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Imagine buying a TLX 3.0T with active suspension, SH-AWD, slapping on some high grip summer tires, and then throwing on a "stage 2 tune" on top of that already bad ass car?
Audi what? Oh, I thought so. Sure it might still not drive with quite the sharp handling of a BMW M2, but still, gonna be sick and hopefully cost under $50K?
Imagine buying a TLX 3.0T with active suspension, SH-AWD, slapping on some high grip summer tires, and then throwing on a "stage 2 tune" on top of that already bad ass car?
Audi what? Oh, I thought so. Sure it might still not drive with quite the sharp handling of a BMW M2, but still, gonna be sick and hopefully cost under $50K?
Dang man, you know what Acura might still have a chance to be competitive again with the new TLX and IF they make a competitive car then it will make alot of people more interested in the brand again. We'll see.
IN the same vein, they need to offer lot of features and a good value proposition so that they can become a leader in the segment....would be a nice change of things.
I'll be in a position to look at a potential new/near-new sport/luxury sedan in 3-5 years time so I'm eagerly waiting to see what Acura can come up with...
The auto maker will stop making its Accord for 11 days through July to align production with market conditions
March 27, 2018
Workers assembling Honda Motor Co.’s Accord will take off a total of two weeks from building the sedan over the next several months as the auto maker works to adjust bloated inventories.
Unlike Detroit auto makers that have either eliminated entire sedan lines or slowed down sedan production over the past year, Japanese, German and Korean auto makers haven't taken their foot off the pedal.
Just this year through February, Honda, Toyota Motor Corp. and Nissan Motor Corp. have collectively sold about double the amount of sedans in the U.S. compared with the Big 3 Detroit auto makers, according to Autodata Corp.
A Honda spokesman said its Marysville, Ohio, plant will stop production a total of 11 days through July, which includes two days a month April through June and then an additional five days following the typical summer shutdown at the beginning of July.
The plant’s 4,200 employees have the option of taking vacation days, unpaid days or coming into work to do other tasks.
The spokesman said the reason for stopping production is to “focus on aligning production to current market conditions.”
Honda’s dealer inventory of the Accord was over 100 days’ supply in February, much higher than what’s considered healthy for the industry, according to data from WardsAuto.com.
The Japanese auto maker’s Ohio plant began producing the redesigned 2018 Accord in September, and the auto maker invested a total of $267 million and added 300 new jobs to support Accord production at the vehicle assembly plant and at its engine plant in Ohio.
The Marysville plant, located about 30 miles northwest of Columbus, also produces the auto maker’s luxury brand Acura TLX and ILX sedans.
Honda’s big bet on sedans comes at a time when consumer preference is rapidly shifting to trucks and SUVs amid low gasoline prices. The Accord launched around the same time as its biggest rival, Toyota’s Camry family sedan, was also redesigned.
Year to date through February, sales of the Accord are down 12.9% to 37,430 units sold. Toyota, meanwhile, has seen a 2.3% increase in Camry sales through February to 48,929 vehicles.
Nissan will also slow production at its plant in Tennessee, which produces a number of vehicles including the Altima and Maxima sedans, along with the Rogue crossover, among others. Dan Mohnke, Nissan’s head of sales in North America, said in an interview last week that the auto maker will slow the speed of its lines to reduce inventories by about 15% through June.
Yeah, they're really shooting themselves in the foot.
Don't worry, between the Accord and the TLX, there will still be plenty of Accords on the road.
Well it's actually quite a lot cheaper to buy a TLX than an Accord right now...and that's not really the intent and is driving this problem quite far. Not a lot of people know that so they don't go down to the Acura dealership to check because they think they can't afford it. Little do they know that the $42k TLX sitting on the lot can be had for ~$34k and is then cheaper than an Accord Touring. Couple that with the abysmal interest/MF rates on the Accord vs all of the other competitors and you end up with terrible sales. People in this market aren't after performance or this specific car like they would be in other markets so it's hard to get people to pay more for one appliance than another when they see them all as equal.
My guess is that we start seeing some awesome interest/MF rates for next month to get this inventory moved.
