yup. remove the customization, use old engines from late 1990s. built 70% content in NA. BMW already gives deep discounts even on current offerrings.
Just look at used values of CRV/RDX vs X3. Honda is the king of SUV. Now Honda truck is will be relatively big success. Honda/Acura need to produce more higher and lower end SUVs.

 

 

It's the end of the world as we know it.

 

You should also suggest BMW to remove the seat belt, remove auto window and put back the carburetors while they are at it. Hey maybe you should be un-born when that happens.

Actually that might be possible, buy the NSX, then upgrade the tires and you can travel back time to make the suggestions.

 

Should go into politics. Flip flops. Makes shit up. Is delusional. Thinks he knows what he's talking about.


04-03-2016, 12:56 pm
08-19-2016, 01:14 pm

 

SSFTSX are you related to Trump?

 

Trump does like the uneducated...

 

And I feel fine

 

Glad I'm not the only one who has noticed the similarities,

Makes over-the-top braggadocio claims (in this case, about Acura), tears down competitors (often w/ erroneous or misleading partial info.), when called out on his claims or attacks - resorts to some obtuse tangent in order to claim victory and not having to admit that he was wrong (as usual), etc.

And the coupe de grace - falsely attacks others for being exactly what he is (i.e. - calling others stupid, when he has proven time and time again to to be the poster-boy of stupid).



Dealerships are providing their own fleet pricing and I'm sure corporate incentives kick in for hitting a certain sales target.


You can't be this daft (of course you are) when it comes to the auto industry?

The Germans are known for being comparatively stripped down in terms of kit compared to the Japanese luxury brands (which offer significantly more standard kit) and once you start adding options, the price quickly escalates.

These are among standard features on the base TLX which are options on the base 3 Series (arguably, the ILX should be the comparable since it's a compact).

Power moonroof
Memory seat
Power driver seat
Power passenger seat
Heated front seats

Even when you go up the price-point ladder, the Germans don't offer standard leather seats and even when you opt for the leather option, have to pay extra for the nice leather.

The Japanese brands (and now Genesis) all play the value game when it comes to the luxury equation, and being FWD-based, even more so (which is why the ES is a bargain compared to the GS and why Lexus sells tons more of the ES than the GS).

 

As I said you should not be debating about vehicle pricing as you don't know anything. cars for big rental companies are specified in particular content and color. dealer cant have that much say.
BMW 3 Series comes wiith standard turbo engine, ventilated rear disk brakes, auto stop start, brake regeneration, dynamic and cornering brake control, comfort and sport modes, knee airbags, run flat tires, 4 year maintaince. ($1500 value) and this vehicle not made in US.
ES is US built, GS is Japanese built with more powerfull engines, better transmission, better rims/tires, brakes, interior. Price has nothing to do with RWD/FWD.

 

 

 

But Acura comes with superior ground clearance, superior Aero, better AC vents locations and most importantly it has superior bhp.... those gotta count for something right?

 

After all of these years, SSFTSX still doesn't get that it's a laughingstock? Talk about dense.

 

Trucks and Compacts Star as American Honda Reports August Sales - Acura News
Trucks and Compacts Star as American Honda Reports August Sales

Sep 1, 2016 - TORRANCE, Calif.

• American Honda and Honda Division trucks have best August sales ever
• Honda CR-V sets 2nd consecutive all-time sales record
• Honda core models—Civic, Accord and CR-V—each top more than 30,000 sales
• Honda's smallest vehicles—Fit and HR-V—post largest gains for the brand
• Refreshed Acura MDX posts 8.1 percent gain to push Acura trucks up 2.5 percent in August

American Honda Motor Co., Inc. today reported strong August sales of 149,571 Honda and Acura vehicles, a 3.8 percent decrease over August 2015 due in part to the lack of the Labor Day sales weekend. American Honda trucks set a new August record, rising 4.3 percent on sales of 76,140. Honda Division sales totaled 135,325 units, with Honda trucks also setting an August record, gaining 4.5 percent on sales of 66,802. Acura Division sales were down 7 percent on sales of 14,246 units, also feeling the effects of the lost weekend. However, Acura trucks were up 2.5 percent on sales of 9,338 as new models continued to fill the pipeline.

