We can't vouch for this, but we're told that
this is the world's first modified 2015 Acura TLX. It was made by tuners
Pembroke Pines and alloy-wheel specialist, Vossen.
In theory, Acura's new TLX competes in the executive
compact sedan segment, but in reality, very few, if any, will cross-shop
it against a BMW 3-Series or even a Lexus IS. In the eyes of most, it's
simply viewed as a small step up from the regular crop of mainstream
mid-size saloons like the Honda Accord.
If you want to give it a
more distinct look, the styling crews at Pembroke Pines and Vossen
propose an OEM body kit with front and rear bumper addons, side skirts
and a boot lid spoiler. The car rolls on Vossen's 20-inch VFS-2
silver-polished wheels and a lowered prototype set of coilovers from
RS-R.
We don't see it in these photos, but the interior was "touched up" with carbon fiber wraps.
PETOSKEY, MI – After high school in the 1970s, Mike Accavitti worked the first shift at Warren Truck Assembly, a Chrysler plant near Detroit.
When
a production cutback suspended the second shift, the young
card-carrying member of the United Auto Workers union knew someone with
more seniority from that shift would bump him off his. And they did.
But
taking advantage of a UAW educational program, the son of a dry cleaner
started classes at Western Michigan University. He graduated as an
industrial engineer. He later earned an MBA and law degree.
Accavitti
was working at a plastics company in 1984 when he learned of a job
opening for an industrial engineer at Warren Truck. He dashed off a
personal letter to Lee Iacocca, Chrysler’s CEO at the time.
“I wrote: ‘I’m an industrial engineer and I know something about that plant because I worked there.’”
Driver-focused ’15 Acura TLX.
It
did the trick. He quickly got the call, the interview and the job. The
person who interviewed him, unaware of the letter, said, “I’m just
curious, who do you know here?”
Accavitti left Chrysler in 2009 and joined American Honda
in 2011 as vice president-marketing. This year, Honda named him senior
vice president and general manager of its Acura luxury brand. The
division just underwent a major reorganization intended to give it a
more independent voice within the company. Acura is No.5 in U.S. luxury
sales with 165,436 deliveries last year, according to WardsAuto data.
At
a media event for the debuting ’15 Acura TLX sport sedan near this
northern Michigan resort town, Accavitti, 55, speaks about greater
independence from the parent brand, the essence of Acura, the
competition, dealers and the latest vehicle in the lineup.
Thinking Like a Luxury Brand
WardsAuto: What’s the company reorganization all about?
Accavitti:Honda
created the Acura Business Planning Office at our R&D operations in
Ohio. It has global brand responsibilities. Erich Berkman leads it. His
team has executive representation from all the major functions:
purchasing, finance, R&D, design, manufacturing and sales.
The other area of reorganization took place at American Honda
in Los Angeles. Now, the Acura division handles the brand soup to nuts:
service, sales, marketing and parts. I’m fortunate and honored to lead
that.
WardsAuto: So what’s the point of it all?
Accavitti:
We’re closely associated with the Honda brand, a great mainstream brand
to be associated with. But there was a lot of mass-market thinking
getting into our luxury organization. The problem with that is you don’t
necessarily take into account what the luxury customer wants.
Honda
is a very successful brand. We can kind of think: “If it is good enough
for Honda, it’s good enough for any company.” But Acura has to be the
best that Honda has to offer. This reorganization will allow us to
accomplish that.
WardsAuto: What did you mean when you spoke earlier of “possible disconnects through misalignments?”
Accavitti:
Because we were organized by function we had, as an example, a
marketing group within the brand-marketing function and a marketing
group within the sales function.
Those
two functions have different objectives. The short-term thinking that
is necessary to sell a car today may run counter to a long-term
brand-improvement movement.
It can
be quite natural for that to occur. But by now structuring by brand, we
are able to take that into account. So, yeah, we’re going to have sales
events for short-term actions, but we’re also going to use the brand
philosophy and messaging in those, so there’s consistency in the message
to consumers.
Consumers don’t care
if you’re organized one way or another. They just say, “This is what I
think about this brand. This is how this brand speaks to me.” We want to
make sure we are sending consistent messages.
