AZuser

People just don't understand the RLX's premium brand image. Can't believe more shoppers aren't buying it. The RLX is super quiest/fast/fuel efficient/handle better vs everything else in its class. And it does 0-60 in under 5 seconds with All season tire setup and under 4 seconds with summer performance tires. What's not to like about it?

ttribe

Stop that! There can only be one SSFTSX!

Edward'TLS

You forgot to type the above in RED color.

oonowindoo

He was being serious. no need for red color.

RLX is basically the Japanese answer to BMW M5.

It will outperform M5 in every category: 0-60mph, 0-100, 0-200 and 200-0. It can outhandle M5 with its all season tires because its mirror is so aerodynamic that made Physics go back to school.

On top of that, you will get much better MPG that will save the luxury car buyers about $500 a year! That is almost 1/3 of a M5 monthly lease payment.

The cabin is so quiet the only thing you can hear while driving is the hybrid system, which has no sound. It is the Stealth mode, where the exhaust makes no noise and the legendary V6 is smooth and quiet that Prius seems loud compare to RLX.

The AC vent locations are all carefully engineered to make sure that 100% of the cold air is blowing right in your face.

ttribe

JAB00

I am not sure if you are being sarcastic but the RLX is dead in the water. It is just hopeless in the mid-size luxury market. For one, it is a forward wheel drive. Honda has been stubborn about this but the AWD was suppose to be a concession to this fact. Instead Honda co regresses by making the RLX FWD for the mean time. Secondly, it's still too bland looking. The Genesis looks better and more luxurious. I do not have any hope for Acura. I would consider Acura for a small or mid sized SUV in the future. However, at this point, I've completely written off Acura for sedans. I just don't see Acura coming up with anything reasonable for the new generation TL.

oonowindoo

ttribe

He was being sarcastic. He was mocking another poster who frequents these threads.

Edward'TLS

Damn, you've just ruined the beautiful picture of an absolutely-perfect, god-created Honda premium sedan. Why pull us all back to reality ?

TSX69

Acura Signs on as Sponsor for "Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee"

Jerry Seinfeld’s Internet-only 2012 comedy sensation, Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, was born from a rather simple thought. Seinfeld merged the things he likes (cars, coffee and relationships with fellow comedians) into a variable-length series, designed for easy viewing on tablet or smartphone.

The show proved a hit, with the inaugural 10-episode season drawing around 10 million unique viewers. A 2nd season has since been announced and will commence this summer, but this time around there’s sponsorship dollars at hand.

Acura has signed on as the sole sponsor of the show, which will spawn at least 24 more episodes spread over the remainder of this year and into 2014. Acura and Seinfeld, of course, are quite familiar with each other, having worked together on a Super Bowl ad in 2012.

As part of the new deal, Seinfeld will incorporate several Acura models into the show, including the new 2014 Acura MDX that also launches this summer.

"We at Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee are so glad a company we already admire has stepped forward to support us," Seinfeld said in a statement. "Not everyone understood what we were doing.”

You can watch the new season on Sony’s Crackle online channel or the show’s dedicated website. Some of Seinfeld’s fellow comedians set to appear include David Letterman, Sarah Silverman, Chris Rock and Don Rickles.

dom

Guys, it's production limited...geez.

Or the plant is still being affected by the tsunami.

Or there was a storm somewhere.

Or the cafeteria lady at the plant called in sick.

Either way, something that is not at all the fault of the shitty product happened to get these low sales numbers. Your just not seeing the big picture.

TSX69

Honda Appeals to Females with Costliest Acura Ad Campaign

MADE FOR MANKIND - The Acura 2014 MDX - YouTube

Honda Motor Co. (HMC) is targeting female drivers for its redesigned 2014 Acura MDX sport wagon with the luxury brand’s most expensive advertising campaign yet.

Using the slogan “Made for Mankind,” a female narrates the moody ads showing women hiking a mountain ridge, dancing and interacting with a robot. The commercial debuts during the National Hockey League’s Stanley Cup Finals this month, while the full campaign starts July 7, Tokyo-based Honda said.

Honda is betting the ads will boost Acura sales that have fallen 25% in the U.S. from a peak of 209,610 in 2005. The luxury marque of Japan’s 3rd-largest automaker is also promoting new RLX sedan and NSX sports car models priced at more than $100,000. With the new MDX, Acura said it’s trying to make an emotional appeal to female luxury-car buyers.

