darmok

The first part I totally agree with, but then you lost me. The RX is FWD too. Are you suggesting that Acura should offer a FWD MDX instead of only offering SH-AWD?

I think those who don't get the RX need to think about a different perspective. It's a car you can drive with one finger and half a brain. I would never choose it in a million years personally, but it's clear that a lot of people - yes, including the stereotypical "soccer moms" - find that appealing.

brizey

They did it on the RDX and sales went up a bit.

Costco

I haven't driven the new RX and Highlander but I have driven the ES350 and new Camry and I can tell you its a world of difference. Given, it wasn't a V6 Camry (the powerplant of which is almost the exact same of the ES350 IIRC) but regardless, the differences in NVH and general smoothness and luxury appointments is very noticeable.

One of the few cars/trucks that are "glorified" IMO are the GMC versions of Chevy trucks. They're literally almost the exact same thing. Take a Chevy truck, add a nicer looking gauge cluster or a different dash, new grille, some additional features, different headlights/taillights, bump up the quality control a notch and raise the MSRP and voila, now you've got a GMC truck. If you've driven one, you've driven its counterpart.

charliemike

I'm still trying to figure out how Jaguar can justify their dealer network for 12,000 cars a year.

TSX69

Canadian Auto Sales Up 14.1%;
Ford on Top

TORONTO (Reuters) – Canadian auto sales rose for a fourth month in March, with Ford taking the sales crown and General Motors Co , until recently the market leader, dropping out of the top three.

Canadians bought 145,428 vehicles last month. That's up 14.1 percent from a year earlier, according to data from DesRosiers Automotive Consultants Inc.

"A very good month even by historical standard," said Dennis DesRosiers, president of the firm.

"This puts YTD (year to date) sales up 15 percent and sets Canada on track for a 1.55 to 1.6 million sales year."

Ford sold 22,018 vehicles in March, up 29.1 percent from a year earlier. Car sales rose 19.4 percent and trucks gained 32 percent.

Ford was the only one of the Detroit-based auto companies not to go into bankruptcy protection during the recession, relying on financing it arranged before the downturn.

"The easiest thing that a manufacturer or anyone can do during a downturn is draw back in terms of your investments," Ford of Canada Chief Executive David Mondragon said in an interview. "We didn't do that, we had our resources in place to continue to invest aggressively and the benefits of those investments are coming to market today."

"If you look at our market share as a company, right now we are the number one manufacturer in Canada for the first quarter with sales up 29 percent."

Sales at Toyota Canada rose 24.5 percent to 19,792 vehicles even as its executives were called to testify in front of Canadian lawmakers during the month.

The company was accused of taking too long to inform the government of safety problems that led to a massive recall earlier in the year. Canada's transport minister said his department would launch an investigation into the matter and consider toughening disclosure laws.

The automaker's Toyota division reported a 27.2 percent rise, while its luxury Lexus brand dipped 4.4 percent.

Chrysler sold 19,470 vehicles in the month, up 22.2 percent. Its passenger car sales fell 18.6 percent, while truck sales jumped 34.2 percent.

GM sales dropped 22.2 percent to 19,433 vehicles. Car sales were down 22.8 percent, while truck sales fell 22 percent.

DesRosiers called GM's decline "shocking."

"This puts GM's market share YTD at an all-time record low, at least for the modern history of the automotive sector, of only 14.7 percent to the end of March. You would have to go back to the period between 1915 and 1919 to find GM's market share below 15 percent," he said.

Honda Canada posted a 15 percent March sales increase to 14,389 vehicles. Sales in the Honda division gained 11 percent, while the Acura division was up 51 percent year-on-year.

Colin

The RDX had nowhere to go but up. The MDX already has 5 trim levels, I cannot imaging the complexity if they went with a FWD version too. Besides I think they're generally pleased with the MDX sales performance.

