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"The Acura brand continued its market resurgence at a steady pace benefitting from product, marketing and sales efforts, all aligned behind our Precision Crafted Performance brand direction," said Jon Ikeda, vice president & general manager of Acura Sales. "Our focus for the remainder of the year is to continue to build momentum we can take into 2018."
Interesting comment. Take out the low volume NSX in which any change + or - will throw a big percentage number & 4 of the 5 car/SUV lines are behind last year, two quite significantly at over -18%, while the only one, the small RDX, is showing a gain of just at 2/10 of 1% positive.
Mr. Ikeda must live in a marijuana legal state or else he drinks a lot. Its hard to believe this guy still has a job.
good point
But I guess it’s all marketing and like every other company. But let’s hope 2018 is stronger than 2017. That’s all!
"The Acura brand continued its market resurgence at a steady pace benefitting from product, marketing and sales efforts, all aligned behind our Precision Crafted Performance brand direction," said Jon Ikeda, vice president & general manager of Acura Sales. "Our focus for the remainder of the year is to continue to build momentum we can take into 2018."
Interesting comment. Take out the low volume NSX in which any change + or - will throw a big percentage number & 4 of the 5 car/SUV lines are behind last year, two quite significantly at over -18%, while the only one, the small RDX, is showing a gain of just at 2/10 of 1% positive.
Mr. Ikeda must live in a marijuana legal state or else he drinks a lot. Its hard to believe this guy still has a job.
This is the second Acura head in a row to create the same rebadged Hondas. I'm fairly certain Honda is tying their hands.
That's actually not bad, 50 units in Canada vs 129 units in the USA...considering that the US has 9 times the population of Canada.
Originally Posted by BEAR-AvHistory
Happy Talk?
"The Acura brand continued its market resurgence at a steady pace benefitting from product, marketing and sales efforts, all aligned behind our Precision Crafted Performance brand direction," said Jon Ikeda, vice president & general manager of Acura Sales. "Our focus for the remainder of the year is to continue to build momentum we can take into 2018."
Interesting comment. Take out the low volume NSX in which any change + or - will throw a big percentage number & 4 of the 5 car/SUV lines are behind last year, two quite significantly at over -18%, while the only one, the small RDX, is showing a gain of just at 2/10 of 1% positive.
Mr. Ikeda must live in a marijuana legal state or else he drinks a lot. Its hard to believe this guy still has a job.
I'd imagine most VP/CEO/Spokesperson would word things more positive than it really is. He didn't specifically focus on the NSX % difference did he? I also think he's purely focusing on last month's performance. After all, that's all he can focus on for being positive? I wouldn't expect Ikeda, or any other VP/CEO/Spokeperson to come out and say, "We had some very minor gain last month was but people don't be fooled, that means shxt since our YTD dropped like a tank."
Ikeda just got this position for about 2 years. To see what he can do the brand, will take at least another 2-3 years. Working in a large company myself, it takes years to see changes being made, from initial concept generation, to going with one direction, then from getting approval through multiple levels of management, to getting the budget, assembling a team, designing, developing, testing, marketing, etc. Even for a startup company like the one I am running with multiple successful products, things don't really happen overnight.
Of course he is going to puffery the news that is part of his job. Its the word choice that is poor. He can always fing something good to talk about like " the new TLX A-Spec was very well redived yada yada" which is 100% true.
That said "continued its market resurgence" reflects something that is not even close to reality when you year to year sales trend is down over time for both the company & the TLX.
Acura as a car company trend.
TLX as a brand.
Other companies are going through product line loses & in some cases general downturns of the brand but most will talk about turnaround plans, new products coming on line, not trying to turn failure to preform into a success. He could have talked about the TLX A-spec being the beginning of a new effort to reclaim its position with more to come such as xxxxxx.
Would sound much better to most investor's then saying hey look how good we are doing. If I had stock in the company I would not be happy with his comments as they don't reflect his understanding of the current reality. If you don't know where you are now you don't know where you are going or how to get there.
Last edited by BEAR-AvHistory; 12-05-2017 at 11:28 AM.
In the US, Infiniti is doing pretty well and this is the first year in the past 10+ years (that's what I know and could be longer) that Infiniti's sales are very close to Acura. Yet in Canada, Infiniti is way behind Acura brand. Does anyone know why?
incentives. rebates. deals. finance rates. lease rates. etc.
You mean in the US they are a lot more aggressive than Canada?
I just thought of something, it could be Infiniti cars are more expensive than Acura in Canada.
Whereas in the US, Infiniti and Acura prices are similar and therefore sales numbers are very similar at least for now.
