Acura will push for luxury credentials -- without V-8, rwd
09-28-10, 02:57 PM
#18
Lexus Champion
Looks like Acura is the Japanese Saab - and look where Saab's at now. Honda does need a major shake up, it seems like Torrance and their Ohio R&D operations are pretty incompetent. Honda still has the VTEC and "green" blindfold over their eyes.
09-28-10, 03:56 PM
#20
Lexus Fanatic
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: A better place
Posts: 7,285
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Its not just the US side people. The big decisions are all made at Honda HQ in Japan. Honda's top executives in Japan are more to blame than the US executives. Honda has had several product failures in Japan, and over the last several years they lost the #2 sales spot in Japan to Nissan.
Honda Japan executives are too busy approving budgets for small planes, Asimo robots, and random inventions and technological gadgets to care about Acura or even the struggling Honda brand itself.
If I were in the shoes of Acura dealers, I would honestly dump the brand. It's ridiculous how Honda has lied to them and deceived them. If a large number of Acura dealers dump the brand, maybe just maybe Honda might learn something and get the message. Then again, given how incredibly stubborn Honda management is, maybe not.
Honda Japan executives are too busy approving budgets for small planes, Asimo robots, and random inventions and technological gadgets to care about Acura or even the struggling Honda brand itself.
I actually feel bad for all Japanese luxury car enthusiasts. 
Acura basically being Honda plus and not a real luxury brand and having no intention of becoming one hurts Lexus (and Infiniti somewhat). The image of Japanese luxury cars (Lexus, Acura, Infiniti) will always be far below the Germans(Benz, BMW, Lexus) as the Germans have 3 legitimate luxury brands and Japan has only one. It would be GREAT if Acura actually stepped things up. It would push Lexus and help the image of Japanese luxury cars. Lexus CANNOT battle the big 3 Germans basically alone. Infiniti is far better than Acura from a luxury perspective but sales struggle outside the G37. I've been on this site 10 years now and we hear the same old song from Acura for ten years and we've said and heard the same things for ten years. In contrast Lexus and Infiniti have substantially moved upmarket.
I really feel for the Acura dealers as they told Honda what people wanted in regards to luxury and they were PROMISED the move upmarket like a real luxury brand and dealers in return invested MILLIONS to upgrade dealerships with hopes of getting what was promised. DEALERS ARE PISSED with Acura/Honda. In return they got NOTHING as promised and to make matters worse got some of the WORST styling around where their bread and butter TL saw sales drop 50%.
Imagine being an Acura dealer! You invested millions on the promise of getting real luxury products and in return you get nothing and then get ugly styled cars you have to sell. I really feel for them, it is NOT THEIR FAULT.
I feel sorry for the fans. For so long they were promised interesting products and the move upmarket and they argued intensely that it was coming and in return they got nothing but ugly styling. What a let down. Then they are forced to watch everyone else move forward with their plans and far more interesting products. Its like being a LA Clippers fan, yeah you got a NBA team but management and the owners have no true interest to elevate the franchise and fluff an fluff for years and years.
Their situation is pretty hopeless in being considered a real luxury brand. The biggest slap in the face is from Hyundai, who is making legitimate luxury sedans where Acura CANNOT compete. The Genesis hasn't even seen the RL in a Comparo. Hyundai has come out of NOWHERE and embarrasses Acura. Ten years ago, no Acura, Lexus, Infiniti fan would have thought HYUNDAI would have RWD and V-8s and more before Acura.
While they canceled everything they talked about here came Hyundai with the Genesis and now comes the Equus and both are superior to any sedan they have produced in 25 years. There makes no sense in offering the brand and acting like its luxury when Hyundai makes vehicles you can't even compete with.
As TRD stated they can't follow Audi as Audi is a legitimate luxury brand. R8, S4, AWD, V-8, V-10, super chargers, luxury options galore etc etc.
They have depended on 0% financing/downpayment/etc to sell vehicles, reverting to GM methods of years ago. They have to be grateful to loyal fans who stay loyal and buy the brand.
Honda needs to SERIOUSLY move Acura upmarket or stop selling them as Acuras and just be like Hyundai and badge them all Hondas and cover the 10k-50k+ markets.
