Iceman

I've been accused of being an Acura fanboy on this board, but that definition seems to apply to anyone who doesn't think Acura totally sucks. That being said, I agree in principle with most of the complaints about Acura lately. They have certainly lost their vision, focus, and drive. With that, here are some random thoughts on how they can turn things around.

1. Hire Chris Bangle. Sure, his design decisions at BMW were, to put it politely, polarizing. And there's no doubt that he won't come cheap. But Acura's styling is muddled, inconsistent, and in some cases downright ugly. They need a strong stylist who can at least create and maintain a brand identity across the product line, and a celebrity stylist like Bangle will both do that and bring some much-needed attention.

2. Come out with a V8 and make the TL RWD. I personally couldn't care less about these two "innovations", but they would at the very least shut up the vocal internet and car magazine crowds who constantly rip on the brand for the lack of these two things.

3. Reinstate world-class build and materials quality. Just look at the $15K Integra of ten years ago compared to the $35K TSX of today. The Integra (and the rest of the Acura lineup) were truly world-class both in terms of fit-and-finish and aesthetics. This is one area where Infinitia and Audi have really excelled.

4. Hold MSRPs steady but increase invoice prices by $1K or so. That's how they can pay for the better materials without seeming to increase the prices of the cars.

5. Embrace Tier 2 status. Becoming a Tier 1 luxury player is hard--it takes years of dedicated effort with no slip-ups and forces decisions that otherwise wouldn't be necessary. Acura has a nice niche already as an upscale carmaker that's not necessarily on par anymore with Lexus or MB. There would seem to be a HUGE market out there for people who want cars and service nicer than the standard Honda/Acura/Nissan but who don't want to pay Lexus or MB prices. Acura could OWN that market if they would just admit and accept that's what they are. Not every hotel chain is trying to be the Four Seasons, and not every cruise line is trying to be Crystal. In fact, Marriott and Celebrity have a heck of a lot more customers.

6. Produce a winning coupe. It doesn't have to be the NSX (although that would be nice), but right now there's not a single vehicle in the lineup that generates excitement. Just look how much buzz there is about Infiniti, with the G37 as pretty much the only car in their lineup that anyone knows about.

7. Bring back product names. The alphanumeric model designation thing has proven disastrous for Acura. They could reestablish themselves as mavericks in the upscale car world by using names instead of letters and numbers (and it would be consistent with embracing their Tier 2 status).

8. Don't cut corners. Acuras in general offer a lot of features for the money, but in some cases cost-saving measures are painfully obvious. There shouldn't be any prop-rods for the hoods, every car should have a keyless ignition, etc.

9. No more press releases or executive interviews. Just let the products speak for themselves. After so many years of flip-flopping on the next NSX or whatever, people stop paying attention. Just put out amazing products and let the buzz take care of itself.

10. Refocus on the customer experience. Apparently customer treatment varies greatly from dealer to dealer. Acura could truly set themselves apart by forcing every dealer and service department to meet rigorous standards of customer treatment.

Faymester

point 1 & 2 are somewhat subjective but I can agree with the rest of your 'crazy ideas'

encore888

Bring back the names is something I have liked to see for a long time. That said, "TSX" and "TL" work alright, and it's a tricky thing to rename then rename again. But "Legend" to me will always sound better than "RL" - and to its credit Hyundai did not follow the abc trend and went with "Genesis."

TCM55

Acura needs to get a nose job first.

joe80

all they need is a v8 RWD Legend with a strong luxury presence.

which is easier said and done....

GSteg

iTrader: (15)

Even if Acura did release a V8 and a RWD TL, they'll still get criticized for being late to the game. Seems like you have to be innovative in order to shut anyone up and that goes for any luxury brand.

I wouldn't want Chris Bangle working for Acura, at least not in my lifetime. I'd much rather have the team who created the 3rd gen TL. I can only imagine what a dedicated coupe would look like in the hands of those designers.

ffpowerLN

iTrader: (1)

It's okay to be late to the game as long as you arrive with styles.

If Acura brings the V8 and RWD they better make sure that it will be better than, or at least as good as the best currently on the market.

Acura is running on past performance/reputation and its credit line is drying up fast.

Shoyuu

Um I like Acura, just disappointed with a lot of their decisions when it comes to their car design and engineering choices.

For a start, I would love to see them bring back the Integra in RWD form to combat Hyundai's great Genesis coupe offering.

Develop a new, more efficient V6. I think they've been using the same 3.5L in the TL for the past two generations and they still haven't inched past the 300HP mark on that sucker.

That chrome plasticky front beak needs to go. Don't bring it across your entire product line, because it looks like crap. I hear they're even giving the beak treatment to the 2010 RDX....