“Luxury is so focused on a very sort of stereotypical, 40-year-old wealthy male,” Gary Robinson, advertising manager for Honda’s Acura luxury line, said June 20 in Detroit at a briefing on the new MDX. “Going forward, certainly in our country, that is not going to be anybody’s majority anymore. So there’s this opportunity to talk to somebody different.”

Honda is hoping to imbue Acura with the same success it has found with its mainstream model line, which includes the Accord sedan, the 2nd-best-selling car in the U.S. this year.

Going after female buyers for the MDX makes sense, said Michelle Krebs, an analyst at auto researcher Edmunds.com.

Moms’ Car

“Moms drive the MDX; it’s sort of a minivan that’s not a minivan,” said Krebs, who is based in Southfield, Michigan. “Why not appeal to the female audience? Not many automakers do that.”

Robinson said the MDX ad campaign is the costliest ever for Acura. He declined to reveal how much Honda is spending on it. He said it’s more than twice as much as Acura’s campaign last year to introduce the redesigned RDX model. And he said the cost of the MDX campaign is “not too far off” what Honda spends on its bread-and-butter Accord model.

“Our brand sort of struggles in terms of volume,” Robinson said of Acura. “This is our most important vehicle in a lot of ways and we can’t get it wrong.”

Honda set a goal for this year of topping its best-ever U.S. volume of 1.55 million Honda and Acura brand cars and light trucks, set in 2007. The company is counting on the 3rd-generation MDX and new RLX flagship sedan to reach the target. Acura plans to sell 60,000 MDX models a year, Robinson said.

U.S. Deliveries

Honda’s total U.S. deliveries gained 5.6% this year through May to 608,663. The company’s Honda brand rose 5.2 percent during that period, while its Acura brand increased 9.8%, according to researcher Autodata Corp.

Acura’s U.S. sales trail the luxury leaders, Bayerische Motoren Werke AG (BMW)’s BMW, Daimler AG (DAI)’s Mercedes-Benz and Toyota Motor Corp. (7203)’s Lexus line.

“For Acura, the luxury market is so intensely competitive and they’ve fallen so far,” Krebs said. “Now they’re trying to shake things up.”

To contact the reporter on this story: Keith Naughton in Detroit at knaughton3@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Jamie Butters at jbutters@bloomberg.net

biker

:meh:

TSX69

Can Honda Really Turn Acura Into a Luxury Brand?

Can Honda Really Turn Acura Into a Luxury Brand? - YouTube

Acura brand has kind of occupied an in-between space -- more upscale than a mass-market brand, but not quite a true luxury brand, either. Lately, Honda has been hinting that it wants to change that, and it has an all-new ad agency ready to push Acura up the luxury scale.

Does this plan have a chance? In this video, Fool contributor John Rosevear looks at what it really takes to establish a true luxury-car brand and explains why observers -- and Honda investors -- should be skeptical of this latest effort.

China is already the world's largest auto market -- and it's set to grow even bigger in the coming years. A recent Motley Fool report, "2 Automakers to Buy for a Surging Chinese Market," names 2 global giants poised to reap big gains that could drive big rewards for investors. You can read this report right now for free -- just click here for instant access.

biker

biker

RLX finally selling a bit above embarassing levels.

iforyou

iTrader: (1)

June 2013: 499
May 2013: 273
April 2013: 400
March 2013: 336

The numbers haven't quite stabilized yet......I'm guess 500/month will be its level?

dom

I think Acura will be perfectly happy with that. I just don't see that as a possibility beyond 2013.

oonowindoo

499 BRAND new RLX sold? meh.

more importantly, where the hell did Honda find 2 S2000 to sell????

I wanna know if they got more for me to buy.

dom

What to do with the ILX? I presume that based on the 14' changes, Acura is perfectly happy with 1,500 units per month?

MDX and RDX are winners, no surprise.

Costco

kill off the TSX. Then sales of both the TL and ILX will go up

My guess is they do that once the inventory runs dry and/or the production cycle for the current gen TSX ends.

biker

Hell no, it should be the best selling sedan. 3K+/mo - what the TSX used to sell at + more to account for lower price.

dom

That would work....presuming people actually want the ILX. I suspect, in its current form, not many do.

dom

Going to be awhile and a lot of changes before it hits 3K per month on average.

