Why do you regret withdrawing from domestic Acura in 2023?

Yang Edited Domestic Trends 2022-04- 12 23: 19 Speaking of Acura, netizens have always joked? Foshan brand? Still laughing? Foshan is the second largest market for Acura besides North America? 、? It is said that as long as Foshan people don't buy Acura, the national sales of Acura will be halved. Of course, these are all jokes. For the Acura model with low sales volume, its popularity in Foshan, Guangdong Province is surprisingly high. No wonder someone invented these jokes.

But the fragility of a car brand can be ridiculed in this way, which more or less reveals that Acura is always marginalized. After all, in 20021year, the cumulative sales volume of Acura in China was only 6,554 vehicles, and the annual sales volume of the whole brand in one month could not even compare with others. A few days ago, Honda, which was busy accelerating the electrification process, announced that it would no longer manufacture and sell Guangzhou Automobile Acura models in 2023, which was really embarrassing. Why do Honda's high-end brands always take detours in China?

On March 4th, it was reported in Weibo that Acura was about to withdraw from the China market, and the distributor of the news was the only 4S store in Beijing? Guangzhou Automobile Acura Beijing Jingang Store? The other four exhibition halls in Beijing are also digesting last year's stock cars and no longer booking new cars from manufacturers. According to the dealer's sales staff, GAC Acura's factory has stopped production. In addition, the news also mentioned the problem of buying a car. At present, if consumers want to buy a car, they will take it directly to the warehouse to pick it up. The other two also said that the Acura Exhibition Hall will be dismantled after digesting the inventory. The maintenance of Acura vehicles will not be affected and will be undertaken by Guangqi Honda 4S shop.

On April 8th, Guangzhou Automobile Acura released a news article entitled "Make Great Efforts, Guangqi Honda Integrate Resources and Accelerate Electrification" in official website. Although most of them are describing how independent brands can accelerate electrification, the most striking thing is the third paragraph: From 2023, Guangqi Honda will no longer produce and sell the existing products of Guangzhou Automobile Acura brand, and relevant channels of Guangqi Honda will continue to provide honorary services to Guangzhou Automobile Acura owners and always safeguard their rights and interests. ? This also means that Honda Stone Hammer dispelled the rumor that the high-end brand Acura withdrew from China.

At this point, your audience will not be surprised that Acura lost to the China market. After all, since Acura officially entered China in 2006, the sales volume in China has been ups and downs, and a single model has even tried single-digit sales within one month. Last year, Acura also stopped the import car business and car business in China, leaving only two domestic SUV models, which were sold by the joint venture company Guangzhou Automobile Acura. According to the data of the Federation, the cumulative sales volume of Guangzhou Automobile Acura in 20021year was only 6,554 vehicles, down by 45.05% year-on-year, of which 3,264 vehicles were CDX and 3,290 vehicles were RDX. The Japanese luxury brand Lexus 202 1 sold 227,000 vehicles in China, more than 30 times that of Acura.

In fact, since Guangzhou Automobile was introduced to China, the Acura brand has not been without highlights, but now it is going to stop production. Why can't Acura always please Chinese people?

The Birth History of Acura/Entering the China Market Although this article mainly discusses Guangzhou Automobile Acura, I still want to nag about the origin of Acura first. Usually, when we talk about Japanese luxury brands, Lexus may be the most successful one, but in fact, when it comes to Japanese brands that started the luxury car market in North America, Acura is the forerunner (Lexus was founded in 1983, but it didn't officially land until 1989, the same year as Britain and finidi).

/kloc-during the 1970s, two oil crises broke out in the world, and American cars with heavy fuel consumption were no longer brilliant, so Japanese cars with low fuel consumption began to be deeply loved by American consumers. The American government believes that the impact of Japanese cars on the local automobile industry has posed a great threat. Therefore, in 198 1 year, Japan signed the voluntary export restraints clause with the United States, and Japan can only sell1680,000 cars to the United States every year. Although this agreement was only signed for three years, with the increasing trade deficit between Japan and the United States, the US government extended the agreement for another year. So Honda began to consider how to increase the profit of bicycles within the limited export volume, so Acura came into being at 1986.

The first models to win the top spot are Legend, a heavyweight medium and large car, and Integra, a compact sports car. On the one hand, they build their own luxury brand positioning with flagship products, on the other hand, they win more consumers' love with entry-level products. This kind of play is even reminiscent of Tesla.

