When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Dude, who the fuck gives a shit? Who in their right minds drives a large SUV at 110MPH, with the pedal mashed into the floor? No one, that's who. Quit coming up with these bullshit analogies.
0-110 very important measure now since 0-60 is from 1950s. without high speed performance its dangerous to overtake and merge lanes.
Gentlemen, I don't mean to rain on anyone's parade this morning, but my family and I were in a serious accident last night in our MDX and we are all ok more or less, while the other driver in an FX50 was not. This conversation about what is better (Pilot or MDX) is meaningless when something like this happens. I'm sure the Pilot would have performed equally as well in the same accident we all just experienced, but it does not matter if one vehicle accelerates to 110mph faster than the other. Just be safe out there and take care.
Gentlemen, I don't mean to rain on anyone's parade this morning, but my family and I were in a serious accident last night in our MDX and we are all ok more or less, while the other driver in an FX50 was not. This conversation about what is better (Pilot or MDX) is meaningless when something like this happens. I'm sure the Pilot would have performed equally as well in the same accident we all just experienced, but it does not matter if one vehicle accelerates to 110mph faster than the other. Just be safe out there and take care.
Glad to hear you are safe! Safety is paramount with any car and Honda/Acura excel at that.
Gentlemen, I don't mean to rain on anyone's parade this morning, but my family and I were in a serious accident last night in our MDX and we are all ok more or less, while the other driver in an FX50 was not. This conversation about what is better (Pilot or MDX) is meaningless when something like this happens. I'm sure the Pilot would have performed equally as well in the same accident we all just experienced, but it does not matter if one vehicle accelerates to 110mph faster than the other. Just be safe out there and take care.
I'm glad to hear you are okay. At the end of the day, what's important is that the car kept you and your family safe.
No matter our disagreements over what Acura should do, this accident is a reminder of what they get right--Acura makes some of the safest vehicles on the road today.
Glad you're OK, RLXSH, and thank goodness it wasn't yet another incident to add to the Blackbird's run of weird luck.
The unexpected appointment of Jon Ikeda to head Acura puts him on a short list of top brand executives in the auto industry who got there by way of the design studios rather than the business offices.
It's a route that has produced mixed results. But having a designer in charge of a luxury brand that's light on cachet could be exactly the shot in the arm Acura needs, both for its product portfolio and its relationship with the Honda mothership in Japan.
"You could argue Ikeda's the human embodiment of Acura,"Karl Brauer, senior analyst at Kelley Blue Book, told Automotive News. Acura is a U.S.-based Japanese luxury division now led by a Japanese-American who has worked for the company in both the U.S. and Japan.
Though Acura has had to push continually for resources and respect from headquarters, Ikeda already has proved he can get both. In 2006, he was instrumental in getting Acura its own design studio at Honda's campus in Torrance, Calif.
"He's got both the design pedigree and, almost more importantly, the political pedigree within Acura," Brauer said.
This will be important as Acura's planners seek to elevate and better define the brand. In February 2014, Honda created a separate business office for Acura to articulate a clearer product strategy and distinguish it from the bread-and-butter Honda brand. While Acura revived its "precision crafted performance" marketing tag line this year, the broader effort to wow U.S. consumers and Honda executives in Japan has bogged down.
Honda declined to make any of its executives available for interviews following Ikeda's appointment last week. Ikeda succeeds Mike Accavitti, a longtime marketing executive who had been with American Honda since 2011.
By the numbers, Acura has a lot going for it. Sales through the 1st half of the year are up 12%, outpacing the market's overall gains. And Acura has bucked the trend of shrinking car sales this year.
Yet overall volume for Honda's luxury brand still lags far behind that of BMW, Mercedes and, crucially, Lexus, a brand that has spent the last few years spinning its dowdy image toward one that promises more excitement.
"That used to be Acura's thing," Brauer said.
As a designer with some notable successes, Ikeda should be well-placed to see Acura through a similar transformation.
"If there's a brand's essence to be communicated to the public, I think a designer has a very strong way of communicating that," said Tom Matano, a former Mazda designer and company executive. He is now executive director of the School of Industrial Design at Academy of Art University in San Francisco. "That's what Acura needs right now."
