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Acura Admits its RL is a Flop

Syracuse, NY - February 22nd -- Autoweek is reporting that Acura has admitted that it has failed with the US market version of the Acura RL and will seek to make changes to the model to increase sales. While the RL is a technological marvel and certainly the most heavily contented car you can buy for under $50,000, its lack of prestige and engine power have sent sales through the floor since its introduction last year.

RL sales are down 25% from their 'new car' pace since introduced last fall, and dealers are putting increasing pressure on the parent company to make significant changes to the model before it becomes the slow selling laughingstock that was the previous generation RL. Not only is the RL lacking a V8, it approaches $50,000. Not only is that $6,000 more than the old RL, it's a full $15,000 more than a loaded TL. "It's at a price point in foreign territory for us," Mike McGrath, chairman of the Acura dealer council, said at the National Automobile Dealers Association convention here. "Maybe Acura doesn't have the brand image" to sell a vehicle at that price. "It only comes one way: loaded. We need something in the low to mid-40s."

So what are the problem with the RL, besides its high price and no way to buy a 'base' version? They are many, and its slow sales were easily predictable.

Acura AccordWhile the TL and TSX feature sharp creases and a design coherence, the RL comes off as a rounded bar of soap. The grille doesn't match its Acura siblings, and it does not look like a $50,000 automobile. Its styling is far from ugly, but lacks the visual impact of the Infiniti M and BMW 5-Series. The styling does not set it apart from the rest of its class, and does not help with the RL's other misgivings. The fix? Nothing substanial can be done with this for now. Acura can redo the grille and bumpers and slap on some 18" wheels, but the body shape will have to remain the same through its life cycle.

Only a SixThe TL and RSX have class leading horsepower, while the RL makes due with the company's J-series V6. While it produces more power than any of its competitor's V6's, those looking for engine power likely would have already gotten a Benz, Bimmer, Infiniti or Lexus V8 anyway. Whether the RL has 250 or 300 horsepower probably doesn't even matter; the fact that it has no V8 and well under 300 ft-lbs of torque does. The fix? A V8, and now! But Honda is very resistant to a V8 and cancelled its last V8 development project more than 5 years ago.

Honey, what's an Acura?Once seen in the 1980's as the premier Japanese competitor to Mercedes-Benz and BMW, Acura has slipped off the scale due to completelely forgettable models and engines in the 1990's. They have rebounded greatly with the home runs that are the TSX and TL, but the RL was simply aimed too high. It is aimed at a market that is already set on German sedan greatness, or requires massive engine power or coddling luxury. The RL has a little of both but neither in spades. In order to overcome its deficit in power and luxury Honda chose to pack the RL with technological features, which appeals to a very small segment. Acura simply does not have the brand cachet that Lexus does to take sales away from the Germans, and does not have the engine power and styling that the Infiniti M45 does. The fix? Well, the fix was the RL. That didn't go well apparently.

Is this a decathlon athlete or a luxury car?Unlike its competition, the RL has no clear mission. It has the amazing Honda ability to be good at everything, but yet excels at nothing. While the M45 is a clear sports sedan, and the Mercedes-Benz E-Class has superior luxury, the RL has the luxury of a $30,000 Lexus and the performance of a $30,000 BMW. Nothing at all says $50,000 about this car, except its array of technology. But really, how many people would take LED backlighting in the door handles and floor instead of a V8 or rich leather? Not many. The fix? Sorry Honda, you misstepped on this one. When automotive writers say that a car has no 'soul', they're talking about cars like the RL. Like a damn good minivan, it tries to be good at everything yet ends up falling short of expectations.

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