Honda
Honda Division's August sales almost matched the same period last year without one of the biggest holiday sales weekends of the year. Despite the handicap, CR-V continued its record-setting ways for the 2nd straight month while all three of the brand's best-selling models (Accord, Civic and CR-V) topped 30,000 units apiece and Honda's compact HR-V and Fit posted major gains. Honda trucks posted a new August record supported by brisk sales of CR-V, HR-V and Ridgeline, while Civic and Fit drove car sales for the brand.

• Honda trucks set a new August record, rising 4.5 percent with sales of 66,802 units
• CR-V climbed 5 percent on sales of 36,517 for a 2nd consecutive all-time record
• HR-V sales jumped 66 percent on sales of 7,580 vehicles
• Civic and Fit were up 2.4 percent (32,807 sales) and 85.1 percent (5,370 sales)

"Our continued success with strong sales of both passenger cars and light trucks demonstrates once again that the key to great sales is great product," said Jeff Conrad, senior vice president and general manager of the Honda Division. "As we continue with our rapid cadence of new models, our focus will remain on selling vehicles one at a time to individual customers."Acura
With inventories building for the new 2017 MDX, sales continue to rise as more customers experience the bold new exterior styling and expanded complement of premium features and technologies. Adding a solid result from RDX, Acura truck sales were up 2.5 percent in August, with sedan sales held back in part due to the lost holiday weekend compared to August 2015.

• MDX sales increased 8.1 percent in August on sales of 5,131 units
• Acura trucks were up 2.5 percent overall for the month, with 9,338 vehicles sold
• The new NSX posted 22 sales in August as production continues to ramp up in Acura's new NSX global production facility

"It's great to see Acura's Precision Crafted Performance DNA resonate with customers, as the new MDX gives luxury buyers their 1st taste of our new performance design direction," said Jon Ikeda, vice president and general manager of the Acura division. "Together with the launch of the amazing new NSX, a resurgent Acura Motorsports program and growing intentions from younger buyers, we continue to build strong momentum for the Acura brand."# # #

 

ILX sales down 29.4%
TLX sales down 17.4%
RLX sales down 36.9%

Overall Acura sales down 7%

Only 1 model (MDX) with sales higher vs same month last year.

Keep up the great work, Acura.

 

lol

 

I wonder how long it will be before people get tired of the facelifted MDX and sales return back down... I'm giving it 2 more months.

 

The interesting part is, a lot of my friends who actually drive MDX right now don't like the look of the new MDX... I saw it in person last week, for the first time in my life, i actually prefer the beak too

 

Cant get right.

 

Other than the first iteration of the beak in the 4G TL, I never really understood the hate on for the beak. IMHO it worked really well on their SUV/CUVs; not as much on the sedans. With this new look, Acura seems to have reversed the trend. Front end of the new MDX looks like it would look better on a sleeker sedan. Saw one on the road the other day too, and something looked off about that new nose...

 

And they are still in denial thinking things are going good when they arent.

 

i think you misunderstood him. momentum can go both directions you know...

 

 

Think they know the sales of the sedans are declining, that things aren't looking too good, and that work is needed.

The problem is that the solutions they applied in the last around didn't work too well. By last round, I mean, 2012-2014, when the new ILX, TLX, and RLX came out.

With the new Civic, Pilot, Ridgeline, Accord facelift, you know, the 2016+ models, Honda seems to know what they are doing again..hopefully that gets translated to the Acura brand. It wasn't too long ago that the 2012 Civic, Accord, etc were so-so.

 

Even when Honda was So-so, they were still doing good. That is the power of perception.

Even when Acura was doing good, they were so-so. Again the power of perception.

No one is worried about Honda. But I think it might be too late to worry about Acura now.

 

No, it's not too late. You act like Acura is going bankrupt. While Acura seems to be dead to many of its past enthusiasts, there are still plenty of non enthusiasts who are buying their cars. And although sales are down, they are still moving plenty of units. But I do believe that this current decline across the sedan lineup is clearly showing that there are significant issues that need addressing.

Honda/Acura is able to sell cars- any car, for that matter, based on how "reliable" they are. Er, once were. I think they both need to get back up to the top. None of these shitty vibration issues, transmission issues, tech issues, etc, etc. That alone would allow them to keep selling their bland/hideous designs.