In addition to securing the U.S.-based design studio, Ikeda is credited with the styling on the 3rd-generation TL, which ran from the 2004-08 model years. The midsize sedan is among Acura's top-selling vehicles. More recently, Ikeda was instrumental in naming Michelle Christensen as the exterior designer of the upcoming NSX supercar.
At the same time, Ikeda will need to avoid pitfalls some of his fellow designers have encountered.
Designers aren't usually known for their skills with budgets and management, said Stewart Reed, chairman of transportation design at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, Calif., Ikeda's alma mater. Those who have succeeded in management roles, such as Ed Welburn at General Motors or Peter Schreyer at Kia and Hyundai, have had strong business managers with whom to work
Others, such as Ralph Gilles, FCA's current global head of design, or Bryan Nesbitt, Buick's chief stylist, lasted in executive roles for only brief periods before returning to the studio.
Another potential roadblock, says Matano, is skepticism from other execs. "A lot of people think because we're designers we're different and crazy and do whatever we want to do," he said, "but we're not."
American Honda shattered its previous July truck sales record set in 2006, climbing 13.2 percent on sales of 70,613 units leading an overall 7.7 percent increase for the month
Honda CR-V has best-ever July with 31,785 units sold for an increase of 11.4 percent
Acura RDX jumps 29.6 percent on sales of 4,577 for another July record
Acura ILX also has best July with sales up 30.6 percent, joining TLX to boost Acura cars more than 100 percent for the month
American Honda Motor Co., Inc. today reported an increase of 7.7 percent in July 2015, on sales of 146,324 Honda and Acura vehicles. Honda and Acura trucks led the July sales gain, combining for a 13.2 percent increase on sales of 70,613 vehicles. Honda Division sales rose 6.5 percent overall on sales of 131,409 units, while Acura reported a gain of 19.5 percent with 14,915 vehicles sold in July.
Honda
Honda trucks had another strong month, jumping 16.2 percent on sales of 61,059 vehicles. CR-V led the way with sales of over 31,000 units while the new HR-V grabbed 5,909 sales and, despite the continued production ramp-up, the brand-new 2016 Pilot earned nearly 10,000 new customers in July—its 1st full month on the market. Odyssey also gained significantly in July.
Despite the market rush toward trucks, Civic and Accord each posted stronger performances over 30,000 units – with Civic gaining 3.7 percent on sales of 31,139 while 34,496 Accords were sold in July to nearly match a very strong July 2014.
The award-winning CR-V rolled on to yet another record month, posting an 11.4 percent gain on sales of 31,785 units.
Odyssey maintained its upward trend, increasing 17.8 percent on sales of 12,851 vehicles in July.
31,139 Civics were sold in July for a gain of 3.7 percent.
"This is not only the strongest lineup of Honda light trucks in our history, from top to bottom it is one of the hottest lineups in the industry's hottest segment—trucks," said Jeff Conrad, Honda Division senior vice president and general manager. "What feels really good is that Honda automobiles are also showing considerable strength, even with the new 2016 Accord and all-new Civic on the horizon."
Acura
With a nearly 20 percent overall gain, sedans continue to evolve into one of the key Acura brand success stories. The recently refreshed ILX steps up with a best-ever July, combining with a still-streaking TLX to push Acura cars up 101.7 percent for the month. The RDX showed renewed strength as it set a new July benchmark with a nearly 30 percent gain, while the MDX is working through inventory issues.
The redesigned ILX posted a 2nd straight monthly record, gaining 30.6 percent on sales of 1,613 units
The refreshed RDX continued its gains, jumping 29.6 percent with sales of 4,577 units in July
Acura sedan sales totaled 5,361 in July, up 101.7 percent for the month.
"With Acura sedan sales continuing to strengthen, the Acura brand is on its strongest footing in years," said John Mendel, executive vice president of American Honda. "With both sedans and trucks clicking with luxury buyers Acura is on pace for our best sales year in nearly a decade."
Acura sedan sales totaled 5,361 in July, up 101.7 percent for the month.
LOL are they fooling themselves?
