Acura decides to kill the RSX coupe as it moves to separate from Honda brand

[NFS4]

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.

http://www.autoweek.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060501/FREE/60501001/1041

 

[BlackAdam]

Wow, I didn't see that coming.

 

[Taggart]

OH NOESS!!!!

I like my RSX, I guess Acura does not

 

[AMDZen]

Interesting. I think this is the right move personally, why would anyone buy the 155hp RSX for the same price as the new Si.

Well, one reason would be that they simply won't find an Si - or if they do it will have a large premium on it. Those things are impossible to find right now unless you pay over sticker, and even then its very hard and theres a huge waiting list here with Denver dealerships.

 

[JS80]

"in the BMW area a little bit"

lol japanese are always copying something (but making it better)

 

[Jzero]

Originally posted by: JS80
"in the BMW area a little bit"

lol japanese are always copying something (but making it better)

That's not what he was saying at all. They are trying to position Acura more in the BMW market (i.e. mid-range luxury) instead of competing with their own cars in the economy market.

It makes sense.

 

[GTaudiophile]

So which market does Acura want to play in? I find it almost laughable that they call themselves a luxury brand. I would say near-luxury like SAAB and Volvo.

No more exotic. No V8. No V10. No V12. Mostly FWD with SH-AWD gaining popularity. Where is the luxury?

 

[NFS4]

Originally posted by: GTaudiophile
So which market does Acura want to play in? I find it almost laughable that they call themselves a luxury brand. I would say near-luxury like SAAB and Volvo.

No more exotic. No V8. No V10. No V12. Mostly FWD with SH-AWD gaining popularity. Where is the luxury?

Heh, and everyone laughs at me when I make that same point

 

[EPCrew]

Originally posted by: AMDZen
Interesting. I think this is the right move personally, why would anyone buy the 155hp RSX for the same price as the new Si.

Well, one reason would be that they simply won't find an Si - or if they do it will have a large premium on it. Those things are impossible to find right now unless you pay over sticker, and even then its very hard and theres a huge waiting list here with Denver dealerships.

with that said, i have a 2000 si up for sale.

 

[JS80]

Originally posted by: Jzero

Originally posted by: JS80
"in the BMW area a little bit"

lol japanese are always copying something (but making it better)

That's not what he was saying at all. They are trying to position Acura more in the BMW market (i.e. mid-range luxury) instead of competing with their own cars in the economy market.

It makes sense.

 

[AgaBoogaBoo]

Hasn't this been annoucned for a while? I was talking with a salesman last week and found this out from him, figured it wasn't anything not in public

 

[Jzero]

Originally posted by: JS80

Originally posted by: Jzero

Originally posted by: JS80
"in the BMW area a little bit"

lol japanese are always copying something (but making it better)

That's not what he was saying at all. They are trying to position Acura more in the BMW market (i.e. mid-range luxury) instead of competing with their own cars in the economy market.

It makes sense.

Get it?

 

[MercenaryForHire]

I'm surprised that people are surprised at this.

- M4H

 

[AMDZen]

Originally posted by: EPCrew

Originally posted by: AMDZen
Interesting. I think this is the right move personally, why would anyone buy the 155hp RSX for the same price as the new Si.

Well, one reason would be that they simply won't find an Si - or if they do it will have a large premium on it. Those things are impossible to find right now unless you pay over sticker, and even then its very hard and theres a huge waiting list here with Denver dealerships.

with that said, i have a 2000 si up for sale.

The 99-00 Si is a great car (I have a 1999 that I'll be selling soon as well). But I was only speaking of the new Si. The 2006 197 hp Si that resembles the RSX and which is spoken of in the article. If I could find one, I would be trading my 1999 in right now

 

[GTaudiophile]

Originally posted by: NFS4

Originally posted by: GTaudiophile
So which market does Acura want to play in? I find it almost laughable that they call themselves a luxury brand. I would say near-luxury like SAAB and Volvo.

No more exotic. No V8. No V10. No V12. Mostly FWD with SH-AWD gaining popularity. Where is the luxury?

