Thursday, November 30, 2006

"It's the most gangsta Acura yet."


"It's the most gangsta Acura yet.

Definitely not a clone of other cars, the concept is bookended with traditional Acura design cues. A five-point grille is the only conformance to corporate design marching orders in front, though it wears a beak only an octopus could love. Especially when coupled with the narrow headlights, which also double as air intakes.

More convincing is the chiseled tail, which recalls the CL coupe. The all-glass roof tops an interior that was off-limits to our prying eyes. Billet-machined, polished aluminum wheels measure 22 inches in front and 23 inches in the rear. What they have in size, they lack in taste."
For the full read - edmunds.com

After watching a video unveiling the Acura ASC on youtube.com, it doesn't look *that* bad.

Wednesday, November 29, 2006

Acura debuts Advanced Sedan Concept...



Acura debuts the Advanced Sedan Concept at the 2006 Los Angeles Auto Show!

"The Advanced Sedan Concept is the purest expression of advanced design, performance and luxury, highlighted by its powerful, wide stance and deeply sculpted surfaces. The primary goal of this design study was to create a sophisticated, refined sedan with a mysterious presence."







"During the past decade, several Acura vehicles have been designed and developed in the U.S. including the award winning MDX luxury SUV, the innovative TL performance luxury sedan and the all-new RDX turbocharged crossover SUV. Acura will continue the expansion of its U.S. design capabilities with the addition of a dedicated Acura Design Center that will open next year in Torrance, CA."









I'm not sure I like the way it looks. The body is too "angular." I almost want to say, it's the ugliest looking Acura I have ever seen. Though the "ACURA" on the door is sooooo cool! I want to see the interior! I promise to post pictures of the interior if I can find any. ;)

You can read the full article at theautochannel.com - Acura's Advanced Sedan Concept.

“Acura/Honda Pass BMW in Resale Value”

If you have the Wall Street Journal, you can read the article here, else here are the highlights:
“Sister brands Honda and Acura topped the latest list of vehicle brands with the best resale value — an important measure for upscale car buyers — edging out longtime leader BMW.”
“Kelley Blue Book expects Honda and Acura’s latest vehicles to retain nearly 56% of their original retail price in five years. VW and BMW/Mini vehicles trail by less than a percentage point. By contrast, vehicles with low resale values retain just 18% to 24% of their original prices.”
“A good resale value can improve the perception of a brand; the nameplates that have strong resale values, like Honda and Toyota, have been gaining market share in the U.S. For car shoppers, a strong resale value reduces the total cost of ownership for a vehicle, as an owner can get more for the vehicle when it is resold. But strong resale values also tend to push up lease rates, making some brands less affordable.”
Here’s CNNMoney’s version on car resale value. Highlights below:
Category winners:

Will people buy a $38k+ Acura TL?

Acura’s TL was due for a redesign, again they seem to mess up the fog lights in my opinion; good placement but cheap looking integration. Other than the fog lights, I’m ok with the regular 2007 TL. However, I really dislike the idea of the Acura TL Type-S. The Type-S has a 3.5L V6 instead of the 3.2L V6, resulting in a 286 hp instead of 258 hp respectively. The stock Type-S rims look ugly and cheap. Also, the lighting in the Type-S is red instead of the traditional Acura blue. BMW’s have red lighting, maybe Acura was trying to copy them. The thing that really gets me is 286 hp on the front wheels only is worst than 258 hp on the front wheels only, cars with 250+ hp should not be FWD cars! The TL should be a rear wheel drive car, and the Type-S should not be MSRPed at $38,000+!
I love you Acura, but I don’t agree with you on the 2007 TL Type-S.

