Acura Goes After its Own Niche with New Direction
Although Acura offers some very compelling premium vehicles, the luxury division from Honda has always appeared to be playing catch-up with its rivals. Acura was toying with the idea of creating a rear-wheel-drive platform and a V8 engine to compete with the likes of Lexus, Mercedes and Jaguar, but those plans have now been put on ice as the company struggles to find its niche.
Instead, its new direction will be to build technologically-advanced near-luxury vehicles with hybrid drivetrains and the latest state-of-the-art features. It will take the company a while to refocus, however, leaving its dealerships across North America – many of which have invested heavily in glitzy new showrooms in anticipation of exciting new products – to twiddle their proverbial thumbs and wait, or else find another product line to sell.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Jeff Nov 3rd 2009 5:16PM
I think Acura gets it right. Not everyone chooses a car based purely on how much horsepower it has. My TL-S has a very respectable 286 bhp, the front-wheel drive means it handles much better than the others in the wet and ice, and the pure hi-tech luxuries rival cars costing $20K more. I am one of those car shoppers who is very excited to see what Acura comes up with next, and I'll gladly wait a couple of years, since I enjoy my current ride so much!