Acura basically being Honda plus and not a real luxury brand and having no intention of becoming one hurts Lexus (and Infiniti somewhat). The image of Japanese luxury cars (Lexus, Acura, Infiniti) will always be far below the Germans(Benz, BMW, Lexus) as the Germans have 3 legitimate luxury brands and Japan has only one. It would be GREAT if Acura actually stepped things up. It would push Lexus and help the image of Japanese luxury cars. Lexus CANNOT battle the big 3 Germans basically alone. Infiniti is far better than Acura from a luxury perspective but sales struggle outside the G37. I've been on this site 10 years now and we hear the same old song from Acura for ten years and we've said and heard the same things for ten years. In contrast Lexus and Infiniti have substantially moved upmarket. I really feel for the Acura dealers
as they told Honda what people wanted in regards to luxury and they were PROMISED the move upmarket like a real luxury brand and dealers in return invested MILLIONS to upgrade dealerships with hopes of getting what was promised. DEALERS ARE PISSED with Acura/Honda. In return they got NOTHING as promised and to make matters worse got some of the WORST styling around where their bread and butter TL saw sales drop 50%. Imagine being an Acura dealer! You invested millions on the promise of getting real luxury products and in return you get nothing and then get ugly styled cars you have to sell. I really feel for them, it is NOT THEIR FAULT.
I feel sorry for the fans. For so long they were promised interesting products and the move upmarket and they argued intensely that it was coming and in return they got nothing but ugly styling. What a let down.
Then they are forced to watch everyone else move forward with their plans and far more interesting products. Its like being a LA Clippers fan, yeah you got a NBA team but management and the owners have no true interest to elevate the franchise and fluff an fluff for years and years. Their situation is pretty hopeless in being considered a real luxury brand. The biggest slap in the face is from Hyundai, who is making legitimate luxury sedans where Acura CANNOT compete. The Genesis hasn't even seen the RL in a Comparo. Hyundai has come out of NOWHERE and embarrasses Acura. Ten years ago, no Acura, Lexus, Infiniti fan would have thought HYUNDAI would have RWD and V-8s and more before Acura.
While they canceled everything they talked about here came Hyundai with the Genesis and now comes the Equus and both are superior to any sedan they have produced in 25 years. There makes no sense in offering the brand and acting like its luxury when Hyundai makes vehicles you can't even compete with.
As TRD stated they can't follow Audi as Audi is a legitimate luxury brand. R8, S4, AWD, V-8, V-10, super chargers, luxury options galore etc etc.
They have depended on 0% financing/downpayment/etc to sell vehicles, reverting to GM methods of years ago. They have to be grateful to loyal fans who stay loyal and buy the brand.
Honda needs to SERIOUSLY move Acura upmarket or stop selling them as Acuras and just be like Hyundai and badge them all Hondas and cover the 10k-50k+ markets.
09-28-10, 05:35 PM
#22
I guess Acura will keep riding the fail train until at least 2014.
09-28-10, 09:55 PM
#23
hmm nothing new. Just more fail on Acura's part. Perhaps they're content being an upscale car maker or are just too stuck in the past to move forward. Design language, engines, transmissions the whole lot needs to be be re-imagined or the company put to pasture
09-28-10, 11:03 PM
#24
Lexus Test Driver
More lies to the public. "...cost cutting due to the recession." Pure B.S.. Look at all the other brands. They too are going through the same recession but have managed to find ways to peddle premium luxury cars and bring out new ones. Hyundai comes to mind, with TWO all new luxury sedans in the prime of the recession. The truth is, Acura is run by Honda people who are totally out of touch with American trends and needs. Pure incompetence and lies to the public as to why there's no new product. Totally insulting.
09-29-10, 02:34 AM
#25
Lexus Fanatic
09-29-10, 09:45 AM
#28
Lexus Fanatic
And the MDX, though a general sales success, is handicapped, to an extent, by its own brother Honda Pilot. A lot of people have figured out (correctly)that the Pilot not only has the same superb build quality, more or less the same basic mechanicals, and a more squared-off, space-efficient body.........all for less money than an MDX.
09-29-10, 09:49 AM
#29
And the MDX, though a general sales success, is handicapped, to an extent, by its own brother Honda Pilot. A lot of people have figured out (correctly)that the Pilot not only has the same superb build quality, more or less the same basic mechanicals, and a more squared-off, space-efficient body.........all for less money than an MDX.
The MDX is better styled, has SH-AWD, and much better materials on the interior.
My parents owned an MDX before, and they will be soon buying another SUV (before winter hits). They are split between X5 and MDX, and I hope they do end up with the MDX. I'd love to borrow that thing and test the SH-AWD somewhere in Poconos
09-29-10, 09:50 AM
#30
Lexus Fanatic
And the MDX, though a general sales success, is handicapped, to an extent, by its own brother Honda Pilot. A lot of people have figured out (correctly)that the Pilot not only has the same superb build quality, more or less the same basic mechanicals, and a more squared-off, space-efficient body.........all for less money than an MDX.
Regardless, the MDX general sales success is obvious (factually speaking), handicap is subjective considering how well it sells versus the competition in its price bracket. The MDX does offer additional content that consumers have paid for in its current form.