Acura Drops the Ball in April and Posts a 15% Decline

What do you expect when you lack anything with excitement.

I also think Acura needs a new grill design, because that ugly pentagon doesn't set them apart from any other cheap econo cars on the road, like the Mazdas for example.

Where is the designer of the Legend??

One more Luxury make relying on SUVs and CUVs. The same trap that Lexus, BMW, MBZ, Porsche, Lincoln, Cadillac, and now Audi have fallen into.

Your point? They can't turn back now.

I hope Acura keeps declining til Honda boss realizes you can't sell lux cars for cheap. The RL sucks. The TL is getting old. MDX is hanging on. Get serious Honda Japan and spend R&D money on making truely lux cars. Adding a F*cking RWD might help.

I think honda forgot about these guys

Sorry but I don't believe that. I believe Honda don't want to invest in Acura. Honda is not serious about making lux cars and til they do, Acura will be in limbo for some time.

Negative, I think Acura is waiting to unleash a new product line. The new Accord will be the basis for the all new Acura TL.

And courtstone, is that supposed to sound impressive? ANOTHER re-badged Accord?

Let me give it to you like this: the Lexus IS/GS/LS, Audi A4/A6/A8, BMW 3/5/7 and Mercedes C/E/S all have their own platforms, completely seperate from any other company they may be involved with. Honda (and Nissan) still isn't serious- making a jacked-up Accord the basis of their "luxury" brand. Although Nissan has almost all of Infiniti's cars based on the Altima, they are actually significantly different from their Nissan counterparts, and sell for that reason.

S4cabrio: I do agree with a lot of what you just said, but I do believe that the Lexus GS is based off the Toyota Avalon.

Yeah, S4Cabrio. As usual, you don't know what you're talking about. You obviously know nothing about Infiniti and conveniently forgot about shared platforms ES/Camry, Passat/A4, RX/Highlander, Land Cruiser/LX470, 4Runner/GX470, Q7/Cayenne/Touareg. Should I go on? That's what multi-line car companies do. You're not a real car person, are you?

I don't feel sorry for companies with questionable marketing practices like sprucing up a Honda slightly and rebadging it as an Acura at a higher price. Acura's sales drop tells me that the public is looking for true value and most people are a lot smarter than Honda thinks.

Amen brother. Every acura vehicle is a shinier version of a Honda product. Dressing a monkey on silk doesn't turn it into a human. I also dislike their practice of making an ugly vehicle out of a nice one. Take the honda pilot, same as the acura MDX only uglier. They sell it for less even tough they spend the extra money on creating a different "look" which means making it uglier so is not a "luxury" car on their own twisted way.

Well, the MDX wouldn't sell if the Pilot looked better. You can't have your cake and eat it, too. Odd logic.

I actually like Acura more than Lexus because they have better handling, and comparable reliability. IMO, Acura needs to beef up its whole line up. TSX needs an optional V6. The body looks great, but is starting to age. So, a redesign is needed, but Acura must keep it young and sporty. TL needs an complete exterior overhaul that shows more class. The current exterior is cheap and ugly. Standard V6 and optional V8 would be welcome. RL also needs a complete exterior overhaul. It needs to look much richer. A standard 5.0 V10 with SH-AWD would be lovely. Finally, bring back the NSX!! I'm talking about the HSC concept with mid engine and SH-AWD. Not that front engine crap.

About the SUV, I love the MDX inside out. It would be my only choice if I were in the market for an SUV. RDX seems nice, but I don't like the idea of a turbo charged CUV. I much prefer a small displacement V6.

Lets face, the two legitimate models they have at the moment, the MDX and RDX are selling like hotcakes...

The TL and TSX are badly in need of a refresh...2008 can't come soon enough for those 2 models...

Also, its time to get rid of that I4 in the TSX and start development work on a V8 and V10; if you want to legitimately compete in the luxury car market you can't merely make do with a V6...

RDX? They can't give those things away from what everybody's reporting. Turbo 4 Cylinder for $30K CUV doesn't add up. Not when a V6 RAV4 will eat him alive for $4-5K less. The fact that Acura's been selling gussied up Hondas has finally come to light. They need to start justifying their premium prices.

