RLX Sales
 

Considering supply seems to be low I am guess with 2 weeks of sales maybe 250 cars for March if that, but that is a wild ass guess.

We're sort of 'holding' our initial two (tech and advance). We just received a Krell that is going to our local car show this weekend. So these will be in inventory for a while longer. However, our first 'real' batch of five arrived two days ago and will all be delivered in the coming days. We should chalk up five sales by the middle of next week.

^^ Haven't you heard? "Nobody will buy an RLX at $_____!"

Seriously, congrats on the quick sales. It's a very nice car. If I were in the market for this type of car right now, the RLX would be in my first tier of choices.

:haha::beatit:

As far as I know, 4 of the next 5 we'll receive next month are already spoken for. If our Krell package survives the carshow OK, I might have a client for this car next week. :wish::wish:

Two RLX ready to roll.

https://acurazine.com/forums/picture...ictureid=58996

^^Those front headlights are a real turn off and for $55+ large I'm not compromising on looks. Feel the same about Audi, don't like their exterior styling.

Love or Hate relationship
 

They seem to be a love or hate thing with alot of people. Can't really say they copied anyone as aesthetics go.

i know that 4-5 of the 10 my dealer was getting were spoken for. not sure how many more have sold since they finally arrived. after checking their inventory...they currently have 3 in stock, one of which was the "demo" car they received for preview purposes (the advance model), the other two have the tech pkg.

Loved the headlights of the RLX and Audis. Makes the front end of the cars.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, I guess. I like "Jewel Eye".

^^^ I agree, beauty is a very subjective thing! I am not a big fan of the Jewel eyes on the RLX....I like how they look on the MDX prototype. We'll find out this week if they are as well executed on the production model

March 2013
 

And they said the RLX couldn't out sell the old RL :rolleyes:

Impressive for half a month and limited supply. Equally depressing is the TL with $3500 worth of incentive is limping along.

Wow, the RL in one month almost outsold the entire last year of RL sales. (336 vs 379) :what:

There's your pent-up demand right there.

BTW, who bought those 8 brand new 2G RLs last month?

In a perfect world, the SH-AWD and P-AWS versions of the RLX would have both been ready for release at the same time. Since the SH-AWD version is apparently not ready, it was wise for Acura to release what they had. Why? Because the second-generation RL was VERY old and sales were minimal. Apparently, it was better for Acura to release what they had as soon as they could. At least, that's what I'm guessing from the numbers.

Mods
 

Could we merge these threads? Thanks!!

That is a good sign. Reasons RLX will sell: technology, 19" Wheels, it's larger and more distinct from the RL, people like to Be the first to buy a new model and Acura reliability.

Those 2G RL's were given away- for someone in the market they got great deals. Infiniti G-37 can be bought way under invoice because the Q50 comes out this summer.

Things are looking up...I predict RLX sales will hold steady for the next few months, but pick up with the release of the 2014 MDX in the early summer. Based on what they showed at the New York auto-show, the MDX looked like a very attractive package and if it's priced right, it will definitely gather some more interest at the dealerships, allowing people to choose from the latest Acura tech in 2 different packages. (RLX-5 seater, or MDX 7-seater).

SH-SH-AWD later in the year should attract more interest as well and people may come check out the SH-SH-AWD, but leave with the PAWS.

It was a very good number for the RLX. Hopefully it can keep it up for awhile, but even if it can it is still not a big money maker for Acura. Now Acura really needs to turn its attention on the TLX and make it a winner.

I am curious to see how numbers for April and May go once supply is in place. I recall when the new M came out in 2010 it sold about 1000-1100 cars a month for a while an d has settled into around 600-700 a month now and while others may not agree I think the M is probably a cross shopped car, high end Asian along with the GS. True the Germans are the target, but I think there is some of the German audience that will never even give a none German badge a second look.

I would agree with this. I actually think the M is a great car and have wondered why it hasn't sold better. My opinion is that the Germans really focus on great lease deals and move a ton of cars on 3 year lease deals. BMW and Mercedes are particularly good with the leases. That's why you see a ton of them on used lots.

I was at Carmax, selling them my GS and saw about 25 Merc E's. I asked about them and they said they are getting them really cheap from the auctions off of leases.

Very true I hear that about BMW all the time. Infiniti does decent job discounting, I am not sure why it does not sell well. Problem I have is the majority of the cars are just basic with Premium package, finding a Sport is harder and Sport touring even hard and if you want tech package well forget it. In last 2-3 months there has only been 2 Sport Touring with Tech and they were black on black and gray on stone. I have the dealer check inventory and all inbound for months out. If I want another M I will have to order. Problem with an order is since it is made in Japan Infiniti is really not suited for orders as it takes up to 4 months to get an ordered car and they will not lock any pricing in until built and then only based on invoice incentives can not be leveraged until car lands at dealer. That has been my issue, gamble and hope I can get a great deal in 4-5 months when the car comes in or try and settle on something found at a dealer.

