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Once again, TL and MDX carrying most of the weight for Acura with the TSX also helping a lot. The need for the RDX is more than apparent.
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Originally Posted by Moog-Type-S
:scratch: Shouldn't this be in Acura news & press?
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Hondas to be serviced by Acura dealers?
I got a a promo leaflet at home today, which I believe was from "Continental Acura Of Naperville" (IL), stating that they will now start servicing all Honda cars.
WTF! Are other Acura dealers doing that? So someone else buys a Honda and they can enjoy Acura service and I buy Acura and (supposedly) pay the premium to (among other things) have the same quality of service? Would you call that an unfair move for Acura owners? |
I can see them 'servicing' Hondas- from a mechanical standpoint, sure it brings in the money, but I wouldn't expect an Acura ownership experience.
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That would be a DUMB marketing move by Honda. If that's an official move. I bet your dealer just wants more business.
But in other thought... Make Acura a LUXURY brand, get rid of the RSX. Make it a Honda and for gods sake STOP tarnishing the Acura brand name. It's already viewed pretty poorly in the luxury division. |
I've actually seen Acuras being serviced at my Honda dealership. I guess they figured since people do it anyways...
But honestly, who would take his Honda into an Acura dealership for service? I can see the Acura person doing it cause he wants it done cheaper or something, but not vice versa. |
Well I think the problem is a lot of Honda dealer service centers are way backed up as far as making an appointment.
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I think that it's OK for Honda dealers to welcome Acura cars. No issue there. But an Acura dealer is supposed to deliver higher levels of service than a Honda dealer and welcoming Hondas in an Acura dealer is "selling short" to the Acura owners because that supposed higher level of service is included in the Acura vehicle's price and hence been paid by the Acura owner.
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[seinfeld] grease monkeys [/seinfeld] at the honda dealer are probably doing no less service than the [seinfeld]grease monkeys[/seinfeld] at the Acura dealer. Thats why all these new Luxury service ideas stem off of nice ass show rooms, free rentals, super happy experience, let me rub ur balls, cause fixing actual cars is just that, fixing cars, no fluff unless people become acquainted with their local scam artist...
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Originally Posted by SiGGy
That would be a DUMB marketing move by Honda. If that's an official move. I bet your dealer just wants more business.
But in other thought... Make Acura a LUXURY brand, get rid of the RSX. Make it a Honda and for gods sake STOP tarnishing the Acura brand name. It's already viewed pretty poorly in the luxury division. The 06 rsx is the last of them.....just like 05 nsx is the last one too........as far as hondas being serviced at acura.......... they can service them but generally they wont because they dont have to (plus they carry only acura parts mostly).......they have way more than enough business........at least the acura dealer that i go to...........maybe the one out there does not have enough acuras sold so maybe they need the business.......all i know is that in so.cali there is way more than enough acuras out there and usually they will tell a honda car to go to honda....... :toocool: :wish: |
My local Acura dealer was totally willing to service my S2000. But he said they couldn't honor warranty related claims. There were actually 2 S2000s in the shop when I went there. I paid just as much for the S2000 as I did for my TL :)
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It's strictly a local business move - bring in more business, although I wonder if moma Acura has to bless something like that.
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I bet it's just that particular dealer.
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Originally Posted by SiGGy
...Make Acura a LUXURY brand, get rid of the RSX. Make it a Honda and for gods sake STOP tarnishing the Acura brand name. It's already viewed pretty poorly in the luxury division.
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Originally Posted by SiGGy
Make Acura a LUXURY brand, get rid of the RSX. Make it a Honda and for gods sake STOP tarnishing the Acura brand name. It's already viewed pretty poorly in the luxury division.
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My local Honda dealer services ALL cars (its a college town) but they specifically advertise their expertise on Hondas AND Acuras.
I get great service, competence (!) and a good price. 20 dollars gets me an oil change and a car wash. I even get a loaner (Accord I-4 EX) |
Originally Posted by gavriil
I think that it's OK for Honda dealers to welcome Acura cars. No issue there. But an Acura dealer is supposed to deliver higher levels of service than a Honda dealer and welcoming Hondas in an Acura dealer is "selling short" to the Acura owners because that supposed higher level of service is included in the Acura vehicle's price and hence been paid by the Acura owner.
The premium you pay for an Acura over a honda goes into a better engine, more equipment, and mostly better crafsmanship and materials. |
Originally Posted by Belzebutt
I seriously doubt that they make you pay a service fee as part of the price of an Acura. I'm sure the service department pays for itself, and doesn't get subsidized by the sales department. That's why they'll take anyone, and no Acura owner is getting ripped off by them servicing other cars.
The premium you pay for an Acura over a honda goes into a better engine, more equipment, and mostly better crafsmanship and materials. |
Originally Posted by heyitsme
I guess thats why Honda has been ranking better than Acura the last few years as far as JD Powers goes....
