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Yesterday it was announced that the RL would be cut from the Acura lineup. But today, Honda officials in the U.S. are saying "not so fast."
A report in Japan's Nikkei business paper cited sources inside the automaker who said the Legend (as its known in Japan) would be cut from the lineup globally. The news actually came as little surprise, with the RL's sales dismally low as Acura made its flagship vehicle redundant by offering the same engine and drivetrain in the only-slightly-smaller TL SH-AWD model. In fact, Acura has sold just 872 RL models compared to the 5,650 Lexus LS models sold and the 6,602 Infiniti M models sold.
In a statement released yesterday Honda's luxury arm took the position that, "“This morning erroneous media reports began to surface suggesting that Acura's RL model would be discontinued. These reports are untrue. The RL continues to be the flagship for the Acura brand and we have no plans to discontinue it."
This news actually comes as more of a shock than yesterday's report, for the outlined reasons above, as well as the fact that the lack of a RWD layout and V8 engine have relegated the RL to the bottom of the luxury heap. It's possible that this is just a PR effort to keep the RL badge alive so Honda dealers can move the remaining stock from their lots. However, Acura has been rumored to be developing a V6 hybrid system for the next-generation RL that would give the model V8-like power and excellent fuel economy.
Honda is set to make some big changes to its product lineup, at home and abroad, eliminating the Acura RL and dropping the gas-powered Civic model from its lineup in Japan.
We can't say we're surprised about the demise of the slow-selling RL, especially after Acura recently released the TL SH-AWD model with the same engine, essentially making the RL redundant. Many blame the lack of a V8 and a true rear-drive architecture for Acura's lack of success in the full-size luxury segment. The RL is sold as the Legend in other markets. In addition, Honda will also eliminate the Elysion minivan.
The biggest surprise, however, is that in Japan Honda will no longer offer a gasoline-powered Civic. Hybrid cars are increasingly becoming the norm in Japan, and so Honda will continue to offer the Civic in Japan, only in hybrid form.
Instead, Honda will focus on models like the Insight and other green models, as well as more entry-level cars.
This news comes via Japan's Nikkei business paper, which also reports that the new Civic will debut in the Fall of 2011.
Back in 2001 Acura introduced the MDX mid-size luxury crossover, long before such things were the norm. In fact, most other automakers were (and still are) concentrating on off-road capable SUVs in this segment. Fast forward to 2010 and the MDX has surpassed all other Acura models to become the volume leader in the Japanese automaker's luxury lineup.
We'd say that Acura's gamble to build a crossover while the rest of the market was focused on more traditional SUVs has paid off, but it wasn't a gamble. Rather, Acura followed its business plan to build models like the MDX that forego unnecessary off-road capability for functional real-world practicality.
The reality is, the vast majority of buyers in this segment will never take their vehicle to the beach, let alone up the side of a mountain, and so the underlying car architecture works perfectly. In fact, since the beginning Acura made no secret of the fact that the MDX has no off-road ambitions. Instead it was designed to deliver added ride height, a luxury drive with high-end features, a stylish look, good passenger and cargo room, plus the value of Honda reliability and a lower price point when stacked up against the German competition.
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