Boring Sells: Acura RDX Sales Triple Year-Over-Year
Pursuant to our recent discussions of Honda’s spiral into the mundane – and the market’s warm reception despite this move, here’s another example of one of the big H’s vehicles picking up steam as it becomes more mainstream.
With 3,301 units sold in May, the RDX had its best month ever, tripling its May 2011 sales number and outselling every other competitor save for the Cadillac SRX. The new RDX requires premium fuel and is $1,500 more than the outgoing model, though the new car has 30 more horsepower, two more cylinders and gets a fuel economy improvement of 1 mpg in town and 4 mpg on the highway.
Time will tell if the RDX can sustain this kind of pace. A new model introduction is generally a fruitful period in terms of sales. If the RDX can present itself as a legitimate challenger to premium crossovers like the BMW X3, Audi Q5 and Mercedes GLK, it may help Acura claw its way back into relevance, even if it’s not the product that enthusiasts want to see.
More by Derek Kreindler
Comments
Join the conversation
The original RDX was not an enthusiast's car. Hell the K23A1 was not an enthusiast's engine. Ramblings of "what could have been" are just idle chatter. The NA K engines take to boost like a fish to water, reliably spewing 400-500 hp at the crank whilst spinning at a very Honda-esque 8000-9000 RPM, probably getting better gas mileage and operating under lower boost than a stock K23A. Good riddance.
It might be noted that the original RDX rode like a brick. Part of the revamp is a better ride, at least according to the magazine I saw in a doctor's office the other day.
Trust me the old RDX didn't ride, it crashed with little handling payoff.
Acura looks more and more like the Mercury of the Japanese world. Are any of their cars not badge engineered copies of lesser models? People should really pay attention to what platform the cars they buy are based on.