Beyond that, both companies need to embrace their sporty backgrounds and bring them to the forefront again. Not everything needs crazy horsepower, etc, but they need to do a lot more than use marketing to sell their "sportiness". Soichiro Honda would be spinning in his grave if he saw what is happening with this company. They also need to evolve and adapt to the market. They need to give the people what they want. Not in every vehicle they sell, but at least have truly sporty variants (Type S, Type R) for their current lineup, or even stand alone sporty cars, like a new CL that isn't FWD based, with a V6. That shit has been the same formula for 15 years now.

 

I agree, BUT i think their biggest problem is still knowing what direction they want to go. They keep talking the talk but fail to actually come up with anything more than a draft. For god sake, steal some of the best designers/minds out there like Hyundai has.. Do what Ford/Caddy ETC have done. They have all figured out what direction to go, what they want accomplished and have been doing it and not just saying they are or would like to.

 

Oct 3, 2016 - TORRANCE, Calif.

• Honda and Acura brand trucks have best-ever September sales
• Honda Division posts new overall September sales mark
• Honda CR-V breezes past previous September best with new record for the month
• Honda passenger car sales remain strong as Civic lineup continues to grow
• Acura's refreshed 2017 MDX enjoys robust 14.3 percent increase while RDX gets a new September record

American Honda Motor Co., Inc. today reported robust September sales of 133,655 Honda and Acura vehicles, a 0.1 percent decrease from September 2015. American Honda trucks set a new September record, gaining 8.5 percent on sales of 69,069 units. The Honda Division also set a new September mark, gaining 1.5 percent on total sales of 120,842 units, with Honda trucks additionally setting a new September record, rising 8.6 percent on sales of 60,220 vehicles. Acura trucks shared the record bounty as well, with an increase of 8.4 percent on sales of 8,849 units for a new September milestone.

Honda
Honda cars continued to dominate the retail market in September while Honda trucks set new sales records. The red-hot CR-V reached new heights and the new Ridgeline added still more strength for the Honda brand.

• Honda Division sales reach new September milestone, gaining 1.5 percent on total sales of 120,842 cars and trucks.
• Honda trucks set a new September record with an 8.6 percent gain on sales of 60,220 units.
• CR-V set a new September mark—rising 6.5 percent on sales of 31,884 vehicles.
• Civic held steady with 28,184 units sold, while Fit was way up over the same month a year ago, leaping 296 percent on sales of 5,068 cars.
• Accord remained strong, boasting sales of 27,204 units for the month despite a challenging mid-size sedan market.
• HR-V had a particularly strong September, jumping 48.7 percent on sales of 6,853 units.

"The return of a new Civic Hatchback to the Honda brand adds a fresh dimension to an already robust car lineup for 2017," said Jeff Conrad, senior vice president and general manager of the Honda Division. "The expanding 10th generation Civic roster brings new energy to the car side of our business even as our trucks continue with steady gains."

Acura
Truck sales led the way for the Acura brand with a new September record, and sales of the RDX reached a best-ever September as well. The refreshed MDX also performed strongly, with sales gaining 14.3 percent for the month as its new design continues to gain favor with buyers. TLX continues to strengthen its position and share in the challenging mid-size luxury sedan segment.

• RDX notched its best September ever, gaining 1.8 percent on sales of 3,919.
• With the MDX gaining significant market strength, Acura trucks sales increased 8.4 percent overall in September, with 8,849 units sold and a new record for the month.

"The success of the refreshed MDX, the first model to showcase the new Acura styling direction, is further validation of Acura's Precision Crafted Performance brand direction," said Jon Ikeda, vice president and general manager of the Acura division. "Step-by-step we are amping up performance as a signature for the brand and a clear point of difference over the competition."# # #

 

I do agree with this. As the september sales report shows....their sedans are taking quite the big hits in terms of sales loss last year to this year.

"The success of the refreshed MDX, the first model to showcase the new Acura styling direction, is further validation of Acura's Precision Crafted Performance brand direction," said Jon Ikeda, vice president and general manager of the Acura division. "Step-by-step we are amping up performance as a signature for the brand and a clear point of difference over the competition."

New styling direction. Precision Crafted Performance. Performance as a signature for the brand.

Truly hard to see what/where is the new identity/direction of Acura from these seemingly meaningless but nice sounding words put together in a sentence/phrase....

 

First thing first! get out the GT package for the TLX! cuz yeah, that adds precision crafted performance....