I'm sure skd2k1 and kurtatx are ecstatic over this number. Sure, it's not as good as the 107.9% increase in sedan sales Acura saw in June 2015, but it's still bigger than the 43.5% increase in May 2015.
Once we get October 2015 sales, watch that triple digit percentage sales increase fall to the low double digits or single digit. Acura's year over year sedan sales performance will start to be less impressive once TLX sales shows up in the comparable numbers. TLX went on sale in late Aug 2014.
I'm sure skd2k1 and kurtatx are ecstatic over this number. Sure, it's not as good as the 107.9% increase in sedan sales Acura saw in June 2015, but it's still bigger than the 43.5% increase in May 2015.
Once we get October 2015 sales, watch that triple digit percentage sales increase fall to the low double digits or single digit. Acura's year over year sedan sales performance will start to be less impressive once TLX sales shows up in the comparable numbers. TLX went on sale in late Aug 2014.
Until then... Let the hate continue on for the next 2 years at least
If any of this is true, it's sad to see that it took Acura so fucking long to pull their head out of their ass and realize they're lost in space. Seriously? It takes 10 years and year after (as of late) of missed margins before you realize you're fucked? Who the fuck runs that place...
Until then... Let the hate continue on for the next 2 years at least
If any of this is true, it's sad to see that it took Acura so fucking long to pull their head out of their ass and realize they're lost in space. Seriously? It takes 10 years and year after (as of late) of missed margins before you realize you're fucked? Who the fuck runs that place...
There are two things here at odds.
On one hand, you have these ToV rumors, which seem like a major departure, which would make sense seeing as there has been a major executive shakeup.
On the other hand, you have the previous rumors suggesting Accavitti continually pushed Honda to allow Acura to split off their platforms and Honda Corporate would not allot more money towards Acura R&D. What about the new guy would suddenly change that?
I'm inclined to believe both rumors are false, honestly.
Also, the comments on these rumors are laughable. Unless Acura is suddenly going to develop a rear drive biased large sedan and resurrect the Legend, the RLX is dead weight and NOT a profitable piece of the Acura puzzle.
Efforts to ignite the Acura brand have boosted sales – and now the consumer perception is following.
According to the American Customer Satisfaction Index, Honda Motor Co.’s luxury brand had the highest increase in customer satisfaction among the 27 brands in its annual survey. Acura vaulted from last place in the 2014 survey to a three-way tie for the 2nd spot in the 2015. Its rating of 83 is up 8% from the previous year.
What makes it even more noteworthy is that Acura was 1 of only 2 brands to gain in customer perception in the past year, and it is doing so as the industry overall hits an 11-year low in the survey.
ACSI LLC’s report said customer satisfaction fell 3.7 percent in the past year, driven primarily by the increase in auto recalls and rising prices. The rating of 79 is the lowest industry-wide score since 2004. It’s also the 3rd-consecutive year where customer satisfaction has fallen off.
Of the 21 nameplates that were in the survey last year, 15 fared worse this year and only Acura and BMW did better than before. The survey added 6 new brands.
Honda (NYSE:HMC), 1 of several brands dogged with product recalls, saw its score fall 4 percent to 80 putting it in a 6-way tie for 8th on the list.
Luxury and foreign brands tended to fare better than domestic. 4 of the 5 lowest-scoring brands were Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles brands.
The group did note that a decline of some sort was expected to happen. Prices impact customer satisfaction. The industry peaked in 2009 with a rating of 84, but that was artificially inflated because post-recession prices were low and the government’s Cash for Clunkers program provided additional aid for consumers. With discounted prices less necessary to move cars, a correction of some sort was expected.
ACSI noted that the current rating is more in line with its historical data on the industry.
The top 13 brands were:
Volkswagen, 80, down 5 percent.
Mazda, 80, flat.
Honda, 80, down 4 percent.
Cadillac, 80, flat.
Buick, 80, down 4 percent.
Hyundai, 80, flat.
Toyota, 82, down 1 percent.
Subaru, 82, down 4 percent.
BMW, 82, up 3 percent.
Mercedes-Benz, 83, down 3 percent.
Lincoln, 83, not ranked.
