I know there is much talk on this board about Acuras image and how they really don't come across as a true luxury brand to your average consumer (see USA Today article thread). I have to say that I like the fact that Acura does things a little differently and offers a lot of luxury features without making everything optional and rediculiously expensive to buy (ala Mercedes Benz/BMW). Maybe it's just me or maybe I'm crazy, but I always have thought of Acura as a Japanese Volvo or maybe Audi (the rumored move to AWD in the RL reinforces this). Neither Audi or Volvo have RWD cars or a "true" luxury image, but yet both seem to do well and have found their niche. I truly believe that w/ the addition of AWD (IMA sourced or not) Acura is going to do very well in the future.

So what do you think? Has Acura lost touch with the times or are their cars better than ever?

 

I read somewhere that Acura's goal was to be the Japanese Audi. I think they are on the right track to do this but have a long way to go.

Sometimes we have to get out of the enthusiast mindset and put on the our business hats too. In that sense, I think that things are going to come in small steps. It would be far too risky to make radical changes and possibly lose your core buyers. Perhaps it made sense for Infinity to do this, as they have taken some big risks and have done fairly well, but look at the shape they were in before? With Acura, things are not so bad as to warrant a huge change in strategy. Not yet anyways. But they are pointed in the right direction and I see good things in their future.

 

Audi has Quattro, Honda doesn't

Quattro has been vindicated in WRC races in the 90's and wins almost all LeMan events. Honda's still trying to keep their F1 cars to finish the race.

You're right that they have a long way to go.

 

didn't you forget in early 90's, Honda won several F1 champ, and win 15 out of 16 races in a single yr.:P :P

true it'll be a long time, cause Honda/Acura still a "in line four engine" car company, while most people think 4-cylinder is for low end car only, so Honda should work out for more high end engine to upgrade Acura's image.

 

 

See, this is why I answer all of the "why isn't Acura making more SUVs/trying to market to a higher market" threads the same way. I am tracking some mergers in the automotive industry, and all of the analyst presentations specifically identify the fact that Tier 1 suppliers are having to consolidate simply because of things like excess capacity/overproduction in the SUV manufacturing subsector as well as the economy. Any businessperson knows that purchases of higher-end consumption products such as cars derive from the overall state of the economy.

It makes sense to lie low for now, put most of your money into things like performance-related R & D expenditures to me. (I'm coming to this from someone whose interest in Honda/Acura was piqued by their overall strategic goals, btw.)

 

The Honda approach is terrific to me - build light, safe and nimble cars with great engines that don't rely on extra displacement or cylinders to make lots of power. And the cars are priced competitively. Where they've dropped the ball recently has been in not doing anything exciting with the RSX going into it's 3rd year in the model cycle (like why didn't they put the TSX instruments in it this year and up the HP just a tad or something....); letting the RL languish for far too long; and letting the TL get just a tad crispy before introducing it's terrific replacement in the nick of time. They're on the right track though.

 

I think I read the commentary during the last NY Auto show that stated Acura is going directly after the Audi market of entry and mid luxury targets. And I think the new products they have put out there (TL, TSX) are starting to reinforce that goal. Plus, Acura has the MDX whereas Audi still hasn't entered the SUV market yet (unless you count the Allroad, I don't). Also, Acura has the NSX (old, yes, but still a beut) while Audi still has no true sports car. I also remember reading about how the TSX doors were to emulate the A4's 'thud' closing sound.

I think Acura lost it's sight during the mid 90's when they went through a identity crisis of sorts. I think now that they have a solid target/competitor to shoot for, I think they are much better in projecting what their cars are going for. As for the image, I think that an innovative RL and a new NSX should relaunch Acura as a premium brand to be taken seriously. I think it's still 3 to 5 years away from reaching the levels of the Infiniti's and Audi's, but more innovations and products should help Acura in it's goal.

Junkster, who hasn't wrote in a while.

 

Uh, the Audi R8s that have been winning at LeMans are RWD.

And the implementation of Quattro that won in the 80s and 90s is quite different from the Quattro you'll find in today's Audis.

 

Yeah, I didn't really mean Quattro win LeMans, I mean Audi.

The point is, Honda was hot because of F1 wins. Now that it rarely finishes, let alone win one, it doesn't have the winning heritage of Audi.

 

I agree with everything you said but this. Should only take them 15 minutes to catch up with Infinity (if that's even required).

 

You don't consider the Audi TT a true sports car?

 

Weren't those the most fabulous races with Alain Prost / A. Senna fighting for the first place all the way to the last race!!
Those were years! :'(

 

I know I sure don't. It's a sporty coupe or roadster, much in the same vein as the Mercedes Benz SLK. It shares its platform with the VW Beetle/Golf/Jetta and almost every review has said it has it's handling limits (high speed instability being one of them). Basically it's a small FWD car platform with added Haldex AWD (which is different than the Torsen AWD used in the rest of Audi cars in that it only sends power to the rear wheels AFTER slip is detected...how they get away with calling it Quattro is beyond me). Sure it has unique and sporty styling and beautiful interior detailing, but as far as being a true sports car I would say no. It's too nose heavy (FWD biased), and "soft" around the edges.

 

yup...if only they'll make a RWD SPORTSEDAN with decent torque and hp numbers, nice interior and low price...but i doubt they will ever bother with a RWD sportsedan.

 

A Golf-based sports car?! Really? It's not a true sports car, but rather just another image car. It would be like saying that the RSX is a true sports car (RSX=sport compact).

Junkster, who likes the design of the TT.