Although these two classic cars have not failed to live up to the high expectations of Acura, in less than a year, the cumulative sales volume of Acura has reached 52,869, and in 1987 it reached 109470, surpassing many European luxury car rivals and becoming the sales champion of American imported luxury cars for two consecutive years. Moreover, Lenovo has won the top ten awards for cars and drivers for three consecutive years, which can be said to be a double harvest of sales and word of mouth.

(Acura product line in 2000)

From the 1990s to the millennium, Acura successively launched the "Japanese Ferrari" NSX, the generation legend, the generation models, and a large number of North American exclusive models that are relatively unfamiliar to Chinese people, so I won't go into details here. In the domestic market at that time, Acura was also called "Acura" or? Honda is the best? At most, it is imported through various informal channels. In 2006, that is, the 20th anniversary of the brand's birth, Honda finally officially introduced it into the domestic market, and will "eulogize? Give a concise Chinese name? Acura later, ILX, TLX and RLX cars, RDX, MDX and ZDX SUVs were introduced through imports, which were basically the mainstream models in the North American market.

In 2009, with the global economic recovery struggling, China's automobile industry achieved a blowout development in 2009, with a cumulative production and sales breakthrough of13.6 million vehicles, the highest year-on-year increase. The production and sales of passenger cars exceeded100000 vehicles for the first time, and China became the first country in the world in automobile production and sales. Therefore, the time for Acura to enter China in 2006 is actually not bad. If Acura seized this precious opportunity at that time, it could realize brand image building, channel laying and product strategy building during this period, and also create an Acura brand that can better meet the market demand in China.

/kloc-who will pay for the flagship "mileage" of 0/10,000 yuan and the "Civic" of 300,000 yuan? In fact, looking back on the course of Acura's entry into China, it can be said that it was a bit blunt at first, because there were two models introduced to China in the first batch? Flagship car RL and medium-sized car TL, but strangely, both cars only provide one configuration, and the guide price is 680,000 yuan and 430,000 yuan respectively. In April, 2007, Acura's medium and large luxury SUV MDX was put into the China market, and there was only one configuration, with a guide price of 670,000 yuan.

(Acura RL is actually Honda Mileage, which is equipped with the SH-AWD four-wheel drive system that Honda is proud of for the first time. However, as an executive class car, the mileage of this generation has completely lost the luxury of the old model and become like an Accord with a higher memory. The price close to 700,000 requires a large number of European senior competitors to choose. For example, the domestic BMW 5 Series in the same period, the guide price is 565,438+0.8-699,000 yuan, including the terminal. )

In 2009, Acura invited Andy Lau to speak, which made its brand officially enter the public's field of vision. In that year, in addition to Liu Tianwang, who spoke for the car for the first time, Kwai Lun Mei, the goddess of literature and art, co-starred in the advertisement of a new generation of Acura TL micro-movies, and invited Liu Weiqiang as the director. The whole advertisement was shot in San Francisco, creating an exotic love atmosphere with foreign flavor, and the whole idea was rare in China that year. Such a large-scale publicity has also brought benefits to Acura. In 2008, the sales volume of Acura in China market increased by 65,438+006.7% year-on-year, and the total sales volume of its RL, MDX and TL models reached 2,898? Far higher than the expected 2500 vehicles. In 2009, with the help of Andy Lau, the sales volume of Acura in the China market once climbed to 3,400, and the number of dealers nationwide also expanded to 25.

(The TL, which was first introduced into China, sold for 580,000 yuan, and the whole system was equipped with a 3.5-liter V6 engine, as well as advanced intelligent technology and safety configuration at that time. The technical level at that time was not bad. As far as appearance is concerned, there are some controversies, probably because Honda's models are very avant-garde in the same period, and Acura is no exception, which is still radical for many consumers who just started to know the brand Acura. )

Although in 2009, the sales of Acura showed great potential. But in fact, after the adjustment of automobile consumption tax in 2008, the practice of eulogizing has made consumers dissatisfied. The price that should have been raised according to the normal range, taking MDX as an example, actually rose by 654.38+0.3 million, and the vehicle price rose from 670,000 to 800,000. After 09 Acura TL replaced the 3.5L engine, the price directly rose to 580,000 yuan. Previously, the guide price of 08 Acura TL was only 430,000 yuan.

In the face of the new policy, Acura made no further response. On the other hand, Britain, finidi and Lexus, as rivals, are actively carrying out the localization process.

20 1 1 year 1 1 month, Acura also brought a crossover SUV? ZDX, this time there is only one configuration, with a maximum output of 307 HP and a peak torque of 379N? M's 3.7-liter V6 engine is equipped with Acura unique weapon SH-AWD four-wheel drive system, and the price is as high as 888,000 yuan.

