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Acura RL On Its Way Out?
by
Edward Niedermeyer
(IC: employee)
Published: July 16th, 2010
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Automotive News [sub] reports that the Acura RL is about to be canceled in the Japanese market, where it is sold as the Honda Legend. Considering that Acura’s range-topper sold only 872 units this year so far. For comparison, that’s less than even its weakest competitors like the Cadillac STS (2,145 units YTD)… only the Audi A8 (353 units YTD) sells worse in the full-size luxury sedan segment. According to the report, which originated in The Nikkei, Honda will also make its Civic a hybrid-only model in Japan, and will cancel its Elysion 8-passenger van. With Honda announcing its mid-term product plans next week, we’re sure to hear more about this shortly… in the meantime, would anyone miss the RL?
Edward Niedermeyer
More by Edward Niedermeyer
Published July 16th, 2010 4:51 PM
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If you don't acknowledge a problem , then it doesn't exsist,right? That's Acura's problem these days. How Apple is handling its iphone 4 problem is exactly the same type of problem management. The RL is a car that doesn't matter in the least. What should be a flagship car is a also ran that has being adverage as it's only goal. Combined with the ugliest body designs , well , the consumer gets the picture. Like Apple , Honda's top brass are just too proud to see it , too ego driven to care.
For as long as I can remember, the RL always pretended to be Acura's flagship sedan, while it was clear the TL was their true flagship. Years ago you could spot these on the roads occasionally, but RLs have faded into such irrelevence, you'd be lucky to see one today. Absolutely irrelevent. That is what the RL is.
What happened to Honda designer Jon Ikeda? I liked his work on the 2004-2008 Acura TL. Never understood the appeal of the last RL once the TL grew to Legend size. Like the RL even less with that damn chrome beak.
Wow, OUCH! No love here! Looks like a big fat "0" for the RL. :-(