.
LOL. I may actually give my ILX to my wife and either get the new 2018 TLX or look at the BMW 3 series again. I leased a 2013 BMW 335i and it was it awesome vehicle but very expensive for the amount of features you get for the money. I know that for the money I would get more with the TLX. With the BMW I would have paid $57,000 for that car that had navigation and a back up camera. It also had the M sport package and it was it awesome vehicle to drive but it didn't have them on the technology that the current maxed out TLX has. Also I've been having break issues and fuel pump issues with the BMW early on. Since I own the Acura ILX, I never had any problems except for the well-known brakes squeaking issue and the notorious road noise. However my wife does not get bothered by The road noise. I test drove a 2017 Acura TLX V6 Advanced and it was very quiet car on the road but the engine sound was like a BMW 6 cycling to be honest. I was amazed. So.....on a thoughtful decision in...A 2016 TLX V6 with SHAWD maybe my next and last car for the next 7-10 yrs maybe since the 2017 is already an awesome car for less compared to a BMW.
Last edited by Nurseman74; 04-06-2017 at 02:02 AM.
^ If the interior design and materials of the TLX were better, I would consider the TLX. I just can't stand the interior. The dashboard design looks thrown together and very "economy" car like. It does not give off a feeling of real design and luxury work. It looks good in photos, but when you actually get in one, you immediately can tell the materials used are very cheap and it just doesn't exude quality workmanship. The leather on the steering wheel is no where as nice as what's used on the ILX / RLX and the glove compartment door feels like the lightest piece of plastic crap I've ever put my hands on.
The whole interior just feels more like utilitarian, economy, rental car, and less of a true sport luxury sedan. Once again showing that their marketing is way off from actual product execution. So again leaving me in quandry where they are incapable of hitting all marks for any of their sedans.
ILX - blast to drive, great handling, and very responsive drive-train, but missing key luxury appointments/options (too much road noise, uncomfortable seats, dated infotainment system, no folding mirror options, no ventilated seat options)
TLX - also fun to drive, great handling, good power, but horrendous transmission and very disappointing interior design/workmanship, dated infotainment system
RLX - stellar interior design, good luxury appointments/options, super comfortable seats, powerful engine (and incredible drive-train on the Sport Hybrid), but worst suspension system ever designed in a car, dated infotainment system, boring exterior design, and missing key luxury appointment/options for a flagship (ie rear Infotainment/AC controls, interior lighting options, and as a result wildly over-priced MSRP.
Their sedans are like 50/50 good vs bad, in some cases more like 30/70 good vs bad. If they could just get their shit together to at least get 70/30 good vs bad, then maybe they could start moving the needle in the right direction...
04-05-2017, 10:22 AM
Obviously sedans are not dead.