I'm still perplexed how they get SUV's so right and sedans, (for the most part) so wrong.

AZuser

Costco

weak dollar, strong yen, Made in Japan, model overlap, etc. The TSX was a good seller, and I personally like it, but is currently an odd fit in the lineup.

I suspect that globally, the TSX may grow a bit in size. However, the assumption is that the TL will shrink a bit. I don't see any way the TSX stays if the ILX does. The ILX makes too much sense for Honda, being built stateside and all.

afici0nad0

ZDX numbers are a joke...

Edward'TLS

^^^^^

That's why it's a goner.

Fibonacci

Is it any coincidence that 2005 was the last year of production for the NSX and also marked the end of the PPP Era (Pre Power Plenum).

My first impression is that the new ads are not particularly memorable, nor does it appeal to aspirational luxury. Any automaker that dumbs down its ads to appeal to a specific gender, risks alienating other unsaid gender.

It's product that drives sales, not marketing. It's not that fucking hard. Build great, enticing product and MANKIND will buy it.

iforyou

iTrader: (1)

Unfortunately, marketing is very important. That's one reason how Hyundai is doing so well these days. The EPA rating fiasco is a great example. IMO, you need BOTH great products AND good marketing.

I think power plenum didn't really start in production until the 4G TL in 2009.

NSX numbers were really low anyway. Most people think it's an overpriced V6 car.

I can see several main factors why sales were 210k in 2005, and 160k in 2012 for a difference of 50k:

1.) Getting rid of RSX is a major factor. Acura sold 22000 of these in 2004, and 21000 in 2005. The ILX contributed 14000 in 9 months of 2012. Even if you extrapolate that figure to a full year, it will still be at around 18500, not quite at the level of RSX.

2.) TL sales major drop - 78k in 2005, 34k in 2012. That's a difference of about 45k.

3.) TSX sales minor drop - 35k in 2005, 29k in 2012. This is pretty minor IMO as the current TSX is entering the end of its lifecycle.

4.) 2G RL - believe it or not, it was actually doing quite well in 2005 as Acura sold 17500 units. Sadly Acura didn't market this car properly and when competitors come out with newer products, Acura simply gave up on it

JAB00

The 2009+ TL and the 2005+ RL have been complete disasters. It has nothing to do with marketing. Both were unattractively styled cars that offered nothing that the competition didn't already offer and more. The 3G TL was a good looking car and offered the most bang for the buck against the competition. It was one of the first cars in 2004 to offer Bluetooth and Xenon headlights as standard. My 2005 TL still runs like a gem. The 3G TL was hardly marketed. The MDX and RDX are selling well. Those are hardly marketed. Both are above average looking vehicles in their segments.

phile

This article got me thinking about Acura's Jewel Eye headlamps.

http://www.edmunds.com/car-news/2014...eadlights.html

Audi really thinks about these things - from design to function. I don't think any other automaker has been as proactive and creative about LED headlights as Audi. And Matrix headlights sound way cooler than Jewel Eye. Just like how torque vectoring AWD sounds a lot better than super handling AWD. Just another example of Acura's failed marketing - they can't come up with catchy names. I hope Acura follows suit and have LED lighting that is 1) not just stacked bulbs in their design and 2) as safety-driven as these from Audi.

TSX69

It's Peddle to the Metal as Acura Readies Its Biggest Ad Campaign

Hoping that the best years are not in the rear-view mirror for its Acura luxury line, American Honda Motor Co. is shifting into high gear for the introduction of its redesigned 2014 MDX sport utility vehicle.

The U.S. sales arm of the Japanese automaker typically has kept a low advertising profile for Acura. But that's about to change.

This week, American Honda in Torrance plans to roll out its largest-ever national advertising campaign for an Acura model, a marketing push that also is being closely watched in the Los Angeles advertising industry.

American Honda this year dumped Acura's longtime ad agency and called in reinforcements from Boston and New York. The 2 newly hired firms had to quickly add staff and engineer a campaign that would improve consumers' impressions of Acura.

"This is huge for us," said Gary Robinson, manager of Acura's national advertising and brand. "We want to get this launch right, and we are going to do what it takes to do that. This is a must-succeed."