Well it's actually quite a lot cheaper to buy a TLX than an Accord right now...and that's not really the intent and is driving this problem quite far. Not a lot of people know that so they don't go down to the Acura dealership to check because they think they can't afford it. Little do they know that the $42k TLX sitting on the lot can be had for ~$34k and is then cheaper than an Accord Touring.
Is that what a TLX V6 Tech is going for now? At that price, I'd take a TLX V6 Tech over an Accord Touring too.
Honda Motor Co. is learning that making an award-winning sedan isn’t enough in a U.S. market where the pickup truck is king.
The new Accord received rave reviews when it went on sale in October and won North American Car of the Year at the Detroit auto show in January, but the customers haven’t followed.
The reason: it is too pricey.
“Everybody tries to launch a new product with no incentives. Customers wait,” said Mike Maroone, a former president of AutoNation Inc. and Honda dealership owner in Colorado.
Sales of the Accord are down 12% in the first three months of the year compared with the corresponding period last year, when dealers were selling the old model. Meanwhile sales of its main competitor, Toyota Motor Corp.’s Camry, are up around 9%. That endangers Honda’s strategy of trying to grab a larger share of the shrinking sedan market and offset its inability to make enough sport-utility vehicles.
The company on Friday said its operating profit in North America fell 30% in the year ended March 31, and it said it would make some crossover sport-utility vehicles at an Ohio plant that makes Accords.
Until now, the company has said it sees an opportunity in Detroit’s withdrawal from the car market. Ford Motor Co. said Wednesday it would soon stop selling all sedans except the Mustang and a version of the compact Focus.
The problem is other Japanese car makers have the same idea — especially Toyota, which hopes it can expand its market share in sedans as competitors drop out.
Early signs suggest the winner is the car maker with the best deals — Toyota. The Accord, whose price starts at $23,570, had a 10% share of the midsize sedan market in the first three months of the year, while the Camry accounted for 15%, according to data from Jefferies. Toyota spent an estimated $2,557 on Camry incentives in March, compared with around $848 for the Honda Accord.
This month, Honda sweetened its financing offer to try to match Toyota’s cheaper lease deals in some parts of the U.S. That’s exactly what Honda executives had said in February they would try not to do. At the time, Honda said it hoped the Accord would sell on its own merits.
Seiji Kuraishi, chief operating officer, said Friday that the company still didn’t want to cut prices too much.
“Basically, as I said before, we are hoping not to be involved in a discount race and that policy hasn’t fundamentally changed,” Mr. Kuraishi said. “We hope to bring out the charm of the new model.”
Accords began to pile up on dealer lots early this year as sales lagged behind. In March, Honda dealers had 112 days’ supply of the Accord, far above what many analysts consider healthy. Honda is now slashing production of the vehicle as it tries to trim back supply.
Meanwhile, Honda can’t build enough of its most popular vehicles in the U.S. The company can produce around 240,000 of its CR-V and Acura RDX crossover SUVs annually at its plant in East Liberty, Ohio. Last year, it sold 430,000 in the U.S.
A neighboring plant—the one that will be partially converted to crossover SUV production—can produce 440,000 Accords. Honda sold 320,000 in the U.S. last year.
Dealers say that customers for the Accord are starting to show up after Honda’s increased generosity.
At a recent meeting between dealers and Honda executives that resulted in the boosted financial incentives on the Accord, the discussion was “spirited,” said Brian Benstock, vice president at Paragon Honda in Queens, N.Y. “Dealers always want more,” he said.
Mr. Benstock said Honda was right to try to limit the deals it offers on the Accord because they can hurt in the long run by cheapening the brand and lowering resale values. Used Hondas tend to be more expensive than their competitors.
But that may not matter if customers don’t come in the first place. Competition in the sedan market is set to intensify with Nissan Motor Co. introducing its latest Altima in the fall.
Reporting full fiscal-year earnings on Friday, Honda said its profits rose sharply on the back of tax changes in the U.S. The company expects a tougher road ahead, predicting that its operating margin would dip to 4.5% in the current fiscal year from 5.4% in the year ended in March.
