phile

Fire this guy. Now.

Legend2TL

January consumer vehicle sales are typically lower across all manufacturers. Holiday's, gifts, cold weather and bills temporarily stall car sales.

biker

As long as the numbers are in the range of the GS, M35, A6 sales levels (they'll never reach 5 series or E class levels), it's not a flop.

Legend2TL

, if RLX reached 4 figure range like the previous RL it would be at least be in that group. Curious how the AWD version will change that.

AZuser

If Acura's trying to compete with the M, then the RLX is a sales success. If it's trying to compete with the GS or A6, then it's a flop.

oonowindoo

A Brand new model has the same sales number as 4 years old model?

I call that a huge flop.

Vs. A6, Flop
Vs. GS, Flop,
Vs. E Class, Flop
Vs. 5 Series, Flop
Vs. 4 years old outdated M, Flop

Anyone got the sales # for Genesis Sedan?

biker

The A6 is doing better than I thought - I seem to remember all of them (A6, GS, M) being in the 1K/mo range. It will be interesting to see what kind of sales numbers the new CTS will have. I'd say anything below 10K/yr for the RLX is a flop.

AZuser

Hyundai unfortunately doesn't break down sedan vs coupe sales for the Genesis. But let's say sedan sales make up 1/3 of total sales. Even at 1/3, it's still selling better. And for a model at the end of its life too.

Jan 2013 = 2472 .... 1/3 = 816
Feb = 2517 .... 1/3 = 830
Mar = 3124 .... 1/3 = 1031
Apr = 2584 .... 1/3 = 853
May = 2767 .... 1/3 = 913
Jun = 2938 .... 1/3 = 969
Jul = 2842 .... 1/3 = 938
Aug = 2947 .... 1/3 = 972
Sep = 2926 .... 1/3 = 965
Oct = 1944 .... 1/3 = 641
Nov = 1989 .... 1/3 = 656
Dec = 3280 .... 1/3 = 1082

Jan 2014 = 1459 .... 1/3 = 481
___________________________________
Total 2013 sales: 32,330 .... 1/3 = 10,669

Total (Feb '13 - Jan '14): 31,317 .... 1/3 = 10,334

oonowindoo

That is weird that they don't separate the sedan and the coupe since they are completely different cars with different targeted groups.


I think they sell more than 8XX a month of the sedan. I see them everywhere.

phile

For sales # padding. Some automakers do that, maybe they feel they need to in order to make the Genesis as a model seem more successful.

fsttyms1

These guys are on crack...

RPhilMan1

I still don't understand why they thought it was a good idea to kill off the TSX in favor of the ILX. The TSX has always sold very well. I think they should have instead created a third generation TSX that is a bit smaller in order to differentiate it more from the TLX.

And don't do idiotic things like only offer a 6MT with the Sport Edition, especially when you cannot get navigation in the Sport Edition.

They had it right on the money with the first generation. It was so simple. The options were 4-cylinder with automatic or manual transmission, and with or without navigation. Done.

If they would have done a 3G TSX with the model setup of the 1G, and with an upcoming addition of a turbo-4 to the NA 4-cylinder and V6 options, I think they would have been much better off.

ttribe

That wouldn't have been approved by the Acura brass because it would have made too much sense.

dom

Its more likely 2/3's or even more. So 20K a year would be my guess.

Fibonacci

MMC's coming soon:

ILX Type-Flop with "refined" power plenum and dual screen "upgrade"
RLX Type-Flop with "refined" power plenum and lane watch



DEEPLY DISCOUNTED POWER PLENUMS FOR MANKIND

Costco

They are withholding inventory in order to generate demand.

The RLX is an exponentially better sales success than its predecessor. How can you call it a flop?

YEH

Correct.

For 2012 - Hyundai sold 23k of the Genesis sedan and probably close to that for 2013.

Should do around 30k/yr w/ the new Genesis due to the addition of AWD.

The sedan has been a sales success for Hyundai, but the coupe has been a flop (but then again, higher priced Asian coupes have had a difficult time against the pony cars); which is why the next coupe should do better comparatively as it goes upscale and competes against the Q60 and the Lexus IS-based coupe.

TSX69

oonowindoo

So competitions are all machines and Acura is mammal?

Or RLX came from behind and beat NSX and TLX?

What is Acura trying to say?

kurtatx

It's a gas that one of these cars sucks and the other two don't exist yet. Great commercials. Euthanize the RLX, please.

AZuser

Acura is saying it wants to do the next Transformers movie. The horse transforms into an RLX. I guess the other horses transformed into a TLX and NSX.

phile

They aired that commercial tonight during the Olympics broadcast. I was thinking to myself - those horses are better designed than the new Acuras.

fsttyms1

Yea, because it didnt work for them in Thor

fsttyms1

At least they didnt have beaks

kurtatx

God I get so fumed when I think about the beaks. The NSX "beak" is a huge improvement. Of course, that's just vaporware. Which reminds me

ACURA: Stop calling the RLX the flagship. All it does is solidify the fact that you're never actually making the NSX.

Why would you build and sell the NSX and then base the rest of your products on that design language?

Jesus, Honda.

/rant...time for coffee

AZuser

You may be confusing "flagship" with "halo car."

The RLX is called a flagship because... well, I'll let Car and Driver explain it:
So yes, the RLX is Acura's flagship. Is it a good flagship? No. But that's an entirely different matter.


A halo car is something that's unique and is designed to draw attention to the brand and gets people into the dealer/show room. Few will buy it due to its high price and/or exclusivity. Instead, people will opt to buy the manufacturers regular models. In Acura's case, it's the RLX, TLX, ILX, MDX, and RDX.

oonowindoo

Fixed

George Knighton

They said it.