In Canada, Acura and Lexus sales are a lot more closer....if I am not mistaken Lexus sales are around +/-20K YTD which isn't far from Acura +/-18.5K
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The Acura numbers are bad. TLX dropped 14.4% and this is the refreshed model with the TLX including the Aspec...terrible. 6.2% drop for the year.
Even the RDX had a big drop.
The brand is clearly losing steam. There are just too many better options out there right now that are more current in regards to turbo engines and head unit technology.
The Acura numbers are bad. TLX dropped 14.4% and this is the refreshed model with the TLX including the Aspec...terrible. 6.2% drop for the year.
Even the RDX had a big drop.
The brand is clearly losing steam. There are just too many better options out there right now that are more current in regards to turbo engines and head unit technology.
Agreed! Numbers aren't good at all. They couldn't even maintain last year's numbers with refreshed/hybrid MDX and TLX.
I hate to bring Infiniti but Acura was way ahead of Infiniti in the past 30 years in terms of sales and this year, the difference is +/-2K cars. Acura needs to fix this issue ASAP. Previously they maintained the Top 5 luxury car status and they lost that as well this year to Cadillac. What left?
Now RDX can't save Acura or bring the numbers to 200K alone lol. They need more changes...like an early redesign of TLX, introducing CDX and replacing ILX or fixing it. Wow lots of work to be done.
Agreed! Numbers aren't good at all. They couldn't even maintain last year's numbers with refreshed/hybrid MDX and TLX.
I hate to bring Infiniti but Acura was way ahead of Infiniti in the past 30 years in terms of sales and this year, the difference is +/-2K cars. Acura needs to fix this issue ASAP. Previously they maintained the Top 5 luxury car status and they lost that as well this year to Cadillac. What left?
Now RDX can't save Acura or bring the numbers to 200K alone lol. They need more changes...like an early redesign of TLX, introducing CDX and replacing ILX or fixing it. Wow lots of work to be done.
What's even more saddening, sales will keep on dropping. RDX may be refreshed next year, but unless something major is added to other models, Acura will be eaten alive by non-luxury models. The customer experience is no longer a selling point now (go look in the problems section, frustration keeps increasing) ... forget about class leading tech/features. If the RDX is deemed not enough or worse, problematic, Acura will be on life support. Period. 155k sold, from a brand seen as being affordable and reliable. Numbers WAY too low, from Honda's luxury division.
You think I'm exaggerating? OK, which tech is first seen in Acura before being transferred to Honda lately? Yeah, exactly ... nothing new. When they do transfer, it's almost the whole model (ie. the Pilot).
Last edited by pyrodan007; 01-03-2018 at 02:03 PM.
How about tech that will never be seen in a Honda. SH-AWD, Sport Hybrid AWD, P-AWS or Surround View Camera. I know, small list, but you make it sound like the death of Acura. I'm sure they'll be fine. Not the doom and gloom you keep talking to.
Man, it's like they've killed your puppy or something. Why so much hate? Ikeda hasn't been there long and we all know it takes years for them to turn this shit around. He's been there 2 1/2 years. All of the TLX, MDX, ILX and RLX up to probably 2020 had been designed by then. I have no idea, but I'm not counting Acura out yet by a long shot. RDX will show the next gen roadmap for Acura. I'm not a fanboy, they have some work to do. We'll see what the future holds. . .
How about tech that will never be seen in a Honda. SH-AWD, Sport Hybrid AWD, P-AWS or Surround View Camera. I know, small list, but you make it sound like the death of Acura. I'm sure they'll be fine. Not the doom and gloom you keep talking to.
Man, it's like they've killed your puppy or something. Why so much hate? Ikeda hasn't been there long and we all know it takes years for them to turn this shit around. He's been there 2 1/2 years. All of the TLX, MDX, ILX and RLX up to probably 2020 had been designed by then. I have no idea, but I'm not counting Acura out yet by a long shot. RDX will show the next gen roadmap for Acura. I'm not a fanboy, they have some work to do. We'll see what the future holds. . .
By no means I am saying Acura is done and their game is over. It'snot a startup or new in the game. They have 30 years of history and backed up by a powerhouse company, Honda!
That being said, it's sad to see such a strong brand that used to sell 200K units in a single year came down to 155K and struggling.
But I do agree by 2020, we should see some good and positive changes. Now the real test is RDX. If RDX succeeds then for sure Acura will be back with a bang! Few more months before we see the future of Acura
I really hope Ikeda understands where to take Acura in the next 2-3 years.
