Originally posted by moofoo
Kazi I agree... but even with the strategy of Honda going upscale with their interiors and Acura sortof in limbo...meaning differentiation between it's parent company and it's luxary branch. Acura has shown us it has power with it's type S series, Acura has shown us reliability, Acura has not shown us interiors that cry luxary(perhaps maybe the RL) and Acura has not shown us RWD or AWD cars yet.
I think the next big step for Acura will be to add new drivetrains to their cars. AWD will haveto be integrated in the future... perhaps with the TL/CL redesign and RL.
Mostly agreed. About the interiors. I think if you take a look at the TL's competitors, most of them are subpar luxury, with the exception of MB C-class and ES300. BMW, G35, IS300, and A4 aren't the most luxurous interior. Each of those cars listed focuses less on plush and more on performance. I don't think Acura needs to dip into RWD, but AWD would definitely give the brand some recognition and separation from the mainstream Honda brand. Hopefully this IMA AWD system comes true for the TL-S.
And going with the VW/Audi theme may not be a good idea. VW shared the ideas and thoughts of it's upscale Audi line to revamp it's cars, makes sense. But Honda/Acura is doing the reverse... they have not taken any ideas from Acura because they dont need to. Honda cars always sold #2 or #1 for the last couple of years. Acuras and Hondas are similar enough that mentioning Acura and Luxury in the same sentence doesnt give it justice. What has happened is Acura is taking cues from it's Parent company.
Go back 7 years and how would you react if the A4 was an upscale Passat? Keep in mind the bad reputation VW was starting to develop. VW used that strategy for the sake of the VW brand, not for Audi. I think Honda is doing the same but on the opposite end. The Accord is a good name and a good springboard for people to move to Acura. Like I said, I don't doubt people will call the TSX an upscale Accord. But ask yourself, does that really sound THAT bad? Even if the word Accord is brougth up, I think Acura dealers can counter that with "European" to help its sales. (TSX = European Accord) :dunno: Seems like anything European these days in automobile is a selling point. I know the Saturn dealers has used it on their midsize as a selling point. Same with Ford and its Focus.