So when people say "why doesn't the TLX have this and that?!", This is exactly why. Even less than a 2k higher price of the accord vs Camry, was enough to drive many potential accord buyers away.
It sucks for enthusiasts who always want it all, but we are literally a tiny fraction of all car purchasers. It's too bad the bean counters ultimately neuter a car to some degree, but, it is all for good reason. Money talks. And people ain't buying.
I have to say, when I see the new Camry on the road in top trim, I find it a bit more appealing than the Accords in top trim that I see. I think Toyota did a pretty good job in their styling, whereas Honda seems to be more hit-and-miss all around.
I even find the rear of the new Odyssey ugly. Those tail lights and that huge chrome bar...
I still think the Accord looks better in Sport/Touring trim. But the Camry is a nice improvement over prior generations.
Honestly, when it comes to mid-size sedans, the Malibu & Sonata are the only two I can immediately think of that I'm not a fan of aesthetically. I think the Mazda 6 is the best looking, followed by the Accord & Optima, then Camry & Fusion.
Incentives are huge in this market. The majority of people buying an Accord or Camry view them as the same car. It has nothing to do with how they look or drive. It's an appliance and provided it reliably gets from point A to point B, it doesn't really matter so when it comes time to pick, they pick the cheaper one. I don't blame them one bit. If Honda wants to sell more Accords, they need to start ponying up incentives and lowering lease rates to get them out the door...which is exactly what Toyota is doing for the Camry.
yea most people buying camry, accord, civic, corolla, are just looking for a reliable A-B car. They focus mainly on reliable, space, fuel economy, features, and may be power. Otherwise I don't really know why Toyota is still selling 300k Corolla every year when it's still using 4AT (CVT now) with a weak 132hp engine...lol.
The interior and updated tech of the 10G is attractive. Unfortunately the same can’t be said for the exterior styling. Accord name and features notwithstanding, I could never purchase a car that makes me wince when I look at it.
When further incentives are offered —and they will be offered — I still don’t expect the Accord to sell anywhere near as well as its predecessor. (Ya, I know! The SUV thingy....despite the CRV sales decline)
Was getting the CR-V serviced. The Honda dealership has an Accord listed at $41,000. I sat in it and it looked nice (better than anything from Acura right now), but that interior just isn't quite there for $40,000+
How TF do you get an Accord to >40k?
I was quoted an average of $35.8k over 6 dealers from 35.3-36.3 OTD, for an Accord Touring.
With every option ticked, it's just a shade over $41k
How TF do you get an Accord to >40k?
I was quoted an average of $35.8k over 6 dealers from 35.3-36.3 OTD, for an Accord Touring.
With every option ticked, it's just a shade over $41k
Was getting the CR-V serviced. The Honda dealership has an Accord listed at $41,000. I sat in it and it looked nice (better than anything from Acura right now), but that interior just isn't quite there for $40,000+
Yeah. Interior looks good. But when you touch it, you realize quality has gone down. Everything feels light and cheap.
So it has a ton of the dealer installed BS that no one wants or cares about... That car will sit forever on the lot or they'll sell it for no more than a non-jacked up Accord.
So it has a ton of the dealer installed BS that no one wants or cares about... That car will sit forever on the lot or they'll sell it for no more than a non-jacked up Accord.
Exactly. The second most expensive one is $5000 cheaper
Sorry to burst your bubble but I don't think he is and that sentiment is shared by quite a few people around these parts.
When I first got my TLX I was cruising through the supermarket parking lot for a spot and the MILF in yoga pants smiled at me and just nodded her head "yes" - yes to what? I guess yes to whatever I wanted to ask, before I even asked...
Must be the car, because, it's sure not my good looks (LOL).
Originally Posted by AZuser
$41K for an Accord? An Accord? Those guys are
No just no, but, JFC what TF no! Does it come with a chauffeur?!? W T F... No no no, OMG no. $40K for an Accord? GTFO
Last edited by Christopher.; 05-10-2018 at 04:44 PM.