How about tech that will never be seen in a Honda. SH-AWD, Sport Hybrid AWD, P-AWS or Surround View Camera. I know, small list, but you make it sound like the death of Acura. I'm sure they'll be fine. Not the doom and gloom you keep talking to.
Man, it's like they've killed your puppy or something. Why so much hate? Ikeda hasn't been there long and we all know it takes years for them to turn this shit around. He's been there 2 1/2 years. All of the TLX, MDX, ILX and RLX up to probably 2020 had been designed by then. I have no idea, but I'm not counting Acura out yet by a long shot. RDX will show the next gen roadmap for Acura. I'm not a fanboy, they have some work to do. We'll see what the future holds. . .
Two words, Sears Canada. Been around for MANY years, now gone. They saw the change from internet coming but didn't react fast enough. Acura may not die, but will go nowhere that's for sure.
Last edited by pyrodan007; 01-03-2018 at 03:54 PM.
Two words, Sears Canada. Been around for years, now gone. They saw the change from internet coming but didn't react fast enough. Acura may not die, but will go nowhere that's for sure.
I'm in a business where you must increase sales every year. We figure a 2-3% increase per year will keep our profits the same as expenses generally rise that much. Just look at the retailers that are closing. If don't increase comp door sales, you cut into your profits eventually becoming unprofitable. I have no idea what Honda is making on each car, but I would figure a 4% decrease in Acura sales for the year would make it close to non profitable. It's all a numbers game...you must increase sales. To get that you need product. Right now they don't have the product. I've owned nothing but Acura/Honda since 1998. I really want my next car within the next couple of years to be an Acura...I'm hoping they can make that happen.
Their margins have to be higher than 4%. The incentives alone right now are over 7% off (taking into account Aspec AWD and $3000 off for example). I'd be curious to know what they make on each car too. I don't know how that works with invoice pricing from the dealer and cash incentives thrown in from Acura on certain models.
I'm with Speed Racer on this one. The incentives they provide would mean they are bleeding money on every TLX they sell... and that simply isn't the case. The 10-15k price jump over the Accord isn't because you are getting 10-15k in extras in your car. I bet at least half of that is a luxury markup. Because you pay a premium for luxury.
How about tech that will never be seen in a Honda. SH-AWD, Sport Hybrid AWD, P-AWS or Surround View Camera. I know, small list, but you make it sound like the death of Acura. I'm sure they'll be fine. Not the doom and gloom you keep talking to.
Man, it's like they've killed your puppy or something. Why so much hate? Ikeda hasn't been there long and we all know it takes years for them to turn this shit around. He's been there 2 1/2 years. All of the TLX, MDX, ILX and RLX up to probably 2020 had been designed by then. I have no idea, but I'm not counting Acura out yet by a long shot. RDX will show the next gen roadmap for Acura. I'm not a fanboy, they have some work to do. We'll see what the future holds. . .
TLX numbers down. No surprise there. Even with heavy discounts on the 17 they couldn't boost the sales match. That is a scary concept. The refresh on the regular model did nothing. The numbers will just keep dropping until 2G comes out and they better hit a homerun with it.
What's going on on with the Accord???? I'e bbeen saying the car is UGLY. I wonder if this is reflecting in the sales numbers now. Camry sold over 43k in December. Where are all the Accord lovers that were drooling over this thing on this forum.
I'm in a business where you must increase sales every year. We figure a 2-3% increase per year will keep our profits the same as expenses generally rise that much. Just look at the retailers that are closing. If don't increase comp door sales, you cut into your profits eventually becoming unprofitable. I have no idea what Honda is making on each car, but I would figure a 4% decrease in Acura sales for the year would make it close to non profitable. It's all a numbers game...you must increase sales. To get that you need product. Right now they don't have the product. I've owned nothing but Acura/Honda since 1998. I really want my next car within the next couple of years to be an Acura...I'm hoping they can make that happen.
Car business is unique. I know BMW makes about $8K per car sold so from the plant to the dealer there is a lot of room to run rebates discounts. When you take a simplistic basic look at the manufacturing. Forget development etc because ACURA lays a lot of that off on HONDA.
So take two costs, fixed & variable. Fixed being the factory & administrative overhead. Variable being materials & manpower. All the factories are designed to run 3 shifts. You get your 70,000 TLX's rolling off the line you have 3 shifts of wages + all the material to build the cars.
The 4G comes out & you can't sell them so what do you do. Close the third shift maybe the second shift & don't buy the just in time parts (you carry no raw material inventory) you no longer need.
So what happens all the variable expense from shift 2 & 3 goes away because you can't sell those cars. No people, no paint, no parts, no nothing, So what is left. The fixed cost of the factory & overhead. The variable cost parts & labor on the first shift. If you planed it properly the day shift will build enough cars to pay for the fixed cost & remaining variable cost & turn a profit.