Acura needs a major refresh. They need something to stand out for their brand so it can draw in more consumers. Acura cars aren't the worst but they aren't the best. The MDX and TL I believe are the major sellers in the Acura line up. To me they are the most appealing but anything above a TL range there's nothing that could satisfy my craving for sheer excitement as well as luxury. It lacks what Lexus has built with the help of Toyota since 1989. They need some major funding by Honda to get some great designers, find some quality materials, and some great marketers to push the brand forward. They are being left behind by Lexus and even Infiniti.

But I don't doubt Acura's not aware of what they are doing. I'm sure they are already on the drawing boards and in discussion rooms thinking of new methods for a new line of attack.

Actually, not taking the daily sales rate, they actually sold 21.5% less cars.

Acuras are nice cars but in all honesty, aren't all of their cars different versions of the Accord?

TSX - European Accord
TL - Luxury version of the American Accord
RL? Hmmmmm

So, Acura sells 3 Accords, A luxury CR-V, and an ugly Pilot right?

The problem is luxury divisions live off Brand image just as much as performance and quality. Acura has totally dropped the ball in the marketing department. There is almost no reason to get excited about Acura right now. Does any non-car guy even know the TL Type-S is back? The TSX and TL are getting long in the tooth at the same time. The RDX may be a great performer, but it looks like a $20k Korean SUV. They dropped the RSX, the only current Acura with a real following. The MDX is a little over the top in the style department. The RL is an overpriced dog.

My fingers are crossed for the next-gen TL to be done right. (awd w/300+HP) If they do it I'll dump the A4 in a second. I loved my 01 TL and 03 TL Type-S, both exceptional cars at their price. Nowadays there are many more options in the TL's price range (3 series, C class, A4, IS, etc) for me to settle for fwd. Granted those cars would be had with less features, but I am more concerned with the driving experience than bells and whistles. When the TL was under $30k no one touched the value, not even close. Those days are gone. Now they need to create a desirable image for the brand. Start with a new halo car released sometime this decade.

My '95 TL was a disappointment, and I went to Audi... I haven't looked back. But I want a Porsche now!

Yup that is honda for you ... it created a halo car called the Acura NSX back in the day and then ....let it rot on the vine .. and then let it rot a lot more.. Till it became to only car that you could buy that was actually built about 12 years ago.
I figure all the product people are busy working on launching their Jet.

Do you guys think that Acura don't know its current situation. They are going to release a lot of new models...(unfortunately not until '09). We all know that they '08 Accord will be followed by the all new '09 Acura TL. And I believe the 'sports4' concept will be the new TSX. They will release new vehicles that will put them back on the map.

One funny this about acura is that they compare their cars in the small, medium and large categories with the other Lux players, i.e. BMW: 3, 5, 7 MB: C, E, S Audi: a4, a6, a8 Infi: G, M (uh, Q's on hiatus...) and Lex: IS, GS, LS...

However, in comparitive testing, they often compare the TSX to the Accord or Saab 9-3, Volvo S40, etc. And the TL to the 3 series, G35, etc. The RL to the 5 series, A6, etc.

Acura needs to "re-adjust" their cars if they want to compete in these categories, otherwise...

I BELIEVE that it would be smart for them to really develop a niche below these other automakers (while Infiniti has a good chance of being recognzied to be up there with the big players, as soon as they get a flagship)....this would put Acura in direct competition with Volvo, Saab and whatever else fits into that category.

I agree with the general consensus - I've owned 2 Acura's (02 TL-S and 04 TSX) and still have an 04 Honda Pilot - I'm a Honda fan...but both myself and a co-worker traded TSXs for more excitement (an Audi A4 Quattro 3.2 AND a new 07 Infiniti G35x)...The TL is no longer a "great value" either - the G35 kicks it's butt and offer RWD and AWD...A TSX with the K23 turbo powerplant from the RDX and the same SH-AWD would be a start in the right direction (this has been "rumored" but needs to happen in the TSX redesign)...Acura has great quality but they are gussied up Hondas in the same way the Lexus ES350 is a gussied up Camry)...The Acura folks need to be allowed to step up to the plate by Honda America.