"A power that goes beyond the machine."

It's more than the sum of its parts.

George Knighton

Well.

We don't have 100 guns.

But we have a lot of LED's! :-)

"Hit them with the full beams, Captain Hardy!"

George Knighton

I'm curious what you mean by lane watch, and what needs to change about it. Although they're not the very first with an LKAS that actually steers the vehicle instead of braking to drag the car back into line, it's still certainly relatively new technology and more or less leading edge.

The winter has been very bad, so cleared roads will sometimes have lines of white chemicals in the travel lanes. This can sometimes confuse the LKAS cameras into thinking that there area more lines on the road than there really are.

And of course if you are using LKAS on a US primary road instead of the Interstate, then you have to be prepared for the fact that LKAS will lose its bead when you are traveling through intersections.

But those two issues are to be expected of any system that uses cameras to determine where the lanes are. Seems fully, reasonably to be expected.

So...I'm curious what we think needs to change about a system that is more or less on the leading edge if not the cutting edge of technology in 2014.

Not mad...just curious....


:-) It worked for me!

At 61,500 an RLX Advance might get a second look and you might want to argue about its worth, discounting reliability and maintenance costs (which are obviously in Honda's favor), against an A6 or rear drive E Class.

But with ten grand off the sticker, it's more or less a no brainer class leading best buy, hands down.

Of course, that's just one dumb old man's opinion, but I have not regretted it so far with 4500 miles.

George Knighton

Startling mid range performance, too.

In those real world situations where you have to move quickly from, say, 25-60, or 45-80, the RLX's J35Y4 really shines.

They did a great job tuning this motor.

phile

No one's bashing the motor...

Edward'TLS

The Acura flagship sedan is a very nicely built car, with a great motor and lots of high tech gadgets.

But even with huge discounts, premium sedan buyers are still not buying it.

oonowindoo

I am very curious about some acceleration comparison in those speed between 535,A6 3.0T, GS350 and RLX.

oonowindoo

and what is that power? a higher power?

TSX69

Honda Creats New Acura Planing Arm After US Sedan Sales Drop

Honda Motor Co. (7267), which saw a 10% drop in U.S. Acura sedan sales last year, is creating a new group to plan business development for the premium brand.

Erik Berkman, president of Honda R&D Americas, will become executive vice president for the North American unit and division manager of the newly created Acura Business Planning Office, Honda said today in a statement. The Tokyo-based company didn’t provide any details on how the division will operate.

In December Tetsuo Iwamura, Honda’s executive vice president and current North American chief, said focusing on Acura, particularly its sedan lineup, was a top priority for the company. A 10% drop in combined sales of Acura’s ILX, TSX, TL and RLX sedans kept Honda from a goal of achieving record sales in 2013 and overshadowed gains for the brand’s more successful MDX and RDX sport-utility vehicles.

“Erik’s appointment to the new Acura Business Planning Office is a clear indication of the high priority we place on Acura,” Jeffrey Smith, a Honda spokesman, said in a phone interview. Berkman “brings very strong and dynamic leadership to the Acura brand,” he said.

Berkman, who joined Honda in 1982, led development of the 2004 TL sport sedan, among the most-successful cars in Acura’s history. He was head of North American research and development, the 1st U.S. engineer to hold that job.

Smith declined to comment on specific changes being considered for Acura or on how the Berkman-led group will operate. Berkman wasn’t available for comment.

The news of Berkman’s new assignment came after Honda today said it will name Hideko Kunii, a professor of engineering at Japan’s Shibaura Institute of Technology, as the 1st woman to join the company’s board.

Honda’s U.S. sales unit is based in Torrance, California, and the company’s North American headquarters are in Marysville, Ohio. Honda’s American depositary receipts fell 0.1% to $36.12 at the close in New York.

ttribe

^^^^Wait...they're coming to the realization there's a problem?!

oonowindoo

only 10% decrease? It feels more like 40%.

Fibonacci

I was attempting to make a lame joke about how Honda debuted "lane watch" a feature that they don't offer on any Acura product with an Accord. Just like they debuted LED headlights on the Accord. One of the biggest knocks on the Acura line up is that there isn't enough differentiation with the Honda line up. So why would you decide to debut those features on a Honda???

The Accord never even offered Xenon HID's, but made the leap to LED's on the Touring. That's a self-induced error. LED's should be an Acura exclusive, Xenon HID's should be the highest end lighting on Honda Touring models IMO, that's just basic marketing.

I'm not going to comment on LKAS because its not a feature that I appreciate or would use. I would find use from lane watch to enhance Blind Spot assist.



Ten grand off sticker is probably where they should have priced the RLX to begin with as the initial pricing was a moonshot. There are no features on an Advance model I find worthy other than ventilated seats and those really should be offered in the Tech package. Personally, I think the Accord is a better looking car and there is NO way I'd spend the extra dinero on a FWD RLX when I get 95% of the features in a Touring.

I find it somewhat strange that Acura felt the need to have 5 different "models" of the RLX
1. Base
2. Navi
3. Tech
4. Krell
5. Advance

Really? There only needs to be 3.
1. Base (for those who don't want Navi)
2. Tech (w/ Navi like the rest of the lineup)
3. Advance (including Krell)

Acura should be spending the money on more interior color choices, better quality materials and dump the dual screen madness.

Regardless, the RLX is not in a weight class I enjoy. Not sure what I'll replace my 6MT with, but it won't be a luxo barge, I enjoy driving too much.

phile

Combined sales of all the sedans. If they were running #'s solely on something like the outgoing RL, it would be way worse. It's really the TL that was holding them up on the sedan front.