ressling

http://www.autoblog.com/2011/12/13/a...lx-in-indiana/

So the rumor is that Acura is not only dumping the TSX but building the ILX in North America?

Professor

Oh no! I guess my Japanese made TSX will be the last Acura I'll ever buy.

Professor

On second reading, maybe there's is hope the TSX and RL will survive out of Japan. I wouldn't think they'd close those factories.

Ken1997TL

Considering the yen to dollar ratio.. this is the only way Honda can do it. There is nothing wrong with a US-built Acura.

Acura_Dude

Isn't the yen higher than the dollar causing Honda to lose money on the models they export?

Colin

If not actually losing money, it makes it hard to compete on price vs. feature content. It forces them to either raise prices or lower (or not add) content putting them at a disadvantage against the Koreans where the Won is surging.

Acura_Dude

Makes since.

mkeefe

Actually I have to respectfully disagree. An "American made" Acura would be like Ferrari being built in Detroit. It will lose its cache and probably increase the cost due to American wages. Or the worst case being they'll scale back the innovation on future models.

Don't get me wrong, I am all for American jobs and all that (hate outsourcing) but in this example it should continue to be made in Japan.

Matt

Bo_Darville

first of all, if you think your acura has the cache of a ferrari (or any cache for that matter), you are truly delusional

secondly, tl's have proven to be every bit as reliably built as their japanese-born counterparts (so long as their transmissions are assembled in japan)

lastly, a v6 tsx tech sells for as much as a tl tech, which shows there are no cost savings by importing from japan

Professor

Bandit, that 6.6 litre, 200 h.p. is a little slow in 2012.

mkeefe

haha! I wasn't comparing the Ferrari to Acura. I am stating that brands need to stay true to their roots. As in Ferrari is born from Italy (Maranello) and Acura is born from Japan. Now its okay to assemble the cars here but I hope the R&D and overall brand sticks to Japan. Price aside the Acura brand has a history.

As an aside, don't even get me started on Ferrari!.. but thats another topic.

Thats all.
Matt

Nedmundo

I don't think a foreign company building premium vehicles in the U.S. is a problem at all, and apparently BMW and Mercedes agree. I believe some BMW models have been built exclusively in South Carolina. BMW also assembles many cars in Rosslyn, South Africa, some of which are sold here, and I've never heard a wimper about "African" BMWs.

It doesn't matter where something is built, only how, and the Japanese companies have done a masterful job proving that American labor was not the problem behind poor American cars in their dark days of the late 20th century.

Besides, the Acura brand was created for the North American market, so it seems appropriate to build them here.

jchan2

Agreed. Also, isn't only a minority of the Acura lineup still built in Japan? (RL and TSX). I know the TL, RDX, MDX, and ZDX are all built in North America.

I do know that the Lexus and Infiniti lineups are still assembled almost entirely in Japan. (RX and pre-2011 QX56s being the exception).

Professor

The next time you are traveling through SC, I'll arrange a tour of BMW and the Koolaide.

TSXKid2010

Damn. :/ That's disappointing. Although I know cars made in America have gotten better, there's always been a type of stigma around them. I've been raised like that to the point I don't think I could buy an American-made car, no matter what the marque is...

I hope the NSX is built in Japan though, really x:

KillerG

This is good, it will help them keep prices down and stay competitive.

The future C-class is going to be U.S. built likely and BMW already has a huge operation going on in SC, the Z4 has been built there for a while.

For the record, the current C-Class is also produced mostly in South Africa now, and it still has a bulletproof reputation. I spend a lot of time on the C forums and ive never heard of anyone having an issue related to an African benz.

In my opinion building a car away from home doesn't make it any less German or Japanese than if it were built overseas. They still have their unique cultural touches and flourishes that couldn't have come from anywhere else but from where they were incepted.

Don't forget that foreign cars built in america =/= american cars built in america.

Professor

I don't know. The TL was designed in Cali, and if the tranny wouldn't have seized before they could get it on a boat, maybe other parts of the world would know Acura.

Anecdotal:

1989 Prelude Si - Japan Made - Sold Stupid
1997 Accord EXL Coupe MT - Japan Made - Still Have 255K Miles
1993 Accord EX Sedan - American Made - Blown Motor 163K Miles
2003 Acura TL Sedan - American Made - 3 Trannies Every 40K Miles
2005 Acura RL Sedan - Japan Made - Still Have 148K Miles
2011 Acura TSX V6 - Japan Made - Still Have

VortexBlueTSX

We dont even know what the thing looks like yet, but we know where its going to be built....wttffff

ESHBG

I don't really think the country of manufacturing has much to do with anything anymore, seeing as the world is shrinking and economies are far more global than local these days...business decisions are made thousands of miles away that could effect quality at any given moment. My TSX was built in Japan and it has been far from trouble free, and why not bring some good manufacturing jobs back into the U.S.?!?