Going Up Against Mercedes, BMW
WardsAuto: How do you compete with luxury-segment leaders Mercedes-Benz and BMW. They seem so powerful. Can you give them a run for their money?
Accavitti:
We have in the past. We’re debuting the TLX, but the TL model we had
from 2004 to 2009 was one of the top models in the segment. We sold
77,000 in one year. So we feel we can achieve top-tier success. With our
MDX and RDX, we have the strongest 1-2 punch in the luxury-SUV segment.
We have demonstrated the capability to do it, when we have the right
product and the right messaging. That is what we are going to be
focusing on moving forward.
We’re
not out to out-Mercedes Mercedes. Acura is a different kind of luxury
brand. It is for individuals who like to express themselves in a
different matter. They like nice things, but they don’t necessarily
associate the badge with that nice thing. It’s like: “I want a nice car
with a good value.” It’s one of the areas we think we can beat the rest
of the guys with.
WardsAuto: Is the difference also that Mercedes and BMW are luxury brands without mainstream-brand parents?
Accavitti:
There are a lot of reasons those two companies are successful. They’ve
been around a long time. They’ve established a heritage of luxury that
goes way back. Mercedes is part of Daimler
(AG), and (Gottlieb) Daimler invented the car. BMW has been around for a
long time, but it really just got its stuff together in the last 20 or
30 years. They’re both great marques.
We’re
only 28 years old. We’re the millennial of car companies, born here in
the U.S.A. We can speak differently to the luxury audience because we
are different. We always have been. We don’t have to try to make that up
or change ourselves. We can go out and be ourselves and attract
customers who are smart, affluent independent thinkers who want to drive
a great car.
WardsAuto: When you speak to that audience, what do you tell them?
Accavitti:
With the TLX, we’re telling them this is a great car that is focused on
providing a thrilling experience whether it is looking at it or driving
it. It’s a car centered around the driver. It’s exhilarating to drive.
WardsAuto: Was the reorganization a Japanese home-office idea or did it come from American Honda?
Accavitti:
It actually came from Japan. Every year we go there and present to the
board of management our plans for the next year and what our obstacles
and challenges are. Last year at one of those meetings with the chairman
and CEO, we talked about Acura and how we could improve the brand.
Shortly
afterwards, we started having discussions on what we needed to do
organizationally to accomplish that, because the existing organizational
structure was holding us back.
We
made the decision to put in place the best and the brightest to focus on
Acura and bring out all its potential. Not to turn it around, because
we’re a good brand with positive consumer perceptions.
Dealers Do Their Part
WardsAuto: What are dealers telling you these days?
Accavitti:
Our dealers are excited. One of the best parts of my job right now is
that I get direct contact with dealers. We have 273 dealers. We
communicate more and deeper than before. We’re getting them excited
about the brand and product. They like the direction we are going.
WardsAuto: Do you like what they’re doing?
Accavitti: They are a tremendous body of businessmen and women. Just this summer, they underscored my belief that they are top-notch.
WardsAuto: How?
Accavitti:
The TLX was delayed for a couple of months because of some technical
issues. In the meantime, dealers didn’t have any TLs to sell because we
had built out the outgoing model. So they came together. We put out some
programs. They did some things and retained salespeople to assure that
when the TLX came out, it would be received well.
We
had this drought. Our sales were down for the last two months because
of lack of inventory. We started the year off great. We were up almost
6%, outpacing the industry, and then we ran out of the TL inventory.
In
September, we are going to see the year-over-year gains we like to see.
We’ll close the year out super strong. Dealers are demonstrating they
can really sell the TLX. They have a lot of preorders and they’re
selling them off the trucks. They are demonstrating the ability of
turning vehicles at an incredible rate.
Acura’s new TLX race car was supposed to make
its first public race debut this coming weekend at the Detroit Belle
Isle Grand Prix, but a technical glitch has eliminated the car from the
race.
“Unfortunately, our program suffered a serious setback
yesterday afternoon during final testing which immediately ended our
chances of making our debut in Detroit as promised,” wrote RealTime
Racing, the outfit responsible for taking the TLX to the race track.