F23A4

My hunch is that there probably isn't significant demand for a FWD MDX, particularly in Snow Belt states. Though I purchased a base model, I definitely would not have purchased my 09 MDX as FWD even if it were quite a bit cheaper. While I was willing to forgo the Tech Pkg, I wouldn't do so with SH-AWD.

biker

Hmm....Canadians must like those ChryCo vehicles. I wonder if that trend will be duplicated in the US.

TSX69

Acura Announces April Sales Results

Acura sales for April were 10,719 (a 21.6 percent increase) while year-to-date** sales were 38,512 - up 16.7 percent compared to 2009 based on Daily Selling Rate*. Acura's line of luxury SUVs continued to post impressive sales with a monthly gain of nearly 60 percent. The best-selling Acura for April was the MDX luxury SUV with 3,714 units sold, a 58.9 percent increase. The RDX crossover SUV sold 1,168 units, posting a sales gain of 57.8 percent.

"The fresh new styling of the MDX and RDX is proving popular with customers," said Jeff Conrad, vice president of Acura sales. "Combining a smart blend of looks, performance and utility, Acura's luxury SUVs continue to succeed within a competitive category."

Acura car sales were led by the TL performance luxury sedan with 2,842 units sold, down 8.5 percent. The TSX sports sedan tallied 2,607 units sold, an increase of 7.3 percent.

Honda Reports Aprils Sales Increase of 12.5%

American Honda Motor Co., Inc., posted April sales of 113,697, an increase of 12.5 percent compared to April 2009 results of 101,029, the company announced today. American Honda year-to-date sales of 370,109 represent an increase of 12.6 percent based on the daily selling rate*.

Honda Division posted April sales of 102,978, an increase of 11.7 percent versus April 2009. Honda light-truck sales increased 38.1 percent for the month to 42,034. The CR-V crossover utility vehicle, up 36.8 percent; Odyssey minivan, up 11.8 percent; and Pilot sport utility vehicle, up 41.9 percent, accounted for the highest light-truck monthly sales with totals of 16,661, 10,628 and 9,322 units, respectively.

Acura Division April sales increased 21.6 percent to 10,719. The MDX luxury sport utility vehicle led the division with sales of 3,714, an increase of 58.9 percent.

*The daily selling rate (DSR) is calculated with 26 days for both April 2010 and 2009. Year-to-date, the DSR is calculated with 100 days for 2010, versus 101 days for 2009. All percentages reflect DSR.

dom

I'm guessing production issues once again?

VTEC Racer

^ Thanks for the hard work, Drew! Too bad people from other forums come here and steal your work only to post it in their own forum while never giving credit where it is due.

VTEC Racer

Correction:

G37 Coupe/Cabrio/Sedan -4,263

Brings it from 2nd place to 5th place.

Hapa DC5

The TL is just not taking hold...

DrewSRX

Yup, sorry about that, these are the correct numbers:

April 2010 - Overall Luxury Brand Sales

1. Lexus - 18,359
2. Mercedes-Benz - 17,628
3. BMW - 17,268
4. Cadillac - 11,317
5. Acura - 10,719
6. Audi - 9,319
7. Lincoln - 7,279
8. Infiniti - 7,211
9. Volvo - 4,546
10. Land Rover - 2,749
11. Porsche - 1,747
12. Jaguar - 896
13. Saab - N/A

April 2010 - Luxury Car Sales By Segment

Entry-Level CUV
1. Q5 - 1,942
2. GLK - 1,799
3. RDX - 1,168
4. XC60 - 817
5. X3 - 645
6. EX - 499
7. LR2 - N/A

Mid-Level SUV
1. RX - 7,454
2. SRX - 3,904
3. MDX - 3,714
4. ML - 2,269
5. X5 - 2,098
6. MKX - 1,596
7. RR Sport - 1,246
8. GX - 746
9. FX - 675
10. Q7 - 637
11. LR4 - 604
12. XC90 - 591
13. X6 - 383
14. Cayenne - 326
15. ZDX - 234
16. 9-5x - N/A

Large SUV
1. GL - 1,840
2. Escalade - 1,250
3. Navigator - 938
4. Range Rover - 631
5. MKT - 625
6. QX - 562
7. LX - 258
8. G Wagon - 68

