Acura will get a new face, and you'll see a lot less of the "shield" grille going forward.
Struggling to remain relevant in the increasingly competitive luxury car market, Acura will pull the wraps off three new models at next month’s Detroit Auto Show that will quite literally introduce a new face for Honda’s high-line brand.
The three offerings will cover the broad range of the future Acura line-up, with a long-awaited remake of the NSX supercar, an all-new entry-luxury sedan, dubbed ILX, and a prototype 5-passenger SUV that’s a thinly disguised version of the 2013 RDX crossover.
The three models will all but do away with the controversial “shield” grille used on today’s Acura models as the maker searches for a more appealing yet equally distinctive design language. They will also begin the brand’s new push to position itself as the luxury segment’s fuel economy leader.
In a background briefing, company officials said their goal is to regain the relevance Acura had in its early years when it was the first and only Japanese luxury brand. “The reality is while Acura started out as a luxury leader we didn’t capitalize on our brand,” acknowledged Jeff Conrad, Vice President of Acura Sales.
Today, Acura sales lag well behind those of its key Japanese competitors, Toyota Lexus division and Nissan’s luxury marque Infiniti. But in a background session for a small group of automotive journalists, Acura officials outlined a strategy that they believe can put them back on the map.
It won’t necessarily be easy. In its early years the brand was known for its distinctive styling, technical prowess and familiar names like Legend and Integra. Over the last decade or so, however, it almost seemed like Acura was taking a self-destructive path. It abandoned those well-respected nameplates for less memorable alpha alternatives like RL and TL. It has lagged on the technology front, failing to match its competitors’ push into direct injection technology and, where 7 and even 8-speed gearboxes are the norm, Acura hasn’t even adopted 6-speeds across the board.
It has also been sharply criticized for the shield grille and for the awkward design of recent models like the slow-selling ZDX.
“We recognize we pushed the envelope too much with our styling direction,” conceded Vicki Poponi, Assistant Vice President of Product Planning.
The shield grille won’t vanish entirely but it will be far less intrusive on models like the new ILX. The compact sedan will be a central element in Acura’s goal of winning over the new Millennial generation, the first of whom are just reaching the age when they can begin to migrate into the luxury market.
That’s critical, said American Honda’s national marketing czar, Mike Accavitti, because the Millennials will soon rival the size of the Baby Boom market. But there are distinct differences in their tastes and preferences. The younger buyers are more focused on factors like value for money, as well as the environmental benefits of the products they buy.
So, Acura is betting it will score points with its goal of “leading the luxury segment in terms of fuel economy,” according to Accavitti.
The new ILX will notably offer three different powertrain options – including the first hybrid in the Acura line-up. (For more on the big changes coming for the broader Honda powertrain line-up, Click Here.) It will also aim to appeal to young buyers with a hefty helping of high-tech features, including Pandora radio, a system that can translate text messages into voice, a wide-angle rear camera and both keyless entry and push-button start.
The new ILX will be produced at the Honda plant in Greensburg, Indiana, the fifth Acura model — along with the TL, ZDX, MDX and RDX — to be produced in North America.
At the other end of the spectrum, Acura will showcase a new concept version of the NSX at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show. In sharp contrast to the V-10-powered version it abandoned in mid-development several years ago, however, the next version of the brand’s legendary supercar will adopt a hybrid version of the well-reviewed Acura Super Handling-All-Wheel-Drive powertrain. (A less performance-oriented version of the Electric SH-AWD) will eventually appear on the next-generation Acura RL and MDX models, as well.
(Click Here for a closer look at the NSX concept.)
Acura plans to reveal a concept version of the next-generation RDX in Detroit. Slated for sale in 2013, the next RDX will be another essential part of the luxury brand’s line-up, targeting a segment with double-digit growth that has decidedly broad appeal – to both young “DINKs,” or Double-Income No Kids, as well as empty-nesters.
Virtually the entire Acura line-up is in changeover mode. The next version of the brand’s flagship sedan, the Acura RL, will make its debut at the 2012 New York International Auto Show.
“Think of a 7-Series cabin space with the agility of the (BMW) 5-Series,” suggested Poponi, “a vehicle where the driver always feels in the zone.”
Buyers clearly haven’t felt that Acura has been in the zone for some time. So it will be essential for the Honda luxury brand to get it right with the next generation of products it brings to market. It can no longer afford to be sitting on the sidelines.