The
TLX GT car uses a twin-turbocharged version of the V6 engine that is
found in the road-going TLX.
Once it is ready to hit the track, the car
will compete in the highest class of Pirelli World Challenge racing,
which means it will be taking on the Audi R8 LMS, Lamborghini Gallardo,
Mercedes SLS, Nissan GTR, Porsche 911 and Ferrari 458.
At this year’s Detroit auto show, Acura showed off a prototype of the 2015 Acura TLX,
a midsize sport-luxury sedan that will combine the previous TL and TSX
models into one nameplate. Now, the automaker confirmed the production
Acura TLX will make its official debut at the 2014 New York auto show in
April before going on sale later this year.
The standard car should look nearly identical to the prototype TLX
(pictured), with its typical Acura “shield” grille design, jeweled LED
headlights, and slightly slab-sided profile. The overall look closely
mimics the larger Acura RLX sedan,
and Acura is emphasizing that the TLX completes the brand’s new
three-sedan lineup comprised of the compact ILX, midsize TLX, and large
RLX.
The 2015 Acura TLX will also be a showcase for new powertrain
technology from Acura. Standard for the TLX is a 2.4-liter
direct-injection four-cylinder engine that pairs with a new
Acura-developed eight-speed dual-clutch transmission. The larger
3.5-liter V-6 engine will mate with a nine-speed automatic transmission
and is also available with Acura’s Super-Handling All-Wheel-Drive
(SH-AWD) system. Front-wheel-drive models are also equipped with the
same Precision All-Wheel Steer (P-AWS) technology found on the Acura
RLX.
As expected, the 2015 Acura TLX will be available with a full
suite of active safety technologies, including forward collision
warning, lane keep assist, adaptive cruise control, and a blind spot
monitor. Although the prototype TLX in Detroit did not have an interior,
we expect to see the same dual-screen infotainment setup as found on
many other Acura and Honda models.
Stay tuned for more news about
the 2015 Acura TLX including power numbers, fuel economy, and pricing as
it nears its debut in New York.
The upcoming 2015 Acura TLX has been spotted in
the wild. Our very own Associate Editor Rory Jurnecka caught the Acura
during his morning commute to Motor Trend headquarters and the tester’s
relatively minimal amounts of camouflage is a good indication that the
TLX prototype's overall styling, unveiled at the 2014 Detroit auto show,
will likely carryover to the production version.
Out back, the most noticeable change takes place
at the lower bumper. The show car was sporting a fair amount of chrome
and bold sculpting, but the production version appear to have a more
toned-down look with a pair of red reflectors at the lower edge and
simpler lines. The taillights appear to carryover, but the upper edge of
the trunk lid doesn’t appear to be as aggressive as the show car’s. And
unlike the TSX and TL, the TLX will sport concealed exhaust tips.
From the side, the rocker panel treatment is a
bit more subdued, though the black tapes appears to be covering the same
character lines found on the show car. Not surprisingly, the TLX
prototype’s fancy side view mirrors
and their “moving glow” light treatment give way to more conventional
units. Acura heavily masked the C-pillar and rear quarter window, so
we’ll have to wait a bit longer to see how that portion of the sedan
turns out. One shot of the front fender reveals what appear to be
Acura’s Jewel Eye LED headlights and fairly aggressive looking air dams.
The 2015 TLX is slated to arrive in showrooms by
mid-2014 and will be offered with a new 2.4-liter I-4 or a 3.5-liter
V-6. The TLX will also feature new transmissions, as well the latest
version of Acura’s Super Handling All-Wheel drive system (available for
the V-6 model)
One has to wonder whether Acura deliberately follows a Soviet policy of
purging charismatic nameplates from its lineup every few years, or the
loss of well-known models is just the result of fickle market planners. How many non-car fanatics do you know who could still identify “Integra” and “Legend”
as Acuras, even though it’s been 15 years since the company summarily
executed them. If the Legend had any spiritual successor, it’s the TL
sedan, which has for four generations been the brand’s top-selling car
since its introduction. Acura’s introduction of the smaller TSX
10 years ago restored our faith in the company’s ability to engineer
sharp-handling lightweight sports sedans. If you haven’t guessed yet
where this is going, meet the TLX, which will replace both the TSX and
TL when it goes on sale later this year.