Infiniti M is an excellent machine. The problem is that drivers of $50,000+ cars care mostly about brand name, which is why the Mercedes E class and BMW 5 series dominate. There really isn't the other brands can do, especially the Asian brands.

It is funny because if some people would just look at the competition. I was curios and twice looked at BMW and recently Audi a few times. Funny thing is when you look at the finer things such as quality of materials and cost of options and you really need to question if all that extra money is worth it. I even sat in a 550i. At the car show 2 weeks ago and was not impressed with the leather.

^^ I made a point of doing that at our auto show in January. I have to agree, especially with the Audi. Nothing special in the interiors at all (except the price). They used to be very nice, but the decontenting is obvious. BMW interiors have never been special, in my opinion. They look like an American luxo cruiser from the late 70s.

I think Infiniti is the reason that Acura isn't going with V8 + RWD. Infiniti products are pretty much what a lot of enthusiasts here want - RWD, V8, high power, sporty handling, lower prices compared to European brands, Japanese reliability, high end features, etc. Yet, their cars aren't exactly selling all that well. Is it the fine tuning that's not good enough? Infiniti has been building RWD for decades but it's still not at the same status as Lexus, why is that?

Add my name to the list of those who like the Jewel Eye headlights.

To many people, the best part of owning a new car is the knowledge that everyone knows that you just bought a new car. The unique nature of the Jewel Eye headlights makes the new RLX instantly recognizable as a new model so that the whole world knows that you just bought a new car. I'm not convinced that the Jewel Eye headlights offer superior lighting compared to a dual-xenon set up or some of the high tech plasma bulbs that are available, but are primarily a styling element to set the RLX apart as being new and "modern" (with maybe a touch of cost savings thrown in). Car companies often add bold, sometimes controversial style elements to their new models for this very reason.

I think the competition from BMW is the reason Acura is not going RWD + V8. Infiniti has not been building RWD for decades. Their first RWD car was the G35 released circa 2004.

Their big V8 is the M56 or FX50. The G37 is selling extremely well not as good as the 328 better than the other competitors. The M37 is a very nice car, like Dangerfield...don't get no respect. Lexus as a company is a higher tier brand than Infiniti or Acura; however right behind BMW, the G37 is also an ELLPS benchmark.

One word: marketing. Marketing goes way beyond mere advertising, and Toyota has mastered it. They know the American consumer better than we know ourselves. And that is why Lexus succeeds, even if Infiniti has better cars.

I'd agree that Toyota (Lexus) has handed it to Acura and Infiniti on the marketing front. A number of friends have Lexi of all sorts. They are comfortable, reliable cars that exude quality and attention to detail. Most on this board would find them a bit boring, but the mass market likes them a lot. Acura and Infiniti have tried a slightly different take, aiming a bit more to the enthusiast driver (e.g., most on this board). Maybe the real answer is there are a lot more people who care only about comfort, quality and/or a sufficiently prestigious badge than those who care about cars that are actually fun to drive?

But lexus is moving more to the sportier side with most(if not all) their models.

Thus the 'chicken and egg' conundrum. If Acura were to build a purpose built chassis and price it to make a profit, it would likely be too close to the other competition that enough buyers would say (like they already do), "if I'm paying $$$ for an Acura, I might as well buy [insert car] instead"
Lexus understands that you market to the customers self-image. Thus, they 'talk' about sport while providing comfy cruisers. Yes, they now offer a smattering of truly sport(ier) cars, but face the fact that the majority of the brands' sales come from RX, ES and to a lesser degree IS250s. NOT sporty F cars.

Exactly!

Owning a current M I think Infiniti needs to just fix a few rough edges on the M and they could go more toe to toe with Lexus. I find the M to be very comfortable, bit lacks a bit of the refinement of Lexus or even Acura and has too much road noise.

Why has the CTS been so popular? Admittedly in the last year or so sales dropped, but the current generation was over 5 years old.

The ATS is hot right now too. They aren't about to take the sales crown from BMW yet, but they certainly aren't giving their cars away right now.

I think if you build the RIGHT car, people will buy it. It doesn't have to beat BMW at their game, but offer a competitive alternative. That and Acura's reliability and I think they will come.

Right now they keep coming back and repackaging the same old formula and it's not working.

Well, to be fair, it's not working for you but it's hard to say it's not working for Acura. Lexus sells 5k-7k ES's per month. If Acura could snipe a few of these looking to move to a larger platform but find the LS too large a jump in price(GS is not roomier). Heck 10-15% would be hundreds of units per month plus the Acura customers moving up/sideways and we might have enough to satisfy their goals. If Acura were to grab a few conquest sales without building a purpose built chassis, who is to say that they're not the smart ones here? (disclaimer: I do not speak for Acura, these are only my opinions)