Acura in recent years has fallen behind such high-end rivals as BMW, Lexus and Mercedes-Benz. Last year, Acura sold 156,216 vehicles, according to Autodata Corp., a 25% decline from its peak of nearly 210,000 units sold in 2005.

The Honda brand remains strong: Sales increased 9.7% in June, from a year earlier, but the Acura line suffered a 10.4% decline.

Much is riding on Acura's new "Made for Mankind" ad campaign because the 7-passenger MDX is Acura's highest-volume vehicle, and the brand's best chance to regain traction in the market.

Last year, American Honda decided to open up its account handling more than $860 million a year in advertising spending for both the Honda and Acura lines.

The move ultimately reordered the Los Angeles advertising landscape as the incumbent firm, Rubin Postaer & Associates of Santa Monica, lost two substantial pieces of Honda's business.

Mullen, a Boston advertising firm, picked up the Acura account, and MediaVest of New York took responsibility for media buying for both Acura and Honda. RPA, which formed in 1986 to manage the American Honda account, retained the Honda creative account.

Still, the firm shed about 200 employees because of the reduction in business.

After winning the account March 18, Mullen executives had just 90 days to find office space in the Los Angeles area, hire workers and refine the advertising campaign in time to tout the MDX's arrival in dealerships.

Mullen, which now boasts nearly 750 employees nationwide, intends to eventually employ about 80 people in its newly opened office in El Segundo to work on the Acura account. The company also creates advertising for JetBlue Airways Corp., Zappos.com Inc. and Google Inc.

"This is the most exciting opportunity to come to L.A. ad agencies in the last decade," said Julie Warford, director of creative services and operations for Mullen in L.A.

The native of New Zealand joined Mullen 2 months ago after leaving another advertising agency in El Segundo. Mullen opened its offices next door to her old firm in 13,000 square feet of office space in a glass tower that overlooks the south runway of LAX.

MediaVest expects to add about 100 people to plan media strategy for Honda and Acura. MediaVest already had a presence in L.A. because it handles advertising for Disney Channel, Mattel Inc. and other companies in the area.

Acura's Robinson said the MDX advertising campaign was the largest ever for Acura, although he declined to divulge how much the company will be spending. According to advertising consultant Kantar Media, Acura spent nearly $167 million on ads in 2012, down 15% from 2011.

The company plans to make 5 television commercials featuring the MDX, an increase over its usual practice of producing two national TV commercials and 1 region spot for a car model. It recently unveiled the Mullen 60-second spot in theaters and has ordered print ads, billboards, Internet ads.

"It's been crazy. I can't remember the last day that I worked that wasn't 16 hours, but that's fine," said Peter Rosch, executive creative director at Mullen who recently relocated from Boston.

During the pitch process, Mullen asked for extended sessions with Acura engineers and designers, who discussed how they were focused on tapping into technological innovations to create a "synergy between man and machine."

"Our approach was to look right in front of our eyes. We tried to try to find the magic within the words of their chief engineer and then express it in our words," said Mark Wenneker, Mullen's chief creative officer, who also plans to relocate from Boston to Los Angeles or San Francisco.

Rosch came up with the line "Made for Mankind," to compete with BMW's slogan of "the ultimate driving machine" and Lexus' "the pursuit of perfection."

Acura executives acknowledge their vehicles face "challenges of perception" among buyers of luxury vehicles.

Honda launched Acura in 1986 to become a step-up vehicle for Honda owners who wanted to graduate to the next class. The strategy worked. Still, some Honda owners kept buying Hondas, while others migrated to brands that offered more pizazz. To attract new buyers, Acura must drive out from Honda's shadow.

The 60-second version of Mullen's first TV commercial is cinematic in scope and begins with a man scaling a tall tree. It includes an underwater scene, an astronaut floating in space and a scientist interacting with a robot. It is different from most because, these days, car commercials tend to feature voice-overs by famous male actors. On the new Acura ad, the announcer is a woman, who was selected after auditions by more than 100 actors. Acura's usual spokesman, actor James Spader, wasn't enlisted for the campaign.

The ad is meant to convey that as humans have evolved, so has Acura.

The company also intends to make a bigger push in social media. MediaVest brought research into the pitch to show Honda how to better exploit social channels to identify potential car buyers and persuade them that Acura matches their personalities.