 

Acura is down 9 percent this year, seems like the Precision Crafted Performance mantra isn't working for them, I guess its time to change directions again!

 

Don't worry guys, I'm sure SSFTSX has a very viable explanation for Honda's losses. Just waiting for his response now...

 

Still an SUV/CUV company. All sedan sales down huge across the board vs last September.

How does one "strengthen" a position by selling 38.8% less of a model per month vs a year ago? 2nd biggest drop vs competition. TLX sales have been down every month this year vs last year... except for March.

Only the Buick LaCrosse had a bigger drop in September at 50.8%.

Sept 2015 vs Sept 2016

Acura TLX = 4,753 --> 2,908 (-38.82%)

Audi A4 = 2,482 --> 3,457 (+39.28%)

BMW 3 series = 9,145 --> 7,432 (-18.73%)
BMW 4 series = 2,726 --> 2,289 (-16.03%)

Buick LaCrosse = 3,880 --> 1,909 (-50.80%)

Cadillac ATS = 2,295 --> 1,770 (-22.88%)
Cadillac CTS = 1,319 --> 1,503 (+13.99%)

Infiniti Q50 = 3,557 --> 4,359 (+22.55%)
Infiniti Q60 = 258 --> 497 (+92.64%)

Lexus IS = 3,152 --> 2,678 (-15.04%)
Lexus ES = 5,195 --> 4,543 (-12.55)

Mercedes C Class = 7,660 --> 6,600 (-13.84%)

Nissan Maximia = 3,871 --> 6,569 (+69.70%)


Is Ikeda saying that Audi, BMW, Leuxs, and Mercedes don't offer performance models?

 

Re the TLX's market share, not sure, but they might be referring to annual data? It dropped 38% compared to last Sept, but yearly speaking, it's an 18% drop. Prior to September, IIRC, some of the other competitors also suffered from huge drops. May be someone can pull all the annual data thus far and see?

 

It doesn't matter how you look at it- it's still a major loss.

 

They must be referring to annual YTD numbers. If you look at YTD numbers vs comparable numbers from last year, they are #6 as far as worst percentage drop.

 

What about: Performance Crafted Precision? Or Crafted Precision Performance?

Nice chart pull. Good overview of entry level luxury sedans. (incidentally I rented a luxury car at LAX and was given an Avalon....)

I did some quite arithmetic to confirm my suspicion that it looks like ALL entry level sedan sales are down this year compared to last year:
YTD 2015 entry level luxury sales: 435,031 cars
YTD 2016 entry level luxury sales: 389,517 cars
# Change total: -45,514 cars
% Change Total: -10.46%

So this got me curious to see if less car sales are due to overall vehicle sales being down in 2016 or are people moving into more other types of vehicles (SUV/CUV, pickups, etc.) Found this interesting/informative summary chart from WSJ:



Looks like total car sales are down while truck/SUV platform sales are on the up. May be due to falling oil/gas prices?

So since Acura is touting the success of their RDX/MDX success as a point of competitive advantage in their PCP mantra (Precision Crafted Performance) let's compare Acura's % sales movement with that of industry average (as shown above) to see if there is REALLY is a difference or are they simply moving with the tide of the market overall.

Acura Total Car Sales YTD: -17%
Industry Luxury Car Sales YTD: -12.1%

Acura Truck Sales (RDX, MDX) YTD: -4.5%
Industry Luxury SUV YTD: +6.0%
Industry Midsize SUV YTD: +4.2%
Industry Crossover YTD: +8.0%

I'm sure the Honda/Acura PR dept knows of these numbers/comparisons and some spin room work had to be done to get out a positive sounding press release.

Also with the performance model acura does have at LEAST one now:
Acura:
NSX

 

Jon Ikeda's probably like, "Damn you fact checkers. "

 

Yes it is. Just trying to see what they meant by that statement.....and as per below..seems like I got lucky and guessed right..lol

Thanks for this chart man. I've been kinda keeping track with this segment and have noticing the IS and 3 series have dropped quite a bit since January.

I said earlier this year that the TLX is gonna suffer. It's not a new vehicle anymore, MY2017 didn't receive any upgrades, and others got some big updates. The TLX has to rely on incentives. And the 2016 Accord has been improved too - less reason to buy TLX.

The other Acura sedans are just old now. The ILX is in its last year, and the RLX was DOA.