Pre-Entry-Level
1. TSX - 2,607
2. C30/S40/V50 - 1,562
3. 1-Series - 1,375
4. HS - 1,076
5. A3 - 593

Entry-Level
1. 3 - 8,712
2. A4/5 - 5,023
3. C - 4,624
4. ES - 4,396
5. G - 4,263
6. CTS - 3,278
7. TL - 2,842
8. IS - 2,701
9. MKZ - 1,817
10. S60 - 0
11. 9-3 - N/A

Mid-Level
1. E - 4,528
2. 5 - 2,067
3. M - 1,212
4. MKS - 1,160
5. A6/S6 - 796
6. XF - 631
7. S80 - 601
8. GS - 514
9. STS - 330
10. RL - 154
11. 9-5 - N/A

Flagship
1. 7-Series - 1,555
2. LS - 1,182
3. S-Class - 1,002
4. Panamera - 678
5. A8/S8 - 81
6. XJ - N/A

Luxury Coupe/GT
1. A5/S5 - 1,846
2. G37 Coupe - 1,262
3. Corvette - 1,089
4. C70 - 405
5. 911 - 389
6. Boxster/Cayman - 354
7. Z4 - 232
8. SL - 232
9. TT - 207
10. 6-Series - 201
11. SLK - 182
12. CL - 87
13. GT-R - 87
14. R8 - 41
15. SC - 32
16. XLR - 20
17. CLK - 2
18. XK - N/A

phile

The ZDX sold more than the RL.

SSFTSX

Q5 is not entry level. there wont be new Q5 lower than RX anywhere untill they offer 2.0T with FWD. Q5 dont share price with RDX.
also HS needs to be put in Entry level with IS.

biker

Where's sicklex

biker

Ya think?

biker

It will be interesting to see G sales volume a year from now when the G25 will be on sale.

neuronbob

Poor, unloved RL. *snif* At least every one they sell is pure Honda Corporate profit after allowing for tech transfer to other models.

Just put it out of its misery, already, and cancel it until the new one is released. It's hard for me to say as an RL fan, but it's pretty much time for the ol' girl to be put to pasture.

I'm waiting for used RL prices to drop a little more, then I'm going to buy an '05-'08 RL for my winter luxury driver.

phile

^ I feel the same.

I dedicate this song to the Legends of old, before Acura tried to make the RL something it wasn't.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8J0Nu...eature=related

civicdrivr

iTrader: (9)

They should resurrect a proper Legend. And a real naming structure. All this alpha-numeric BS screams poser to me.

SSFTSX

i based it purely on price.
HS is not cheaper than IS
Q5 is not cheaper than RX for what is available on dealerships.
Also MDX and RX should not be in same category.
MDX is closer to GX. since MDX is NA built so it is understandable to be cheaper than GX.
Overall Honda is doing very good.
Since it Pilot is outselling 4Runner, CRV is outselling RAV4, Accord surpass Camry. All with old engine and 5speed auto. Expensive Fit surpasses Yaris.
Civic is equal Corrolla despite being 5 year old.
Honda profit and stock is always better than Toyota. It is not the quantity that matters but what u sell & at what price and what commonality among them interms of engines/transmission etc.
It all points towards brand image as companies like Toyota and Nissan has to constantly introduce new products and updated technologies and engines to maintain share. looke at 6speed Auto and DI engine in Camry. Honda stay the same.

majin ssj eric

Wow, it really looks like all the negative Toyota press is hurting Lexus sales...

smarty666

Very disappointed in the TL's performance last month for sales. You know, there is going to come a time when Acura is going to have to stop blaming the TL's poor sales numbers on the recession and just face the fact that his one is never going to be as popular, for various exterior styling reasons as the 3G was and that Acura has alienated a lot of their previous Honda/Acura customers due to their radicaly design and styling choices on the 4G TL!

Agreed with most on the RL. Those are just pitful and completely embarrasing numbers and they really should just stop production and selling them and wait till a complete redesign inside/outside is done for the car!