Acura, 83, up 8 percent.
Lexus, 84, flat.
Jon Ikeda is barely a few weeks into his new role as general manager of Acura, but the designer-turned-executive already knows what’s atop his agenda at American Honda’s luxury marque.
Having 26 years to prepare for the role helps.
Sitting near a trio of shiny new NSX hybrid supercars on display this month during Monterey Car Week, Ikeda says it’s not Acura’s popular crossovers he has his eye on. It’s the sedans.
“We should make sedans that people get excited about, just like when they look at this NSX here,” Ikeda told Automotive News at The Quail, an annual show of high-end cars on the Monterey Peninsula. “That will be one of my 1st challenges with r&d, working with them to see what we could do to get that going.”
Ikeda started working for Honda in 1989, rising to become 1 of its top designers. In late July, Honda abruptly announced that Ikeda would be promoted to general manager of Acura, replacing Mike Accavitti, who had been with the company since 2011. The automaker gave no reason for the move.
New role
As he’s settling into his new role, Ikeda declined to provide specifics on Acura’s plans for sedans. But he said he was taking seriously the brand’s revival of its 1980s-era slogan: “precision crafted performance.”
“Every step we take with any [product face-lift], anything that we come up with is going to be geared toward that,” Ikeda said, noting that improving the performance and quality of Acura’s cars was paramount.
With only 3 sedans to its name -- the compact ILX, midsize TLX and full-size RLX -- Acura has a glaring weakness relative to its German luxury competitors, which field more sedans and complement them with a complex matrix of variants, such as wagons, coupes, convertibles and high-performance models.
Acura also lacks a compelling flagship sedan to serve as a true luxury and technology showcase. Its only answer to the Mercedes S class and BMW 7 series is the RLX, which sold a paltry 3,413 units in 2014 and has slumped 38% this year through July.
“If you’re going to be a full-line luxury brand and compete with Lexus, BMW and Mercedes-Benz, you have to have a portfolio that covers all of the segments,” said Tom Libby, an analyst at IHS Automotive.
Distinguishing Acuras
Achieving that kind of full coverage isn’t within Ikeda’s power yet. For now, his task is to distinguish Acura’s offerings from bread-and-butter Hondas and its luxury competitors. For that, Ikeda plans to use Acura’s ace in the hole, the NSX — now delayed until early 2016 — and leverage the considerable technology under its skin for Acura’s mainstream sedans.
The NSX uses a trio of electric motors and a twin-turbocharged V-6 engine to generate more than 550 hp.
“There are going to be things that we hope that we can draw from [the NSX], whether it’s some of the styling cues, and obviously I hope some of the technology trickles down into what we are working on now so people can understand what is our DNA,” Ikeda said.
It’s hardly a stretch for a brand such as Acura to pursue a performance-based identity. While rivals such as BMW, Lexus and Audi may make more noise about their cars’ performance characteristics, Acura’s parent company, Honda, has a long heritage as an industry leader in spirited powertrains.
“Historically [Honda] has been way out front in terms of powertrain technology,” Libby said, “so if they take advantage of that they can create some kind of unique position.”
Momentum grows
Acura’s sedans also have momentum; the brand is 1 of the few automakers to buck the industrywide trend of slipping sedan sales in 2015. Through July, sales of Acura’s sedans are up 36% from a year earlier.
This is largely due to a redesign of the ILX that turned the dowdy has-been into a compelling entry-level luxury sedan, and the arrival of the TLX, which replaced the TSX and TL when it went on sale about year ago.
Overall, Acura sales are up 13% through July this year, and running ahead of Cadillac. But the automaker’s volume still lags far behind Lexus, Mercedes-Benz and BMW.
Bolstering its sedan lineup should help narrow the gap. Despite the recent surge in crossover sales and the strength of Acura’s RDX and MDX crossovers, cars still account for the bulk of the luxury market.
Libby said, “It’s not like the sedan is a fringe body type that’s just going to go away.”