"People who are purchasing a car are sending social media signals all over the place," said Chris Harder, executive vice president and managing director of MediaVest's L.A. office. "What social media allows us to do is reach consumers in real time."

The goal is to highlight Acura's relationship with consumers — before, during and after the car purchase, she said.

"We know there is huge power in a brand, and we need a stronger brand to be able to sell more vehicles," Acura's Robinson said. "It's a critical element that we are focused on. It's our goal to make MDX part of the conversation."

meg.james@latimes.com

fsttyms1

Ok, so they have a new ad agency. Great. Now when will they get a new design staff and come out with cars that appeal to people and don't blend in and look like a few year old design? If Acura wants to "compete" with the "high-end rivals" they have fallen behind to, they will need a lot more than some fancy new add campaign

What I would like to know is when someone at Honda/Acura is going to see this?

iforyou

iTrader: (1)

Like I said, the 2005 RL was a great car. It has won Car of the Year Japan and several comparison tests in the US. It's a very competitive car. Its main shortcomings were conservative styling and lack of rear leg room. After 2006, many competitors got updated and suddently, the RL was no longer competitive. In the first two years though, the sales were just fine IMO for a $50k Acura sedan.

The 3G TL sold well because it was good looking, has great features, and was priced noticeably lower than competitors. Not only that, it strikes a near perfect balance of sporty handling and great ride comfort. It also did well because back in 2004-2006, there weren't that many good competitors. There were the old E46 3 series, W203 C Class, the 1g IS, B7 A4, G35, and 1g CTS. The only ones that were really competitive at that time were the 3 series, C Class, A4, and G35. Even so, the 3G TL had more power than all of them.

The sales of the 3G TL was declining rapidly after 2007. At that time, everyone came out with better products: E90 3 series, W204 C Class, 2G IS, 2G G35, 2G CTS. The TL was no longer the leader in power as there were cars that made 300+hp such as the 335i, IS350, G35, and CTS.

The declining trend simply continued with the 4G TL. Acura introduced some new technologies in this segment in the TL, but the competition got so good that the new features were simply not enough. The controversial styling didn't help either. I also think the bread and butter TL FWD model got too soft like a ES350. While the TL AWD has sporty handling, its pricing was on the high side.

Xpditor

You can list all the reasons you want but purchasing decisions come down to value and looks. In this regard, my 2004 TL was a head above the competition. Performance was also important to me. The numbers were also good.

A car can be fast, sporty, and economical but if it looks like the east end of a west-bound horse, few will buy it. IMO, the last good looking TL was the 3rd Generation.... and it was not earth shattering. It isn't gorgeous; it's handsome. No visible warts. No ick factor.

The 4G+ however..... IMO is oogly. Both the front and the back. And it's performance is mediocre. It doesn't stand out in any particular area. It has an out-dated transmission and lacks a V8 option. It is FWD. Acura used to be a technology innovator. Now, it's playing tech catch-up with Ford econoboxes.

Acura (TL or RL) will never achieve full-fledged luxury status until it has at least one model that cures those short comings.

Xpditor

How do you like my Power Plenum?

fsttyms1

fsttyms1

A few fancy gizmos here and there arent going to get people thru the doors if they dont like the looks of the car. When Kia, Hyundai and Even Lexus are taking a more daring approach to design and quite frankly better looking, it leaves Acura looking... well bland and something people are looking past. Its taken them what 5+ years to possibly have a unified (power plenum) beak, but it is still looking out of place on everything but the larger front MDX and even that could be improved by a better grille Its time to cut their losses on it and design something better looking.

AZuser

They want Acura to be a luxury player yet the "Made for Mankind" slogan (IMO) doesn't convey anything luxurious, exciting, or special about the brand. It does nothing to help the brand stand above mainstream brands like "The Ultimate Driving Machine" or "The Pursuit of Perfection" does.

"Made of Mankind" seems more appropriate for Honda. To me, "Made for Mankind" feels like they're saying "Made for your average Joe."

The "Made for Mankind" ad is boring too. The MDX is just sitting there, motionless.... lifeless.

Where's the excitement and energy? Why not show someone actually driving the car and having fun?



They could also try to be not so serious and have a little fun/try to be cute





Or they could talk about their history/heritage



Hope the ad agency has something better up their sleeves because when I see an Audi or BMW ad, they open up my eyes or put a smile on my face.