Just saw this on Autoweek:Acura decides to kill the RSX coupe as it looks to separate from Honda brand
link:http://www.autoweek.com/apps/pbcs.dl...1/TOC01ARCHIVE

First the Integra and now this:
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Moving Upscale
Acura decides to kill the RSX coupe as it looks to separate from Honda brand

By KATHY JACKSON | AUTOMOTIVE NEWS

AutoWeek | Published 05/01/06, 8:13 am et


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LOS ANGELES -- Acura will kill the RSX coupe at the end of the 2006 model year.

John Mendel, senior vice president of automobile operations at American Honda Motor Co., says the company is considering replacements for its cheapest vehicle but would not elaborate. Some dealers say Acura will add a coupe version of the TSX.

Elimination of the RSX, Acura's least expensive vehicle by about $8,000, looks like part of Acura's long-term plan to move upscale and separate from sibling brand Honda.

Consumers can now buy a 197-hp Honda Civic Si for about the same price as a base 155-hp RSX.

"The Acura brand has been inconsistent," Mendel said during an interview with Automotive News. "We want to be performance, luxury and technology -- in the BMW area a little bit."

This summer Acura will introduce the small RDX all-wheel-drive crossover, Acura's first vehicle with a turbocharged engine. A redesigned MDX SUV goes on sale this fall with a V-6 engine that Acura promises will deliver more horsepower than any other vehicle in its class.

The base RSX, on the other hand, is powered by a 2.0-liter inline four-cylinder engine making 155 hp. It is priced at $20,940, including the $615 destination charge.



By comparison, the Civic Si is powered by a 2.0-liter inline four-cylinder engine making 197 hp and teamed with a six-speed manual transmission. It sells for $20,840, including shipping.

The RSX was introduced in 2002 and freshened in the 2004 model year. U.S. sales fell 10.6 percent the first three months of this year, to 4,150 units.

By comparison, Acura's best seller, the TL, posted sales of 16,804 in the same period.

Guido Vildozo, automotive analyst with Global Insight in Lexington, Mass., says the RSX needs to go if Acura wants to distance itself from Honda and move upscale. "Where do you position RSX now that Honda has the Civic Si?" Vildozo asks.

Rob Mohr, sales manager for 20 years at Montano Acura in Albuquerque, N.M., says dealers have heard that Acura may add both coupe and convertible models to the TSX sedan, the second-least expensive Acura, which lists at $28,505, including shipping.

But Mohr questions the brand's decision to kill the RSX. He says the inexpensive sticker brought in a lot of customers.

"It's a mistake," he says. "It's a great first car for Acura. We had our chance at the luxury market and blew it. Now we're going to lose a lot of the RSX customers, and I'm not so sure we can get them back."



The RSX is the successor to the Integra, an Acura mainstay in the past. In 1995, for instance, the Integra posted U.S. sales of 61,316.

The Integra outsold the Acura Legend by more than 3-to-1 and accounted for 63.1 percent of Acura sales.

Acura already has learned some lessons about high price tags. The redesigned RL flagship sedan arrived in the fall of 2004 loaded with such equipment as all-wheel drive and a navigation system. The sticker is just shy of $50,000.

But sales are down by more than a third this year. So Mendel says the company will bring out a trim line this summer that will give customers more flexibility with options. He says the vehicle will be priced more in the mid-luxury range.

 

ugh! another one of these? this will probably change, like it has every other time. but who knows, maybe they'll actually stick with the decision... sounds like they may, after reading the article.

 

Take it with a grain of salt.

Until Honda of America says something, don't believe what you read. After all, look at all the rumours of RSX discontinuation before the 05s were released.

 

I read that the new civic is out doing the RSX .. so does not look good

 

This showed up on our "Acura Interactive Network" (all communications with acura go through this web site) this morning.


"Dear Acura Dealer,

We are currently making great strides to move the Acura brand forward and raise the level of prestige the brand enjoys. We are about to launch two of the most important and exciting Acura models ever, the all-new 2007 RDX and completely redesigned 2007 MDX. We are confident these ground-breaking vehicles will attract additional upscale consumers to your dealership and help further strengthen the Acura line-up.

In our quest to provide you and our customers with the very best and most appropriate Acura models, we have decided to eliminate the RSX from the 2007 line-up, thus streamlining our product offering to better fit with Acura’s evolving and more upscale image. We have also dedicated additional Research and Development resources to create future models which will continue to move Acura even further ahead of our luxury competitors.

I am confident that the leading edge RDX will more than make up for past RSX sales and the new MDX will be icing on the cake when it goes on sale this fall.

Thank you for your continued support throughout the year.

Best regards,

Dick Colliver"

 

:wavvey:

 

As far as I know the Civic Si has alway been outselling the RSX...


machgo5go - wow, interesting news (although not all that surprising). I guess its safe to say the Si is the RSX's replacement....

 

Even in JDM land, DC5R is not selling much either because
all tuner complain's Honda's Front Strut design is a mistake
and impossible to get it tune right just like Spoon Sports drop the whole project. I am just afraid they may stick to next generation CTR and end the ITR Era.

 

Well, the reason the SI outsells the Acura is a few things.

The Si aims at a slightly younger crowd, and is advertised more.

The rsx-s however is more of acura's 'secret' low-budget luxury car, most pople i know haven;t seen the RSX since 2002 and we're quite surprised when they saw the redesign.

If they made the new SI LOOK a bit more like an actual honda (i know times change but it just doesnt look authentic enough for me) i might go that way, but for now me and MANY others say keep the RSX and wait to see if the civic begins to look nicer.

and who's to say someone cant BUY an rsx, and swap out some SI parts.

I just dont like the new style as much as i used to, ESPECIALLY the sedan ugh.. *gags* i guess people like more weight..

(and dont give me that '4 door civics weigh less' crap, that was before they dumped all the si equipment in the sedan, weigh them NOW)

.... THE RSX IS THE INTEGRA, IT LOOKED IDENTICAL FOR 7ish YEARS!!

And also I've been hearing about making a new CRX out of the Fit frame, but who knows whats true..

 

I checked out both the civic ex coupe and the rsx.... and found the civic to edge out the rsx in both the exterior and interior styling. I easily decided on the 06 civic coupe last week.