Is Acura A Luxury Brand?
05-04-09, 08:17 PM
#1
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Is Acura A Luxury Brand?
Is Acura A Luxury Brand?
http://karfarmmag.com/2009/04/is-acura-a-luxury-brand/
No Commented Wednesday, April 29th, 2009 by Tae
Under: Acura, Honda, Opinions
The car that started it all. The Acura Legend.
The car that started it all. The Acura Legend.
When the Honda executives decided to market its flagship vehicle in the U.S., they made a wise decision to create a new brand. Back in 1986, there was no way that the public would pay more than $20,000 for a Honda. Honda and other Japanese imports still had a stigma of being cheap, reliable cars. Nothing about them said anything luxury. Just think Hyundai about 3 or 4 year ago, in the pre-Genesis days.
They created a new brand and logo by closing the gap on the top of the ‘H’ logo to resemble a set of calipers, and called it Acura. With the introduction of the Legend and Integra, Acura was an instant success. The Acura Legend could be had with luxury amenities found in most luxury cars such as leather interior, sunroof, premium audio, power accessories, and a powerful six cylinder engine. Integra was a fun-to-drive, economical, compact car for those who wanted a little more than a Civic.
The Integra made performance luxury affordable.
The Integra made 'performance-luxury' affordable.
In the late 80’s, being the only Japanese premium marque, Acura marketed itself to be the luxury sport brand. And it worked. Then came Toyota and Nissan with Lexus and Infiniti, respectively. By the mid 90’s, one particular competitor has not only passed them up, but have become a dominant name in the segment. The nameplate was Lexus. Lexus’s wild success made Infiniti go back to the drawing board several times, and Acura was forced into a niche market.
Fast forward to today, and you have Lexus as the best selling luxury marque in the U.S.. Infiniti established itself as the performance luxury brand. What about Acura? Well… They have become a ‘ultra-Accord’ brand.
All of today's Acuras feature the controversial 'shield' grill.
All of today's Acuras feature the controversial 'shield' grill.
TSX is a European Honda Accord, TL is a fancy American Accord, RL is a larger Accord, RSX is a TSX cross-over, and MDX is an RL cross-over. So the whole entire line-up being a variation of the Accord, can they really be called a luxury brand? Not a single RWD vehicle, nothing larger than a 3.7 liter V6 in their stable, what type of customers are they attracting?
Some will argue that Infiniti is a one-trick pony as well with everything being a variation of a the G-series. That is true, but the Nissan’s premium brand has somethings that luxury buyers look for - rear-wheel drive chassis and V8 engines. What about Audi? All Audis are AWD and offer V8 and V10 engines in the top sedans and coupes.
The plan for the Acura brand, as late as early 2009, was to have a RWD chassis and at least a V8 engine. But they have canceled that development, blaming the global economical downturn. We argue that Honda cannot afford not to develop a RWD chassis and at least a V8 engine to stay competitive in this market. Or, they might as well as change their Acura brand name to ‘Accora’.
-KF
http://karfarmmag.com/2009/04/is-acura-a-luxury-brand/
No Commented Wednesday, April 29th, 2009 by Tae
Under: Acura, Honda, Opinions
The car that started it all. The Acura Legend.
The car that started it all. The Acura Legend.
When the Honda executives decided to market its flagship vehicle in the U.S., they made a wise decision to create a new brand. Back in 1986, there was no way that the public would pay more than $20,000 for a Honda. Honda and other Japanese imports still had a stigma of being cheap, reliable cars. Nothing about them said anything luxury. Just think Hyundai about 3 or 4 year ago, in the pre-Genesis days.
They created a new brand and logo by closing the gap on the top of the ‘H’ logo to resemble a set of calipers, and called it Acura. With the introduction of the Legend and Integra, Acura was an instant success. The Acura Legend could be had with luxury amenities found in most luxury cars such as leather interior, sunroof, premium audio, power accessories, and a powerful six cylinder engine. Integra was a fun-to-drive, economical, compact car for those who wanted a little more than a Civic.
The Integra made performance luxury affordable.
The Integra made 'performance-luxury' affordable.
