Acura's design chief suffers from delusions of grandeur

[Madman]

Dave Marek, chief designer for Honda R&D Americas, was quoted saying "We want (Acura) to rival Bentley and Maybach in performance and design."

Acura a rival for Bentley and Maybach???? Isn't he forgetting Acura is a brand best known for selling glorified Accords to people with more money than sense?

Link:  http://www.leftlanenews.com/acura-we-want-to-rival-bentley-maybach.html

This is the most delusional statement I've heard from an auto executive in a very, very long time!


Cheers,
Madman of the People

[Danish]

New TL? New TSX? WTF?

[Galaxy]

It is not hard to rival the rear end design of the Maybach. ;-)

[JYODER240]

Isn't he forgetting Acura is a brand best known for selling glorified Accords to people with more money than sense?

How so?

[the Teuton]

Yoder, are you planning on plunking down $50k for an AWD version of the last generation Accord that is otherwise outclassed by a $30k Honda Accord?  Of course not, you have sense.

For every person who's purchased a RL, it has been verified that a sucker has been born in each of those given minutes.

[Tave]

Of course when Audi does the same thing with a VW...

[JYODER240]

Anyone that has driven the RL knows that it drives nothing like an Accord. Other than being a little bland I like them. The previous TSX was a great car, and the TL was nice and a good pick for someone who wanted more size than a 3-series/A4/C-class but not something boring like a ES350. Either way I fail to see how Acura is best known for selling glorified Accords for people with more money than sense.

[the Teuton]

Maybe it's because all of their cars with the exception of the RDX and CSX for the Canadian market are Accord-based.

[Atomic]

this is news to me. i read a statement from acura yesterday mentioning the company's plan to seriously redesign and reposition the rl, while likely using a different name or moniker. the article mentioned the car being very bmw 7-series and mercedes-benz s-class like. the car will offer v8 engines and feature rwd and awd models. another vehicle, higher end than the tl is said to be in the works, as a competitor to the bmw 5-series, offering rwd, awd, a sedan, coupe, convertible, wagon and an x5 type rival. these proposed vehicles should make it to the u.s.

i would never underestimate honda/acura. i think a bentley (gt/flying spur/gtc) like offering would make car more sense than a maybach/rolls-royce type vehicle.

source: automotive news (europe and asian editions)

[JYODER240]

Maybe it's because all of their cars with the exception of the RDX and CSX for the Canadian market are Accord-based.

The platform the FX35 is derived from is the same platform the 350Z is built on. That doesn't mean that they drive alike in anyway.

[Submariner]

Stupid.

Acura has a few problems. 

1.  Acura is not in the same league as Mercedes, BMW, Audi, et all.  They may have cars that compete with the C, 3, A4 and the E, 5, and A6, but they have no range toppers.  They have no GT, high end SUV, and most importantly, no flagship saloon.  To compete with them would take something special.  They have nothing like that, and have no experience with it.

2.  Mercedes cannot compete with Rolls Royce (though I think a resurection of the 600 series saloons would have worked wonderfully) Mercedes is widely considered as the premire luxury marque in the world.  What makes Acura, an entry level luxury brand at best, think they can leapfrog the likes of Mercedes, Lexus, Audi, etc, and build something able to compete with their offerings?

Wimmer would be right in this case.  No heritage.  No sale.

[Tave]

In all fairness, the dude said he wants Acura to rival them "in performance and design." He didn't say, "I want to compete directly against Bentley and Maybach."

[Soup DeVille]

Exactly; design is subjective, and Rolls has never been known for their performance.

[MX793]

In the very earliest days of motoring, Rolls was known for their performance.

[The Pirate]

@Submariner: 



I do agree with you in that Acura has a lot of ground to cover.  But Rome wasn't built in a day, and this very well may be a realistic long-term goal for Acura.  Remember when the Germans essentially had a monopoly on premium sedans in the 1980's?  Lexus came about with the LS400 in 1990 (and us enthusiasts can saw what we want about Lexus models), but look at Lexus today (from a business and product quality standpoint).  Similarly, Infiniti came out in 1989 and dropped the Q45 on us.  Admittedly, it was less successful than the LS400, but Infiniti has credibility too.  And there's that whole takeover thing in 2010, as well.  That's good for some heritage points if you ask me.   

Point being, though, is that although you are absolutely correct, things could certainly be very different in 15 more years. 

[Raza]

This is worse than when that BMW guy said that Audi doesn't really compete with them. 

[Soup DeVille]

"In the very earliest days of motoring, Rolls was known for their performance."

-touche'

Of course you're correct there, but then again, so was Hispano-Suiza.

[CALL_911]

Damn, when I read Acura design chief, I was hoping the next word would be 'fired'.

Acura's lineup looks like absolute shit now, with the exception of the TL (its replacement now looks like shit) and the RDX (I don't mind it).

[68_427]

Oh my god i LMFAO'd

[GoCougs]

Who wouldn't "want" to rival the top marques in an industry?

He didn't say that they do or will.

Always shoot for the stars as it is said.

[Tave]

Hmmm, I bet Honda makes more money than Bentley and RR combined.

[GoCougs]

Hmmm, I bet Honda makes more money than Bentley and RR combined.

Not to mention building a much more reliable product.