SSFTSX

once new A8 comes. LS will be the first car tossed. A8 will beat LS on fuel economy, performance, feature content, styling. and will be very competitively prices due to fall of Euro.
even Current A6 is outselling GS. let alone next generation from next year.
2.0T Q5 will put more dent into RX.
the era of Lexus in US is finally coming into end within one to two years.

Costco

and it doesn't matter what they call it, RL or Legend. What matters is the car..... just because they rename it the Legend doesn't mean people will go out in droves to their local Acura dealer.

phile

i was going to say they should've done what Infiniti did with the Q, which is to just stop making it and wait for the better redesign to come out. But now even the Q's fate is cloudy with the new M approaching the Q's size and more than exceeding the power.

Hapa DC5

I hope Acura does something! It's really not that bad of a car sans the size and ummm polarizing styling

smarty666

Can't really argue on any of those points because you absolutely correct! Acura needs to focus completely on the car, and not what the name or badge is going to be. All that marketing and PR stuff can be done after the fact!

smarty666

Great points as well. Infiniti was smart to get rid of the Q when they did because it wasn't selling well and they were able to focus on redoing and improving the M. The new M37/M56 is wonderful but there are still some areas of refinement mechanically and noise wise they will need to improve in order to compete with sales of the 5-Series, A6, GS, and E-Class!

Acura is a little bit behind Infiniti in regards to the RL, but if they use what Infiniti did with the M, as a guide to what to do with the RL then they can really make the RL something compelling to compete with the M, GS, E, 5, and A6!

Eventually, and this is going to happen much further down the road, once the M and RL are selling well and making great competition to the Lexus, BMW, MB, and Audi counterparts, both Infiniti and Acura will need to focus their attention on developing a premium luxury flagship sedan to compete with the likes of the LS, 7, S, and A8! But like I said, both do not need to worry about this right now at this point. They need to focus on getting the M and RL back on track!

Hapa DC5

^ Where does the TL fit in all of this? I thought it was eventually moving upmarket to compete with the cars you just mentioned.

smarty666

I really don't know. This is the huge problem with Acura. They don't seem to know what they want to do because one minute they say one thing and then another they say something completely contradictory.

The problem with where the TL is right now is, it can't compete in its current price, luxury features range with vehicles like the 5, A6, E, M, and GS. Those vehicles with price and luxury features currently compete with the RL, which is getting killed in sales and features by those former 5 competitors I just mentioned.

Based on price and features, the TL is currently competing against, the 3-series, A4, G37, Maxima, and even the ES350 because of its price and FWD layout!

To be honest, I'm not sure what Acura is going to do? If they are going to have the TL compete with the likes of the 5, E, A6, GS, and M, its going to have to increase in price tremendously with many added luxury features that it currently does not offer. The TSX would then have to move up in size and features if it is going to take its place to compete with the G, A4, 3, C and ES!

Then Acura is going to have to introduce a completely new model to slot below the TSX to compete with the IS250/350, the new Infiniti G25 coming out, and the other competitors the Germans have in that price/size/feature range!

If they went this route, the RL would have to be also completely redesigned to move up market as their premium luxury flagship to compete with the likes of the LS, 7, S, and A8!
Who knows with Acura what they are going to do! There true intentions remain hidden and misconstrued to this day!

Hapa DC5

I think the current size of the TSX is on par with the G, 4, C, 3, etc. Make the TSX your bread and butter, add more features and options. Move the TL upmarket to compete with the 5,6,M,E, etc. Kill the RL or do GM's approach with the XTS large hybrid AWD high output V6.

dom

Lets start with the grille. They can worry about the rest later.

dom

And I truly believe that if they modify the grille so that its in line with the headlights and give it the same modifications the '11 TSX grille has undergone, sales will increase.

mrdeeno

If you go back through this thread since page 1, the PREVIOUS generation M has been outselling the A6 and GS for quite awhile.