Beneath the thin veneer of the “concept car” moniker, the TLX introduced at the 2014 Detroit auto show
very much is the mid-size sedan Acura will put into production. Acura
has kept the exact same wheelbase from the current TL—it raises
questions about how new the underpinnings of this car really are—but has
shaved 3.8 inches of total length. Not only should that reduce the
impression of giant front and rear overhangs so prominent on the TL, but
it will help reduce the impression that Acura’s middle sedan is
oversized for the 3-series-and-friends class in which it’s meant to
reside.
Styling can’t be described as anything but predictable, with the TLX
carrying over elements from other recently introduced Acura
models—especially the ILX and bigger RLX. That means blocky wheel arches, headlights that look stippled by LEDs, and even very sculpted door handles.
To better position the TLX in that mid-size-luxury category, Acura is
offering it with two engines and drivetrain configurations. Base TLX
models will come with a 2.4-liter inline-four that’s used throughout the
Honda lineup, with power likely to match the 189-hp,
182-lb-ft-of-torque rating of the Accord Sport. It’ll be offered only with a new eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.
More cylinders and gears are available to those with more money, who can
outfit their TLXs with Honda’s delightful 3.5-liter V-6 and a
nine-speed automatic transmission. Although Acura hasn’t released specs
for this engine, either, you can expect it to make the same 278
horsepower and 252 lb-ft of torque as it does in six-cylinder Accords.
Front-wheel drive is the standard configuration with both engines, but
all-wheel drive will be optional with the V-6. All TLXs will come with
Acura’s excellent four-wheel-steering system.
If you hadn’t noticed yet, this means that the TLX won’t come with a
manual transmission, as did the TSX and TL it replaces. That winnows
Acura’s stick availability to a single model, the ILX, and leaves us
despondent that one of the best builders of manual gearboxes is offering
so few of them. The de rigueur suite of driver assistance/annoyance
equipment will be on the TLX’s options sheet, including collision
warning, blind-spot monitoring, and adaptive cruise control with a
stop-and-go-traffic setting.
If we’re lucky, the TLX will only be around for one or two generations.
That’s not because we have anything against the car, mind you, but
because a premature retirement would mean Acura has built something
really great. Source;
Honda Motor Co. (7267)’s No. 2 executive,
asked to identify the automaker’s weak spot, spoke bluntly: The
company’s Acura luxury sedans have to get better.
The world will soon learn whether they have. Next month
Honda will introduce the Acura TLX to replace its aging TL, the
brand’s top-selling sedan that was last revamped five years ago.
Designed by Honda’s North American unit, the reworked luxury car
will be the latest test of the Tokyo-based automaker’s decision
to give more influence to U.S. engineers.
“We need an Acura brand to shine among luxury
franchises,” Executive Vice President Tetsuo Iwamura said in an
interview last week at Bloomberg’s headquarters office in New
York. “It’s high time.”
Acura car sales are down 8.6 percent in the U.S. through
November. That represents a drag on results for a company with
four models -- the Civic, Accord, CR-V and Odyssey -- ranking
first or second in their respective segments. Combined Honda and
Acura sales are up 7.8 percent this year, the slowest pace of
the market’s biggest automakers and trailing the industry’s 8.4
percent increase through November.
Honda plans to introduce its 2015 model TLX sedan next
month at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit,
Iwamura said. A modified ILX compact sedan with a more robust
powertrain will follow, and Acura’s NSX “supercar,” a high-performance coupe, returns in 2015. Iwamura declined to detail
changes to the youth-oriented ILX model. Photographer: Susana Gonzalez/Bloomberg
A shopper views an Acura vehicle at a dealership in the Polanco neighborhood of Mexico City.