Achieving that kind of full coverage isn’t within Ikeda’s power yet. For now, his task is to distinguish Acura’s offerings from bread-and-butter Hondas and its luxury competitors. For that, Ikeda plans to use Acura’s ace in the hole, the NSX — now delayed until early 2016 — and leverage the considerable technology under its skin for Acura’s mainstream sedans.
I'll believe it when I see it. But as it is now, for just about every Acura product, there is or will be a Honda equivalent, or an Acura (a.k.a. Honda +) version of a Honda product.
If the new Acura NSX proves too dear for you, here's some potentially uplifting news. Speculation continues about a 'baby NSX' model that will slot below the high-tech hybrid in Honda's global lineup, as a more mainstream sports car rather than a limited-production supercar. In fact, we may have already seen patent drawings for a concept version (below).
CDX: This all-new model is due in 2017 as a 2018 model. It is based on the subcompact Honda HR-V crossover (itself based on the Fit hatchback) and will slot below the RDX in Acura's lineup. Look for it to carry a 1.5-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder engine, optional all-wheel drive and similarly clever interior packaging.
Ikeda is under the impression that he has more power and authority than he really does have.
Honda CR-V breaks all-time record with 34,771 units sold, rising 2.0 percent
Honda Accord, Civic and CR-V combine to exceed 100,000 sales in August
Acura TLX gains more than 90 percent in August, with 4,353 vehicles sold
Acura RDX continues strong run, up 9.5 percent on sales of 4,364
American Honda Motor Co., Inc. today reported August 2015 sales of 155,491 Honda and Acura vehicles, a decrease of 6.9 percent over August 2014, when the industry had 1 additional selling day and an early Labor Day weekend. The Honda Division sold a total of 140,178 units, while Acura reported 15,313 vehicles sold in August.
Honda
New Honda cars and trucks sold briskly last month, despite the calendar differences from a particularly strong August 2014, with Accord, Civic and CR-V easily surpassing the 100,000 mark in combined sales to stay on pace to top 1 million units and CR-V having its best month in history. Odyssey also notched a sales gain for the 3rd straight month.
CR-V breaks all-time monthly sales record, rising 2.0 percent on sales of 34,771 units
Total truck sales were up 6.9 percent on sales of 63,897 with the all new HR-V crossover passing 4,500.
Accord, Civic and CR-V each posted more than 30,000 sales in August, with Accord topping 40,000 units and combining for a total of 107,733 vehicles sold
"The shorter sales month versus last year obscures the continued strong sales momentum of core Honda models," said Jeff Conrad, Honda Division senior vice president and general manager. "We're working hard to keep up with the strong demand for our trucks, while our sedans continue to set the bar for retail sales."
Acura
Acura sedans enjoyed healthy August sales, strongly buoyed by the TLX as well as the redesigned ILX. The new RDX continued a quick sales pace, while MDX sales were slowed by short inventory. Total Acura sales are up more than 10 percent year-to-date.
Sales of the TLX – Acura's best-selling sedan— continued on a hot streak, increasing 90.4 percent on sales of 4,353 for the month
Overall Acura sedan sales gained 24 percent for a total of 6,202 units sold in August
RDX sales were up 9.5 percent in August, with 4,364 units sold in one of the industry's hottest segments
"Strong sales of both sedans and trucks is now a reality for the Acura brand," said John Mendel, executive vice president of American Honda. "Our lineup has avoided the ups and downs of the market which is keeping Acura on pace for our best sales year since 2007."
TLX sales highest so far this year. Beat May numbers by 1 unit. Came up short of the 5,000 units it needed in August though, and probably won't hit the 5,000 unit monthly average it will need for the remaining months of 2015 to hit 50K unit sales for the year.
No real improvement in ILX sales still. Thought the MMC would sorta rejuvenate sales a bit.
RLX sales down below 200 units again. No surprise there.
Thank God Acura has their truck line up, though MDX sales are down big year over year.
TLX went on-sale mid-August and is driving heavy dealer traffic to dealerships nationwide. The great majority of these early units were 3.5-liter V6 models as the 2.4-liter four cylinder began arriving later in the month and V6 SH-AWD models just starting to ship.
07-31-2015, 05:20 PM
AutoNews
American Customer Satisfaction Index
AutoNews
Aug 15