TSX69

Honda Exec Bullish on Truck Sales, Lower Inventory

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Honda can't keep up with orders for its light trucks -- which Executive Vice President John Mendel says is a sign of reviving consumer confidence.

“Light trucks seem to be growing pretty spry,” Mendel said here yesterday in an interview at the Moving Ahead sustainable-transportation conference. “We're very short of inventory on the light-truck side, whether it's Pilot or Ridgeline or Odyssey or CR-V."

“That seems to be growing for us and the industry. Demand seems to be stronger than the car side.”

Honda, including Acura, posted a 33 percent gain in U.S. truck sales in April compared with April 2009. Total Honda sales rose 13 percent last month. For the first four months, Honda's U.S. truck sales rose 13 percent, compared with a 12 percent gain for all of Honda and Acura.

Total U.S. light-truck sales rose 24 percent in April and 15 percent for the first four months, while sales of all U.S. vehicles improved 20 percent in April and 17 percent for the year to date.

Low Inventories

Honda's U.S. truck inventories have been falling, too. As of April 1, Honda averaged a 42-day inventory of trucks, down from 47 on March 1. As a whole, Honda averaged a 56-day supply on April 1, down from 68 on March 1. Total U.S. light truck inventories stood at 53 days on April 1, down from 66 on March 1.

Honda's brisk truck sales and low inventories have allowed the automaker to keep incentives low. Mendel said Honda will stick with a policy of minimal incentives, despite archrival Toyota's incentives binge as it tries to counteract negative publicity from sudden-acceleration recalls.

Honda is using incentives for specific vehicles -- such as the Civic, in its fifth year in its current generation, Mendel said.

But, he said, “We don't do 0 percent, we don't do cash back, and that philosophy's not changing.”

Don't Overreact

Mendel said Honda is cautioning dealers not to overreact as sales improve from 2009. While dealers probably will have to hire more salespeople, he said, they shouldn't “staff for Saturdays” when peak shopping occurs, leaving them with excess staff at other times.

“We're saying don't compare yourself to the last day you felt good, which was last year. Try to compare yourself to where you were in April, May of 2007, 2006, and try to focus on that in terms of, if you're coming back, where should you be."

“Don't go silly. It feels good, but don't lose sight of the fact that we're not where we were.”

smarty666

yeah, but it hasn't even come close to the 5-series and E-class in sales numbers so unless it can ever match or beat them, its always going to be thought of and touted as not being up to par with either of those luxury sedans!

I'm basing this on the initial reviews thus far for the 2011 M that I have read. The new M is an improvement in every single area over the last one, but so far the reviewers have commented that there is still too much engine and road noise that makes it way into the cabin compared to its other competition with takes away from its refinement and luxury feel. I'm not going to spend 53-55k bucks on a vehicle that I'm hearing the road in the cabin!

All Infiniti needs to do, is just invest in some sound deading materials for the body of the car and enclose the engine bay more to reduce noise similar to what Lexus, BMW, and MB do and they'll be all set. They are so close its not even funny. As I have said, the new M is way ahead of the RL in every way and your right, it does sell very well, but not well enough to beat BMW or MB!

mrdeeno

Right, and the A6 and GS has not even come close to sales with the E or 5 either, yet you say the RL and M need to be more competitive to sell as well as the A6, GS, etc. How does one be more competitive to catch rivals that it has already surpassed, namely the A6 and GS that you named?

I think you need to reread your reviews of the 2011 M, because assuming sound deadening materials and enclosing the engine bay more to "reduce noise" is not what sets them back from BMW or MB.

Further to my point, you again bring up Lexus and say that if they reduce noise similar to Lexus, theyll "be all set". The M is ALREADY outselling the GS, which is considered a lot cushier and less hard edged. Your argument to reduce noise to be competitive with a car it already outsells makes absolutely no sense.

My suggestion is you should go back and read the threads and facts available, because you seem to be making a lot of assumptions without having all your facts straight, such as the M not doing as well as the A6 or GS, or that all the M needs more "sound deadening" to be "all set".