Berkman’s Role
The job of bringing the TLX to life was entrusted to Erik Berkman, a 30-year Honda veteran who in 2012 became the
company’s first non-Japanese head of research and development
for North America. Honda bolstered the U.S.-based operation’s
power earlier this year when it created a nine-member North
American management board, which includes Berkman, two other
Americans and a Canadian. The board is in charge of products and
strategy for the region, which generates the biggest share of
the company’s global sales.
Berkman was among the engineers who helped the company
tackle its last big test: 2012’s on-the-fly redesign of the
critically panned Civic. He previously gained stature within
Honda for leading development of Acura’s last hit sedan, the
2006 TL that helped the brand reach record sales in 2005.
Getting Acura right, after what Iwamura called its “winding
path,” is important to tap growing demand for premium vehicles
in the U.S. and around the world.
Lagging Lexus
As Acura car sales have fallen, other premium brands have
gained ground. Toyota Motor Corp.’s Lexus car sales rose 15
percent in the U.S. this year through November; Bayerische
Motoren Werke AG’s BMW are up 9.2 percent; Daimler AG’s
Mercedes-Benz, up 14 percent; and General Motors Co. (GM)’s Cadillac,
up 55 percent. Mercedes-Benz car sales total 183,358 this year
through November while BMW has delivered 178,512 cars, according
to Autodata Corp.
While Honda derives the bulk of its revenue from mass-market Civic compacts, Accord sedans and small CR-V SUVs, luxury
autos ensure better profit margins. The average Honda sold for
$25,976 in November, versus $40,597 for each Acura vehicle,
according to Kelley Blue Book, an automotive pricing and data
company.
For now, Acura sales are sustained by the new MDX and RDX
sport-utility vehicles, which account for 58 percent of Acura’s
149,685 U.S. sales through November. Honda sold 62,301 of its
four Acura sedan models over the same period, including the
large RLX and outgoing TSX, less than half the volume of
Toyota’s premium Lexus cars.
‘Big Opportunity’
Acura, created prior to Lexus or Nissan Motor Co.’s
Infiniti as a U.S. premium brand, can become a bigger source of
global revenue for Honda, said Steve Usher, a San Diego-based
equity analyst for JI Asia Research, who rates Honda a buy.
“They are now looking at it on a more global scale,”
Usher said. “They’re starting to think about getting Acura to
China, and that will be a big opportunity.”
Iwamura said in January that his 2013 goal was a U.S. sales
record -- topping its 1.55 million U.S. sales in 2007. Lagging
Acura deliveries make that unlikely, he said last week. Still,
Honda averted a larger blow: that Civic and Accord, cornerstones
of success for 30 years, were falling behind competitors’ new
compact and mid-size offerings.
‘Strong Again’
A poor review for the 2012 Civic by Consumer Reports sent
shock waves through Honda. The company took the unusual tack of
rushing out an upgrade -- what it calls a “major minor
refresh” -- that improved Civic’s interior and added a stronger
frame that gave it the best crash rating of any U.S. compact.
The revamped Civic and new Accord that came out in 2012
lifted Honda-brand car sales 8.8 percent, outpacing an
industrywide average for cars of 5.6 percent, according to
Autodata.
“Honda is definitely strong again and, if not boiling
over, on a steady simmer in terms of progress and momentum,”
said Karl Brauer, industry analyst at Kelley Blue Book.
Honda argues that if fleet sales are removed, it boasts one
of the industry’s best growth rates in retail deliveries this
year. Retail sales reflect only vehicles sold directly to
individuals, rather than to businesses and rental-car companies.
Honda estimates less than 2 percent of its U.S. sales are
to fleets. It eschews them to maintain higher resale values for
retail buyers, U.S. senior vice president Mike Accavitti said.
Changing Landscape
Like Toyota, Honda is still adapting to an automotive
landscape in which quality is a given and companies including
GM, Ford Motor Co. and Hyundai Motor Co. now build some of the
most compelling vehicles.
“Everybody is better than they used to be,” Brauer said.
“You can’t be the clear or easy winner in any segment like you
used to.”