Professor

^ Because we refuse to adopt the metric system.

Ken1997TL

And I'll respectfully disagree with you.

I've owned nine Japan and US-built Hondas and Acuras, there is no difference in quality or reliability.

Hundreds of thousands of TL's, CL's, RDX's and MDX's are on the road, all built in the US. The exchange rate makes US labor more competitive, in addition Honda's lack of unionized manufacturing plants keep things competitive.

dallison

meh, not for me unless they start making all acuras in the US.

mcteague

Spoke to a dealer about the ILX yesterday. He thinks the ILX will cause the TSX sedans to go away but Acura will keep the TSX wagon only. I read the same thing online somewhere. Sort of makes sense.

Tim

Rocket_man

This is actually old news. I think it was posted here almost a month ago. Honda will show a concept of the new Accord Coupe at the Detroit Auto Show. According to TOV the new gen accord will be 4-5 inches shorter and maybe 1 in less wide. Plus 2 hybrid variants. So I'm expecting this will be the basis of the new combined TSX/TL as a 2013 model. So with the ILX slotting in on the entry level, and a new smaller TL at the mid level with better fuel economy, that leaves room for the 'flagship' RL with the hybrid SH-AWD at the high end.

With this line up I think then all Acura's except the RL will be built in North America. Not sure where engines and trannies will be built. I've been the victim of an Accord tranny and don't want to go there again.

TSXKid2010

I'm pretty sure we have a false image stuck in our heads of what we think the ILX will sort of look like...at least i do...pshhh civic based...tch CSX....

Professor

I don't know what it looks like. But I'll go on the record as there will not be a 2020 ILlnessX. If it takes Acura almost 10 years for a sucky RL and continue producing that ugly ZDX, they get what they deserve after billions of dollars and brain farts.

I'm glad my TSX is new, so I don't (knock on wood) face that choice anytime soon.

If I had to pull another trigger, a BMW neighbor/employee of my mom said he could get anything I wanted at cost. The only catch is that I have to keep it in his name for a year before he could transfer to me. Really not a big deal.

01ITR

I'm glad Honda is starting to shrink their vehicles. They were starting to get too big imo.

JavertHL

My parents and I were a big supporter in getting the TSX because it was made in Japan. That's just us, but I'm sure we're not the only ones with the preconception.

Acura_Dude

Oh believe me you're not. A lot of fellow posters have made it known. My last car was made in Japan (Mazda). Though I'm glad the current TSX is still made in Japan. I believe it's all in perception. I'm pretty sure honda uses strict quality control across the board. I know the big thing for me with my last car was letting everyone know it was "Made In Japan." It made for a good quick convo between friends when I said my VIN started with a J, and they'd look at theirs and it'll say 1. All cars were great, but to them and me having a car assembled in Japan was pretty cool.

Ken1997TL

The 'I'll only buy it if it's made in Japan' crowd crack me up. The upcoming NSX will be designed and hand-built in Ohio. I'm sure you'll all turn your nose up at it...

Professor

If I'm going to buy a super sports car made in American, then it's a Vette and maybe a Shelby Mustang... wait that's all of the super sportscars made in America.

And for the record, Acura will probably price the NSX at ZR1 prices, and have to pic the tire rubber from the Vette out of it's grill.

EL_PIC

This tells much about global econony futures.

KillerG

Everything picks the Zr1's tire rubber out of its grill. It's one of the fastest cars in the world and it is available for an astonishingly low price/performance ratio. The LFA cant beat it and it costs 3x more, so what

not every car can be good at everything, and the zr1 certainly has its faults along with its blistering performance

Professor

When you start forking out over $100K or more for a car, it's like a prostitute... it better do everything right.

SSFTSX

Acura hasnt shrinks it vehicle. Its bloated Civic. RSX was smaller than Civic.

when TSX was introduced in 2003 spring. It was $6K more expensive than RSX but still TSX won sales battle than RSX.

The car is simply not proportional. there is no curves in body. The size of wheels looks looks way bigger. (the wheel wells itself require wheels).
It is very simplified low cost