Heh, and everyone laughs at me when I make that same point

Actually, I would say Volvo is climbing more and more into the luxury segment. The new S80 is beautiful. They've had AWD going for a while, and they just added a V8.

In a few years, I suspect Volvo will be head-to-head with Audi. Though Audi does have its S-Line and Lamborghini engines to play with.

 

[Jzero]

Originally posted by: GTaudiophile
Actually, I would say Volvo is climbing more and more into the luxury segment. The new S80 is beautiful. They've had AWD going for a while, and they just added a V8.

In a few years, I suspect Volvo will be head-to-head with Audi. Though Audi does have its S-Line and Lamborghini engines to play with.

I'm not sure that there needs to be a direct relationship between high-performance and luxury. A luxury car does not necessarily have to be high-performance, especially when you're talking about "cheap" luxury cars in the $30-$50k range.

 

[Aharami]

bad move on acura's part. its good to have a cheaper, sporty car in the lineup to bring in the first time buyers and build brand loyalty

 

[mb]

I'm not surprised, I never saw the appeal of the RSX.. Integra replacement my ass...

 

[MercenaryForHire]

Originally posted by: Aharami
bad move on acura's part. its good to have a cheaper, sporty car in the lineup to bring in the first time buyers and build brand loyalty

And move to where, exactly? An NSX?

The point is that Acura is going to shift away from the sport-compact market and focus more on "mid-grade luxury."

- M4H

 

[mugs]

Originally posted by: Jzero

Originally posted by: JS80

Originally posted by: Jzero

Originally posted by: JS80
"in the BMW area a little bit"

lol japanese are always copying something (but making it better)

That's not what he was saying at all. They are trying to position Acura more in the BMW market (i.e. mid-range luxury) instead of competing with their own cars in the economy market.

It makes sense.

Get it?

Obviously not.

Competing = copying now?

 

[mugs]

Originally posted by: Jzero

Originally posted by: GTaudiophile
Actually, I would say Volvo is climbing more and more into the luxury segment. The new S80 is beautiful. They've had AWD going for a while, and they just added a V8.

In a few years, I suspect Volvo will be head-to-head with Audi. Though Audi does have its S-Line and Lamborghini engines to play with.

I'm not sure that there needs to be a direct relationship between high-performance and luxury. A luxury car does not necessarily have to be high-performance, especially when you're talking about "cheap" luxury cars in the $30-$50k range.

:thumbsup:

 

[mugs]

Originally posted by: AMDZen
Interesting. I think this is the right move personally, why would anyone buy the 155hp RSX for the same price as the new Si.

Probably for the same reason people buy TSXs instead of Accords.

 

[bozack]

Originally posted by: Aharami
bad move on acura's part. its good to have a cheaper, sporty car in the lineup to bring in the first time buyers and build brand loyalty

I agree, my brother in law just recently bought an RSX-S and was rather disappointed when he heard the news of them killing the line...

Say what you want about comparisons to that of the Honda offering but if it wasn't for the pseudo luxury brand of Acura he wouldn't have bought the car and he wouldn't have bought a Honda either (he is something of a status seeker and or brand whore) which would equal a lost sale...interesting how some of the germans are comming down in price with lower cost offerings (bmw 1, audi A3) wheras the Japanese are going up.

 

[JS80]

Originally posted by: mugs

Originally posted by: Jzero

Originally posted by: JS80

Originally posted by: Jzero

Originally posted by: JS80
"in the BMW area a little bit"

lol japanese are always copying something (but making it better)

That's not what he was saying at all. They are trying to position Acura more in the BMW market (i.e. mid-range luxury) instead of competing with their own cars in the economy market.

It makes sense.

Get it?

Obviously not.

Competing = copying now?

Yes. They tried to create their own market and was marginally successful at best. Now they are trying to copy BMW by entering the market BMW mastered. Next you'll see cars on the street you swear was a BMW with an Acura logo on it. I can see it now. Acura i-series featuring the i350.

 

[ballmode]

Honda needs performance in everything they make.