In the late 80’s, being the only Japanese premium marque, Acura marketed itself to be the luxury sport brand. And it worked. Then came Toyota and Nissan with Lexus and Infiniti, respectively. By the mid 90’s, one particular competitor has not only passed them up, but have become a dominant name in the segment. The nameplate was Lexus. Lexus’s wild success made Infiniti go back to the drawing board several times, and Acura was forced into a niche market.
Fast forward to today, and you have Lexus as the best selling luxury marque in the U.S.. Infiniti established itself as the performance luxury brand. What about Acura? Well… They have become a ‘ultra-Accord’ brand.
All of today's Acuras feature the controversial 'shield' grill.
All of today's Acuras feature the controversial 'shield' grill.
TSX is a European Honda Accord, TL is a fancy American Accord, RL is a larger Accord, RSX is a TSX cross-over, and MDX is an RL cross-over. So the whole entire line-up being a variation of the Accord, can they really be called a luxury brand? Not a single RWD vehicle, nothing larger than a 3.7 liter V6 in their stable, what type of customers are they attracting?
Some will argue that Infiniti is a one-trick pony as well with everything being a variation of a the G-series. That is true, but the Nissan’s premium brand has somethings that luxury buyers look for - rear-wheel drive chassis and V8 engines. What about Audi? All Audis are AWD and offer V8 and V10 engines in the top sedans and coupes.
The plan for the Acura brand, as late as early 2009, was to have a RWD chassis and at least a V8 engine. But they have canceled that development, blaming the global economical downturn. We argue that Honda cannot afford not to develop a RWD chassis and at least a V8 engine to stay competitive in this market. Or, they might as well as change their Acura brand name to ‘Accora’.
-KF
05-04-09, 08:34 PM
#4
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They're okay, but if the Acura Legend is a luxury car than so is my Subaru. It meets the same criteria of the day, minus the 6 cylinder engine.
05-04-09, 08:42 PM
#5
Lexus Fanatic
I think you underestimate the RL some. The RL, though looking somewhat like an Accord and admittedly lacking a large V8, is a lot more than just an oversized TL/Accord. There's just no comparison in the frame, interior quality, chassis, and sheet metal. Nor is the RL an MDX crossover, though you are correct about the RDX being more or less a TSX crossover. The MDX is taken more from the TL than the RL.
Now.....the thread question: is Acura a luxury brand? By today's standards (I won't get into the Legend, which was a long time ago), except for the superb RL (and the expensive, limited-production NSX), no, it is not......not IMO. There, I agree with you. I would call Acura, in general, an "upmarket" division, but not a "Luxury" brand in the sense that larger Mercedes, BMW, and Lexus models are. On the so-called "luxury" scale, I would rate it about even with Saab or Volvo...upmarket, but not true luxury, vehicles. Also of note, except for the superb RL, I consider bread-and-butter Hondas, in some ways, to be just as well-built on the assembly line and have as good or better fit/finish than a number of Acura products.
Now.....the thread question: is Acura a luxury brand? By today's standards (I won't get into the Legend, which was a long time ago), except for the superb RL (and the expensive, limited-production NSX), no, it is not......not IMO. There, I agree with you. I would call Acura, in general, an "upmarket" division, but not a "Luxury" brand in the sense that larger Mercedes, BMW, and Lexus models are. On the so-called "luxury" scale, I would rate it about even with Saab or Volvo...upmarket, but not true luxury, vehicles. Also of note, except for the superb RL, I consider bread-and-butter Hondas, in some ways, to be just as well-built on the assembly line and have as good or better fit/finish than a number of Acura products.
Last edited by mmarshall; 05-04-09 at 08:47 PM.
05-04-09, 08:50 PM
#7
I think you underestimate the RL some. The RL, though looking somewhat like an Accord and admittedly lacking a large V8, is a lot more than just an oversized TL/Accord. There's just no comparison in the frame, interior quality, chassis, and sheet metal. Nor is the RL an MDX crossover, though you are correct about the RDX being more or less a TSX crossover. The MDX is taken more from the TL than the RL.