Acura’s inconsistent car line has made the brand a laggard
in recent years to BMW, Mercedes, Lexus and GM’s Cadillac and
Volkswagen AG’s Audi unit. Sales peaked at 209,610 in 2005 and
dwindled in 2009, when U.S. auto sales collapsed. Acura
deliveries may reach about 163,000 units this year, based on the
sales pace through November.
Iwamura said the mid-size TLX sport sedan that replaces the
aging TL will be the biggest change for Acura in 2014.
The racing-style NSX that returns in 2015 will be Acura’s
performance “halo,” Iwamura said. The car should sell for more
than $100,000, he has said. The last units of the all-aluminum
coupe were sold in 2007.
‘Big Kids’
Much as 2010 was a low point for Toyota, which had to
battle a recall crisis, 2011 was similarly tough for Honda.
The Consumer Reports pan of the Civic came after Asian
natural disasters in 2011 -- Japan’s earthquake and tsunami, and
flooding in Thailand -- stalled Honda’s global production for
months. A 2011 spike in the yen’s value made sales of Japan-built models such as the Fit subcompact unprofitable in the U.S.
Those setbacks, along with lackluster reviews for several
Honda and Acura models, provided an opportunity to try a new
approach, U.S. Executive Vice President John Mendel said in an
interview last month in Los Angeles.
Honda has struggled with balancing a “small company
mentality” with the fact that it now “is sitting at the big
kids’ table,” he said.
Newly-named TLX will feature more dynamic and sporty
proportions, two new advanced powertrains and a host of signature Acura
technologies
TSX to be discontinued as Acura creates clear hierarchy for luxury sedan lineup
Acura today announced that the 2015 Acura TLX Prototype performance
luxury sedan will debut at the 2014 North American International Auto
Show in Detroit in January. The TLX will mark the debut of a new name
for Acura's mid-size modern luxury sedan entry, replacing the outgoing
TL model. The all-new model will feature more emotional styling with
tidier, sports sedan proportions wrapped around two all-new advanced
powertrains that provide even more athletic performance, along with a
host of signature Acura technologies. The 2015 TLX Prototype is
designed to appeal to current and next-generation luxury sports sedan
buyers including existing TL and TSX customers.
In conjunction with the launch of the production TLX in the second
half of next year, Acura will discontinue sales of the TSX model in
2014, as it moves to clarify its sedan lineup with a clear hierarchy of
three distinct models – the entry luxury ILX, mid-size TLX sports sedan,
and flagship RLX performance sedan.
"This all-new Acura TLX is the perfect blend of style and muscle with
its elegant, well-proportioned exterior that cloaks the true sport
sedan chassis and powertrain beneath," said Mike Accavitti, senior vice
president, American Honda Motor, Co., Inc. "The sporty characteristics
that customers found appealing in the TSX are even more pronounced in
this aggressive new TLX."
The all-new Acura TLX will offer luxury buyers a wider range of
choices with two all-new, high-performance and highly fuel-efficient
direct-injected engines, each mated to an all-new advanced transmission,
along with available two-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive
configurations. The TLX will also feature dynamic and emotional exterior
styling wrapped around a mid-size luxury sports-sedan package that
maintains the roomy cabin space of the current TL.
The TLX Prototype was designed in Acura's Los Angeles Design Studio
and the production model is being developed by Acura engineers at the
company's Ohio R&D center. It will be produced at the Marysville,
Ohio auto plant1, home to the current Acura TL.
Speaking at the Acura press conference at the 2014 North American
International Auto Show in Detroit on Jan. 14, 2014 will be Mike
Accavitti, senior vice president, American Honda Motor, Co., Inc.
Date: June 24, 2013 21:31
Submitted by:
JeffX Source:
Ben Cheah for Brenda Priddy & Company
Credibility Rating:
Not Specified
Ben Cheah was cruising through
Death Valley over the weekend and spotted some BMW i8s being tested.
Intrigued, he followed them into a parking lot and found a group of
Honda and Acura(?) test mules along with a new 2014 MDX. One of them
appears to be some sort of Accord V6 variant, but this heavily camo'd
one could be an early mule for the 2015 Acura TLX.
A huge thanks goes out to Ben Cheah for sharing these photos with the TOV.