And of course, since Acuras have more bells and whistles, more is prone to break than with some of the more basic level Hondas. |
Originally Posted by SiGGy
That would be a DUMB marketing move by Honda. If that's an official move. I bet your dealer just wants more business.
But in other thought... Make Acura a LUXURY brand, get rid of the RSX. Make it a Honda and for gods sake STOP tarnishing the Acura brand name. It's already viewed pretty poorly in the luxury division. I always forget integras and RSX's are Acuras. It's like WTF? Where did that come from? |
Take the good 'ol civic in for a tune-up and get a TSX or a TL as a loaner :D
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I also got that note in the mail the other day, but I just serviced my car at that dealership once. I don't think the other area Acura dealerships are doing this. Does anyone in the Chicagoland area know if McGrath Acura is doing this too or Arlington Acura?
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I've had my oil changed at the Honda dealership due to it's close proximity to my home. They however cannot do any warranty work.
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Acura going to China
Hey, check this out . . . I stumbled onto this website by accident today, and found out for the first time that Acura is going to the Chinese market in Spring 2006!
http://211.100.18.165/acura/ Sorry this is only available in Chinese but some highlights: * planned release date: Spring 2006 * first RL, then others models follow * target sales: 3000 vehicles in the first year * 10 dealerships planned in Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, etc. * Acura's Chinese brand name is 讴歌, which means "celebrate in song" |
Oh, apparently this is old news . . .
http://world.honda.com/news/2005/c050725.html *preparing to get flamed* :flame::hide: |
Do it!
:agree: Here! Here!
One of the criteria for "luxury" status is the length of the warranty and the quality of the service (including attitude). :yes: |
I say they start buying the transmissions from people who know how to build good ones. Like tremec, or even GM/Toyota. They build better transmissions.
Honda knows how to make good engines, but they need to swallow their pride and outsource from someone reputable for the tranmission. |
Losing face....
In Japan, post WW!!, industry was in a shambles. Two nukes (WMDs) dropped on population centers didn't help (but that's for another thread in R&P).
It was then that Japan started making little toys out of tin cans- even G-ration cans. Very industrious, they used every scrap of metal to make cheap little gadgets for which the life expectance was the about the same as sunset. Japanese products were junk. Crap. It took YEARS and considerable national pride to overcome this global reputation. But, overcome they did. Japanese cars are now quality leaders in the global market- with a few exceptions. TL's are manufactured in Marysville, Ohio. They are 85% US and Canadian parts. The 15% that is Japanese is the automatic transmission. They should be ashamed all over again. :blush: They should know better. :nod: |
Originally Posted by SiGGy
I say they start buying the transmissions from people who know how to build good ones. Like tremec, or even GM/Toyota. They build better transmissions.
Honda knows how to make good engines, but they need to swallow their pride and outsource from someone reputable for the tranmission. |
Bumper to Bumper
So the main warranty is still only 4 years? That is a shame since even Hyundai has longer & Mazda offers the same. As a luxury car known for reliability, I would think @ least 5 years.
Phile - where is that pic from? How old are those people? |
Acura to be launched in Japan in 2008
I'm surprised I'm the first guy here to post it.
Honda Announces New Automobile Sales Channel Strategy and Introduction of Acura Brand to Japan -- Focus will be on maximizing customer joy and satisfaction and creating new value -- TOKYO, Japan, December 14, 2005 – Honda Motor Co., Ltd. today announced plans to integrate the company’s three existing domestic automobile sales channels – Primo, Clio and Verno – into one Honda channel in March 2006. This integration will enable Honda customers to purchase and service any Honda brand automobile at a single Honda dealer and to maintain a continuous relationship with the same dealer for future sales and service needs as a means to achieve a high level of satisfaction. In addition, Honda announced plans to introduce its luxury brand, Acura, in Japan, by fall 2008. The Acura brand will offer distinctive products with a core focus on advanced, leading edge technologies that are always ahead of the times. The goals of the new sales channel strategy are to maintain Honda’s ability to respond to changes in society and the automobile market and to continue to provide the diverse values desired by customers and meet increasingly sophisticated customer needs. In turn, this will enable Honda to maximize the joy and satisfaction of existing customers earned through the three channel structure (with the cumulative number of Honda vehicles in Japan now standing at approximately 9 million units). Further, Honda aims to restructure and strengthen its domestic automobile dealer network by creating new value for the customer through Acura brand products. Integration of Honda channels to maximize customer joy and satisfaction Honda established the current three-channel structure by creating Verno in 1978, Clio in 1984, and Primo in 1985, offering Honda products for customers with different lifestyles. Supported by growing automobile demand at that time, Honda continued to enhance its product line-up and increased sales and the number of dealers. At the same time, Honda began conducting the CSI (Customer Satisfaction Index) survey in 1984, and strengthened initiatives which always put