(Don't be surprised if you are familiar with the grotesque form of ZDX, because it has more or less the genetic design of songs and poems of the same period, but songs and poems are based on the eighth generation Accord, while ZDX is based on Honda Pilot/ Acura MDX. Regrettably, although the price is as high as 888,000 yuan, the interior still does not bring any sense of luxury. Compared with ordinary Honda interiors, the improvement in materials is not enough to make up for the expensive price. ZDX only sold 7 19 1 car in the United States, and even sold only two cars in 20 15 years. )

(2014 65438+February 9, Acura RLX SH-AWD model was officially launched, and the price exceeded one million yuan, reaching10.98 million yuan! Want to know the minimum allocation of W223 Mercedes-Benz S-Class in the same period is 938,000 yuan)

(Please give me a reason to buy 1 10,000 when you see the interior of RLX ...)

There is more than one Sao operation. 20 12 Guangzhou Auto Show, Acura brought the compact car ILX. This name is unfamiliar to most domestic consumers. In fact, it was developed based on the ninth generation Civic. The initial imported model is i-MMD hybrid version, equipped with 1.5L? I-VTEC engine, with a maximum power of 92 HP, matched with a motor with a maximum power of 23 HP, and matched with a 7-speed CVT gearbox, the price reached 328,000 yuan.

Compared with Civic, ILX's materials are a little high-end, equipped with Milan leather seats, 8-inch display screen with voice recognition function, AcuraLink satellite communication system, ELS Surround 10 speaker surround stereo system, keyless entry system, intelligent one-button start, VSA vehicle stability system and other luxurious equipment that looked very tall at that time.

However, ILX, like its brothers and sisters, is obviously twice or twice as expensive as the interior of the ninth-generation Civic, but it gives people a sense of advanced, and it can't be completely different from the car with Honda logo. This also reflects a big problem of Acura. As a luxury sub-brand of Honda, Acura is not as obvious as Lexus and Toyota, whether it is an entry-level model or a top flagship. On the contrary, Honda cars have become more and more luxurious, such as Hao Ying and Crown Road, and even let Acura models come to PK.

Localization process/brand and pricing are still old problems. In 20 16, Guangqi Honda established Guangqi Honda Automobile Sales Co., Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary, and a brand-new Beijing branch, and established the headquarters of Acura brand business, with Beijing branch as the core, responsible for selling Acura domestic and imported models, which officially opened the curtain of localization. In the same year, GAC Acura CDX was officially listed at a price of 229,800-309,800 yuan.

Unlike the blunt copying of North American models, Acura finally this time? Have you learned the essence? , to provide "special models" for the mainland market in China. Therefore, Guangzhou Automobile Acura had a honeymoon period at the beginning. In 20 17, the sales volume of Guangzhou Automobile Acura was 15 and 25 1 vehicle respectively, up by 198% year-on-year. In less than two years since its establishment, the cumulative sales volume of GAC Acura has exceeded 20,000 vehicles. After all, before the listing of TLX-L, only one model of Guangzhou Automobile Acura fought alone in CDX, and it was excellent to achieve such results.

But success is Xiao He and failure is Xiao He. Acura seems to repeat the same mistakes. Although the products in the initial stage received a good market response, at this time, the brand image of Guangzhou Automobile Acura has not stabilized, and Acura has not brought the right models in time. At the beginning, CDX was able to maintain monthly sales of more than 1000 vehicles because of the strong trend of domestic SUVs.

Not to mention the slightly higher price, CDX is still based on Binzhi's model, so there is no way to avoid the connection between the two. A long time will affect the image of high-end brands, so the market downturn is inevitable.

By 2022, the sales of Acura CDX in June 5438+ 10 and February are only 95 and 29. Recently, some netizens broke the news that CDX only costs 169800 yuan? Hui Hui? There are also many preferential policies for home buyers, and this battle seems to really say goodbye.

At the end of 20 17, the monthly sales volume of TLX-L2065438 was only single digits. At the same time, the price of the new car was announced. * * * The price of five models is 27.98-379,800 yuan, which is longer than that of overseas models 125mm, which caters to Chinese preferences. However, TLX-L still does not bring color to Acura.

Although TLX-L has also extended the wheelbase according to the principle of doing as the Romans do, the same powertrain and still high price as Platinum Rui make many consumers only look back. After all, the price of Acura TLX-L is similar to that of BMW 3 Series and Audi A4L. In addition, these two cars have great discounts at the terminal. In contrast, the price of Acura TLX-L is much higher, but the brand power of Acura and BBA are not in the same dimension.