That said if you are still over capacity & can't sell all the day shifts cars you need to cut back hours, layoff excess factory workers & maybe cut HQ staff. At some point all the fat is gone & you start to loose money on every car you build.
Personally do not believe ACURA is anywhere near that point.
TLX numbers down. No surprise there. Even with heavy discounts on the 17 they couldn't boost the sales match. That is a scary concept. The refresh on the regular model did nothing. The numbers will just keep dropping until 2G comes out and they better hit a homerun with it.
What's going on on with the Accord???? I'e bbeen saying the car is UGLY. I wonder if this is reflecting in the sales numbers now. Camry sold over 43k in December. Where are all the Accord lovers that were drooling over this thing on this forum.
MMCs are NEVER intended to boost sales, but rather, maintain them as best as possible. It's a last ditch attempt to prolong sales of an "old" car. Sales ALWAYS decline by the MMC and continue to decline until they are replaced. This is basic car sales 101. For the record, the numbers the TLX has been hitting after the MMC are right where they should be.
There's also nothing going on with the Accord. Old numbers are for the old car. New numbers are for a car that just began selling and was slow to trickle into dealer lots. For the record, the only thing ugly about the new Accord are the tail lights. Everything else is a home run on that car. People hated it at first until they saw it in person. Much better looking.
For fiscal year ending March 2017, Automobile operating profit is $4.45 billion across the world. Of course at some point if Acura was negatively affecting profit they'd be forced to do something, but think about what they're trying to do. They're trying to catch people that want a little more luxury/performance above Honda before they completely jump ship to other premium brands in their largest target market. The optimistic side of me says they stopped 174,902 (154,602 in the US and 20,300 in Canada) from completely jumping ship and of course the next thing someone will say is they could have stopped 200,000. That's still over $5.2 billion in revenue for just Acura in North America (using a completely made up average of $30,000 per Acura). I'm no finance person, but they've got a long way to go before Acura is shuttered.
I'm just trying to be optimistic about where Acura may or may not be. In all reality I'm just a cheap fucker that didn't want to spend a few thousand more on another car that only incrementally increased it's value to me and am still hopeful Acura will correct itself down a better path going forward. Still holding out hope for a 2021 3.5T, 400hp 6MT, TLX Type S!! So if you're reading this Acura throw us a bone. . .
Just wanted to reply to this message. What happened to the 04-06 days when Acura was top of the ladder even with the flagship RL. Something needs to be changed. Maybe a new flagship that is able to compete with the LS from Lexus or at least the GS. I love Acura as a brand and will not switch, but us Acura lovers know there are better choices out there PERIOD. Just drove the new Accord EX-L and the head unit was so clear and easy to read. Bottom line there is a much needed change. Maybe the new RDX is the first step, but it still isn't enough to change the brand. Acura needs luxury back in their cars with ADVANCED features like the older models.
For reference. US and Canada Sales shows together. . .
Thanks for sharing CDN numbers. I know Canada is much smaller market comparing to the US. But CDN sales are consistent. I guess we like Acura more than Americans
TLX numbers down. No surprise there. Even with heavy discounts on the 17 they couldn't boost the sales match. That is a scary concept. The refresh on the regular model did nothing. The numbers will just keep dropping until 2G comes out and they better hit a homerun with it.
What's going on on with the Accord???? I'e bbeen saying the car is UGLY. I wonder if this is reflecting in the sales numbers now. Camry sold over 43k in December. Where are all the Accord lovers that were drooling over this thing on this forum.
I'm here - took the cheap 1.5 out for a test drive and it was really quite good. I'm waiting for the 2nd year of production which might in my case be the third year as I'm waiting for the accord hybrid. I was really hoping Acura could wake up and smell what's around them but I don't think they will until they submerged in it.
Just wanted to reply to this message. What happened to the 04-06 days when Acura was top of the ladder even with the flagship RL. Something needs to be changed. Maybe a new flagship that is able to compete with the LS from Lexus or at least the GS. I love Acura as a brand and will not switch, but us Acura lovers know there are better choices out there PERIOD. Just drove the new Accord EX-L and the head unit was so clear and easy to read. Bottom line there is a much needed change. Maybe the new RDX is the first step, but it still isn't enough to change the brand. Acura needs luxury back in their cars with ADVANCED features like the older models.
At the risk of being a smart a** based on your post why do you love ACURA? If I wrote that about one of my car brands it would be on the chopping block. DIVORCE time.
12-01-2017, 04:02 PM