customer satisfaction at the core. Through these efforts, Honda steadily increased the number of Honda customers and made significant progress in achieving the autonomy of its dealers. The Japanese automobile market has now entered a stage of increasing maturity, and the surrounding society and marketplace are in a transition stage as well. In this increasingly competitive environment, the most important factor is to always continue improving the lifetime satisfaction level for the customers who have already chosen the Honda brand. Based on this concept, Honda decided to integrate its existing channels into one Honda channel where customers will be able to purchase and service any Honda brand automobile and to continue receiving high quality sales and service from the same dealer for future needs whether that be replacing their current vehicle or adding another one. Honda also aims to build a dealer network that places the Honda brand at the forefront by maximizing use of existing facilities and manpower and by optimizing the location of sales facilities. Introducing Acura to create new value for the customer and to continue to achieve further growth and to take a big step forward in Japan Recently, the values desired by the customer have become even more diverse and customer needs are becoming increasingly sophisticated in the automobile market. Honda will proactively respond to these changes by creating new value for the customer with the introduction of Acura, a luxury brand that will offer a distinctive driving experience and other unique characteristics. The Acura brand will start in fall 2008, with approximately 100 dealers in Japan. This also will enable Honda to achieve further growth and take a big step forward in its home market of Japan. With this new sales channel strategy, Honda will accelerate its effort to maximize customer joy and satisfaction, and by challenging in this new area Honda will pursue the goal of consistently achieving annual sales of more than 800,000 units. Any thoughts? |
what the hell exactly are "sales channels – Primo, Clio and Verno" ? :dunno:
I have seen references to them on Honda Japan |
Originally Posted by huckleberry
what the hell exactly are "sales channels – Primo, Clio and Verno" ? :dunno:
I have seen references to them on Honda Japan These are their websites: Primo http://www.honda.co.jp/PRIMO/ Clio http://www.honda.co.jp/CLIO/ Verno http://www.honda.co.jp/VERNO/ |
Hmmm...i dont know if this is a good move for honda. Acura already have a hard time being recognized as a true luxury brand in the US.......it will be harder to convince people in japan imo. I think they are rushing this a little...maybe because lexus is now in japan and infiniti will soon be as well. Best of luck to them for their efforts though
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They better have 1 hell of a line up... in 2008 the only model that'll get a redesign is the TSX, but over there it's the accord so :dunno: On second thoughts, they better create a bad ass inspire (our accord, their TL so to speak) to compete, as that'll probably be their bread and butter car.
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I think it will be a good time if their next gen TSX and TL in 2008 are more upscale... The '4 door sports coupe' concept (next TSX) looks promising, but I'm not sure if it'll be up to par with Lexus and Infiniti.
The current Acura lineup has improved quite a lot from their last model lineup, so there's a good chance they'll succeed if they do it right. However, it'll be of different nature than Lexus, where the luxury image has already been established around the world as high end Toyota's and Lexus. Both Toyota and Nissan had been making high end luxury cars (Crown, President, etc). Honda, on the other hand, don't have much and is a much smaller company. Therefore, Acura in Japan certainly won't be an immediate success, but will be a key step for the company to establish its place in the luxury market if they execute it correctly. |
Plus, there have been rumors for a while that Honda has been working on a car to compete against the S-Class, 7-series, A8, and LS430. Introducing it in 2008 would work well to coincide with the introduction of Acura in Japan.
Also, this explains why the new Acuras all have glass that is labeled as Acura instead of Honda. |
Originally Posted by CGTSX2004
Also, this explains why the new Acuras all have glass that is labeled as Acura instead of Honda. Good point... but I mean, that should be the very least that they should do for being a luxury brand... at least put some effort into making the buyer feel like they're actually buying an Acura instead of a Honda ... :tomato: I think Honda really needs a V8 now.... and defintely engine options as it is crucial in today's market Offer I4 with turbo and AWD and V6 on TSX, keep the TL as is and offer AWD, offer V8 on the RL... Add the new S class/7 series compeitor to the lineup just as an icon to say Acura can build good luxury cars (the lowest and highest model of a brand always is the most important). might be a good time to bring the NSX back to life.... add a upscaled s2000 with v6 option, drop the RSX and merge it with Civic coupes. Now that would be a competitive lineup |
Originally Posted by supraken
Good point...
but I mean, that should be the very least that they should do for being a luxury brand... at least put some effort into making the buyer feel like they're actually buying an Acura instead of a Honda ... :tomato: But if I owned a lexus, I don't think if it said lexus it would make me feel any better (except the is350). A toyota is a toyota, and I haven't liked any of em. (supra is in a class of it's own) |
Wow, not a lot of support around here for Acura. You guys should all trade in your CL/TL/TSX for plane-jane USDM Accords.
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