Secondly, the overall design logic of TLX-L is very old. This set of interior is as practical as the 200,000 domestic Accord, and its workmanship, materials and practicality are first-class. However, eulogizing the positioning of luxury brands, the design makes people sitting inside feel the feeling that luxury cars should have. At that time, the American Accord had been replaced, and the more luxurious TLX-L interior design still stayed at the pace of the old Accord.

In 20 19, TLX-L sold only 1053 vehicles in the whole year, but it was still Acura that naturally saw the clue and even lost its fighting spirit, so it was delayed to upgrade TLX-L to national six emissions, and some monthly sales were even single digits, and then production was gradually stopped.

Slow market sensitivity and lack of technical sincerity. After the failure of Acura CDX, Acura launched the second SUV model Acura RDX on 20 18. This model is obviously more high-end, and it is also a well-known model in the North American market, with good sales. However, the action of eulogizing is slow again, missing the best period of the rapid rise of the luxury SUV market. In addition, Acura CDX has left a bad influence on consumers in China, so the sales of domestic RDX are still poor.

In addition, the technical delivery of Acura is not sincere enough. The proud SH-AWD four-wheel drive system was not equipped until the third model RDX of Guangzhou Automobile Acura. This kind of toothpaste-squeezing product renewal, coupled with the old problems such as insufficient brand power and high price, is difficult to cultivate the market.

Looking back at the sales data of Acura, the sales volume of Acura in China from 2065438 to 2007 was 16348, an increase of 80.4% year-on-year; In 20 18, it decreased by 42% to 9424 vehicles; In 20 19, the sales volume rebounded to 14786 vehicles; In 2020, the sales volume was1193 vehicles, down by 3 1.7% year-on-year. By 202 1, the cumulative sales volume of Acura in China was only 6,554 vehicles, down 45.05% year-on-year, including 3,264 vehicles for CDX and 3,290 vehicles for RDX. By the beginning of 2022, the sales of Acura RDX in 1 and February only recorded 106 and 47 vehicles, which has been completely marginalized in the whole market.

North American Market Position and New Product Planning Of course, although Acura has lost the China market, there are still new cars worth looking forward to in its birthplace, the American market. MDX is the best-selling model of Acura in America last year. As a luxury three-row family SUV, it starts at $48,000, so it is also the most expensive model besides NSX. Its competitor is Lexus RX, which can keep up with the trend in both interior design and configuration. In China, the previous generation model 20 17 was imported, all of which were equipped with a hybrid system consisting of 3.0L+3 motors, and the price was 698-848,000 yuan, so its sales volume can be imagined.

(This set of interior and car machine has finally kept pace with the times, and the sense of luxury has been quite in place, but it just missed the domestic market. )

(At present, Acura mainly sells six cars in the American market, among which the ILX, TLX and the best-selling MDX mentioned above are the latest generation, and the altar-like NSX is expected to be removed soon. )

INTEGRA style is also expected. It and our domestic Guangben style are actually based on the Civic in paragraph 1 1, but it adopts the front face of TLX and a more chic coupe body, and the internal texture also goes up a flight of stairs. At present, it has not been officially listed in the United States, so the actual performance and market reaction are very curious.

Write it at the end

The dilemma faced by Acura is not unique in the second-and third-tier luxury brand market. For example, Britain and finidi, both Japanese brands, are also not optimistic. Cui Dongshu, secretary general of the Federation, pointed out? Acura is not a brand tailored for China consumers, but for the American market. After localized production, the technical characteristics of Acura are not outstanding, and the brand accumulation is not enough, so it is naturally difficult to win the favor of domestic consumers. ?

What plans does Acura have for the future? At the end of 20021,Acura announced that it would fully enter the research and development stage of electric vehicles, and planned to launch the first electric product in 2024. By 2030, its electric vehicles will account for more than half of the total output. Emile Korkor, vice president of sales in Acura North America, said:? For Acura brand, the speed of our transformation to pure electric vehicles will be much faster than that of Honda brand. Even we will completely skip the plug-in hybrid car and directly launch pure electric products. ? Of course, this is only the planning of the American market. Whether Acura will return to the domestic market and take the electrification route in the future is still inconclusive. If the Acura standard pure electric vehicle is launched in the future, I wonder if Honda will make the same mistake? (Photo/Text/Photo: Yang Jiaxuan)

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