[NomisR]

@Submariner: 



I do agree with you in that Acura has a lot of ground to cover.  But Rome wasn't built in a day, and this very well may be a realistic long-term goal for Acura.  Remember when the Germans essentially had a monopoly on premium sedans in the 1980's?  Lexus came about with the LS400 in 1990 (and us enthusiasts can saw what we want about Lexus models), but look at Lexus today (from a business and product quality standpoint).  Similarly, Infiniti came out in 1989 and dropped the Q45 on us.  Admittedly, it was less successful than the LS400, but Infiniti has credibility too.  And there's that whole takeover thing in 2010, as well.  That's good for some heritage points if you ask me.  

Point being, though, is that although you are absolutely correct, things could certainly be very different in 15 more years. 

Don't forget, the entire Luxury Japanese brand concept started with the creation of Acura which led to Toyota and Nissan bringing in Lexus and Infiniti. 

[red_shift]

Calm down guys.

Acura's design guy seems to be getting a little ambitious here, based on what Acura has in the pipeline. The new RL, and the new NSX are both going to bew RWD platforms with SH-AWD add-ons. That makes them atleast have the credibility in the luxury market. (I hate that SH-AWD has to be added on simply for the sake of differentation, but they did not ask for my opinion) Whether or not they will have the same level of performance as the established players is anyone's guess.

Yes, what Acura will not have for a long long time is the heritage or prestige.

I do agree with another point that was brought up, that Audi's addition of AWD to a FWD platform gets completely ignored because? We all know why. Because it's German, and Germans can't do no wrong, right? While I appreciate Audi for showing the engine further back, and having brake callipers in the back of the front wheels (like all RWD vehicles do) it's still a FWD platform, period. They did their cars in Aluminum, then went ahead and added AWD to completely negate the weight advantages. Why, oh why? Becasuse they wanna be different from BMW and Benz. Great....Acura is no different, even with their new platform in the pipeline.

I have driven the Audi's FWD A4, and IMO it's not as sporty as my TSX. For all the improvements Audi is purported to have built in with a FWD platform, my TSX is probably the most capable luxury FWD sedan I have ever driven. (and I have driven many: Saabs, Volvos...) My 3 series does one (or two) better, but the TSX is not very far away.

[Lebowski]

Isn't he forgetting Acura is a brand best known for selling glorified Accords to people with more money than sense?

Acura's aren't the best styled cars out there, but with the exception of the RL they represent some of the best values in their respective classes.  To say Acura is for people "with more money than sense" is, to put it blunty, just plain stupid.


That said, I think their design chief needs to be fired.  They utterly ruined the appearance of the new TL and TSX.  I think the MDX looks good from the rear and the overall shape is attractive, but the front is terrible.

[Atomic]

Stupid.

Acura has a few problems.  

1.  Acura is not in the same league as Mercedes, BMW, Audi, et all.  They may have cars that compete with the C, 3, A4 and the E, 5, and A6, but they have no range toppers.  They have no GT, high end SUV, and most importantly, no flagship saloon.  To compete with them would take something special.  They have nothing like that, and have no experience with it.

2.  Mercedes cannot compete with Rolls Royce (though I think a resurection of the 600 series saloons would have worked wonderfully) Mercedes is widely considered as the premire luxury marque in the world.  What makes Acura, an entry level luxury brand at best, think they can leapfrog the likes of Mercedes, Lexus, Audi, etc, and build something able to compete with their offerings?

Wimmer would be right in this case.  No heritage.  No sale.

i disagree somewhat. they said that lexus would never take off. they were wrong. honda is a better car than toyota, imo. acura's are awesome cars, but they need to revamp the rl and add new products. the vehicle line-up is decent, but somewhat reserved. rome was not built in a day. people here are jumping the gun. acura has a vision. it's obvious that they are not quite there yet. perhaps we should hold judgement until their forthcoming luxury and perhaps ultra-luxury (yes. risky) vehicles are road ready. toyota's lexus brand made it! nissan's infiniti division builds great cars. now it's honda's turn with acura.

kudos!

[Submariner]

i disagree somewhat. they said that lexus would never take off. they were wrong. honda is a better car than toyota, imo. acura's are awesome cars, but they need to revamp the rl and add new products. the vehicle line-up is decent, but somewhat reserved. rome was not built in a day. people here are jumping the gun. acura has a vision. it's obvious that they are not quite there yet. perhaps we should hold judgement until their forthcoming luxury and perhaps ultra-luxury (yes. risky) vehicles are road ready. toyota's lexus brand made it! nissan's infiniti division builds great cars. now it's honda's turn with acura.

kudos!

Lexus' "problem" was that they started with essentially a clean slate...something to build a good foundation upon.  Acura's more real problem, is that they have been building a foundation for years, one that is not linked to a high end luxury marque.

[Catman]

Compared to its competitors Acura is terrible.  Where Infiniti made an effort to differentiate its line from Nissan, Acura seems to keep its cars as fancy Honda's with FWD and strange, ugly styling. 

[Atomic]

Lexus' "problem" was that they started with essentially a clean slate...something to build a good foundation upon.  Acura's more real problem, is that they have been building a foundation for years, one that is not linked to a high end luxury marque.

true, about lexus, but i think acura has a bigger advantage than toyota did when building from the ground up. customer services, a loyal customer base, established dealerships and reliability make for a nice foundation. again, we will how it all unfolds.

adding one or two higher end vehicles is not necessarily a major feat for a division affiliated with honda :) !

[nickdrinkwater]

I don't know why anyone would buy an Acura.  The only one that looked decent was the TL and that's been made about 10 times uglier now.