Now.....the thread question: is Acura a luxury brand? By today's standards (I won't get into the Legend, which was a long time ago), except for the superb RL (and the expensive, limited-production NSX), no, it is not......not IMO. There, I agree with you. I would call Acura, in general, an "upmarket" division, but not a "Luxury" brand in the sense that larger Mercedes, BMW, and Lexus models are. On the so-called "luxury" scale, I would rate it about even with Saab or Volvo...upmarket, but not true luxury, vehicles. Also of note, except for the superb RL, I consider bread-and-butter Hondas, in some ways, to be just as well-built on the assembly line and have as good or better fit/finish than a number of Acura products.
Now.....the thread question: is Acura a luxury brand? By today's standards (I won't get into the Legend, which was a long time ago), except for the superb RL (and the expensive, limited-production NSX), no, it is not......not IMO. There, I agree with you. I would call Acura, in general, an "upmarket" division, but not a "Luxury" brand in the sense that larger Mercedes, BMW, and Lexus models are. On the so-called "luxury" scale, I would rate it about even with Saab or Volvo...upmarket, but not true luxury, vehicles. Also of note, except for the superb RL, I consider bread-and-butter Hondas, in some ways, to be just as well-built on the assembly line and have as good or better fit/finish than a number of Acura products.
Unfortunately the current Acura line-up is just terrible. RL and MDX are very good products, but the rest is just junk.
P.S.
I predict that Acura will discontinue the excellent RL due to slow sales, and then they will molest the already somewhat molested MDX to the point that it will be more horrendous than the new TL.
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05-04-09, 09:01 PM
#8
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Acura is not a luxury brand.
BMW, M-B, & Lexus are the only mainstream luxury car makers, and not all of their offerings are luxury cars.
BMW, M-B, & Lexus are the only mainstream luxury car makers, and not all of their offerings are luxury cars.
05-04-09, 09:18 PM
#12
Lexus Fanatic
I agree, as far as sales go. In my area, the RL sells decently, but nationally, it has never done well. But that is not necessarily the car's fault. The VW Phaeton was also a superb car that didn't sell well....worse than the RL's figures, for that matter.
As far as Tier-2 luxury, I guess it depends on what you mean by "Tier-2". If "Tier 1" means vehicles in the Maybach/Rolls Royce class, then an RL would probably be a Tier 3 or Tier 4. If you consider Tier 1 to be a Lexus LS600H, Mercedes S600, Audi A8 V12, or BMW 760, then, yes, an RL would probably then be a Tier 2. Compared to a standard Lexus LS460, an RL would probably be a Tier 1.5. But, otherwise, it compares favorably with most other so-called 'luxury" cars, especially the Cadillacs and Lincolns we design here in America.
As far as Tier-2 luxury, I guess it depends on what you mean by "Tier-2". If "Tier 1" means vehicles in the Maybach/Rolls Royce class, then an RL would probably be a Tier 3 or Tier 4. If you consider Tier 1 to be a Lexus LS600H, Mercedes S600, Audi A8 V12, or BMW 760, then, yes, an RL would probably then be a Tier 2. Compared to a standard Lexus LS460, an RL would probably be a Tier 1.5. But, otherwise, it compares favorably with most other so-called 'luxury" cars, especially the Cadillacs and Lincolns we design here in America.
05-04-09, 09:27 PM
#13
Lexus Fanatic
at least give them credit for sparking the creation of the Japanese premium brands. Toyota and Nissan followed Honda in the creation of Lexus and Infiniti
05-04-09, 09:35 PM
#14
Lexus Fanatic
That's true of the American market. But, even before the name "Acura" had been penned, back in 1986, some Japanese manufacturers were selling higher-grade vehicles in the home Japanese market than they did here......the Nissan Cima, which later became the Infiniti Q45, is a good example. Acura simply introduced a new concept.....and a new name.....to the American market, that's all. Same with Lexus and Infiniti.
05-04-09, 09:43 PM
#15
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Acura is a luxury brand. There is no doubt about it. While Lexus is more of full line luxury brand which appeal across most price points, Acura has more defined image and has a more focus target.
I don't mind Acura. I like their cars.
I don't mind Acura. I like their cars.