Shown above: 2007 Acura TL Type-S with ugly rims and cheap fog integration.
That was me seeing it from a consumer’s prospective. From Acura POV the the story is a little different. Here’s what I think Acura is really doing. Acura wants to move their brand image more upscale, this can be seen because they already dropped the RSX out of their lineup. The RSX dragged the Acura line down in my opinion. Think of it like this, let’s say you’re in this really tough gang. Then one day you let this wimpy guy into your gang, what will other people think of your gang now? The gang’s standard is low or that the gang can’t be that tough because there’s someone like him is in the gang. The RSX was the wimpy guy. The guy that just showed up and said, “Hey, can I hang around with you guys? I want to be cool too.”
What this did to Acura was throw them into an identity crisis. “Are we a tough gang or not?” Hard to tell when one of your member always gets a beat down. The introduction of Honda’s own Civic Si killed the Acura’s RSX. The RSX will need to take a break, lift some weights, rob a few banks before it can get let back into the tough gang. Rumor has it that Acura is working on a coupe based off the TSX. Most-likely will be introduced in 2008 hypothesised to have SH-AWD, 4-cylinder, and a turbo.
Acura vehicles are known for their best per buck value. In a sense, it’s luxury for the cheap, an oxymoron if you think about it. How do you get rid of this oxymoron image? Easy, charge more for your product. As the TSX gets more and more expensive every year, the RSX will soon become the last Acura under the $30k pricetag. This however leads us to why Acura has the TL Type-S. Acura brought back the Type-S badge as an experiment. Will consumers pay almost $40k for a TL? That is the question Acura needs an answer by 2008.
Why does Acura need this question answered? Well, because of the introduction of the TSX. The younger brother, TSX, is stepping on the older brother’s, TL, toes. As the price goes up on the TSX every year, soon it’s MSRP will start at $30k, it is starting to get close to the TL price range. This is what I saw when I went car shopping. I could have essentially just pay “a little more” and gotten a TL, that’s if I wanted a TL. Without losing potential TL customers, Acura kept a regular TL around to sell to the masses, and introduced the Type-S to see how willing and able they are to sell TL’s at almost $40k. Who ever thought this up was brilliant.
I don’t agree with this experiment but it needs to be done. However, moving the brand upscale takes more than just charging more. It also takes mechanics. Acura will need to equip their cars with a different drive-train. Acura should not sell anymore front wheel drive cars without offering an option. They need to implement this in 2008 to stay in the Japanese Luxury brand game. The way I see it is Acura will probably start to offer SH-AWD as an option in all their car, or even have it standard on all their cars. They also need to offer something bigger than a V6 engine. It has been rumored that Acura will offer a V10 in the next generation NSX. I think that a V10 in the NSX is cool and all, but a V8 needs to be an option in the RL, this will shut up a lot of critics.
But wait, wait, I’m getting ahead of myself. So yeah, Acura TL Type-S is needed because in a few years all TL’s will cost around that much. This is the start of the transition from North American Honda cheap to Acura expensive.

Most reliable cars = Acura TSX & Acura TL

Most Reliable Upscale/Large Car
Most reliable (Best score first)
Lexus ES350
Lincoln Zephyr
Hyundai Azera
Acura TSX
Acura TL
Least reliable (Worst score first) Jaguar X-type
Chrysler 300 (V8)
Saab 9-3

Full article found on CNNMoney.com - Most Reliable Cars.

Acura started the Japanese luxury market...

After 10 years of research, Honda Motor Company opened 18 Acura dealerships in North America. Acura was the first Japanese luxury brand which paved way for other Japanese brands to open their own luxury line: Lexus by Toyota and Infiniti by Nissan. Acura started by selling 2 distinct models: the Legend and Integra.

Here are some Acura facts:
  • Honda's revolutionary VTEC technology was introduced in Acura's NSX (New Sport eXperiment).
  • The MDX wins the prestigious Motor Trend "2001 Sport/Utility of the Year" award.
  • 3rd generation Acura TL is introduced and immediately becomes the best selling luxury car in America. (2004)
  • The new Acura TL wins "Consumer's Most Wanted Vehicle" at Edmunds.com (2006)
  • Acura RL is introduced with revolutionary SH-AWD system (2006)
  • Since the Acura TSX was introduced in 2003, it has been on Car & Driver's 10 Top Ten list 3 consecutive years.
  • Acura will be introduced in Japan (2008)
You can read more about Acura's history on Wikipedia.com - Acura.

Introduction - About Acura

This blog is for people interested in Acura, their cars and the company. I have liked Acura's since the second generation Legends. To this day, I still want a Legend. I want a Legend that is now known as an RL here in United States, maybe I'll buy a cheap used one. ;)

I currently own a 2005 Acura TSX and love it. Yeah, yeah, it doesn't have the fancy features like in the new 2006 TSX but I love my car nonetheless. I baby my car and plan on keeping her for 8-10 years. My previous car was a used 1987 Nissan Maxima. The site is just starting up, so hang in there!



A picture of my carbon grey pearl 2005 Acura TSX with quartz interior.

Popular Posts

Search it!