Honda Retools Acura for Fuel Conservation

Unsatisfied with the current positioning for their Acura line, Honda has made the announcement that it plans to retool the vehicle and the marketing approach for the brand. What’s this mean for consumers? Better gas mileage, more innovation, and a whole new realm of vehicle in the mid-level premium car. In essence, the company is abandoning its approach to try to rank Acura among the luxury vehicle market and is settling for a high mid-level vehicle that will offer fuel economy rather than performance like many of the luxury giants such as Mercedes, BMW and Lexus. Look out, you’ll soon see these new vehicles being shipped via car shipping services.

What’s In the New Design?

There are various upgrades planned for the new vehicle, including many things that will make it environmentally friendly and bigger. While the new Acura line will feature smaller vehicles as well, the company plans to widen the spread in the lineup. Claiming that many of the previous models were too similar to each other in size, Honda has redesigned and designed from the ground up a new series of models that promise to offer everything that consumers are asking for; fuel economy, interior roominess, and choice in functionality. From mid-sized sedans to fuel efficient crossovers, Honda is, in essence, redesigning their entire Acura name.

Building on Success

Honda knows where it’s had success; with the Civic. Not only is the Civic one of the most popular vehicles the world over, but it is also well known for reliability and safety. As such, the company plans to build on this success. By using the Civic as the basis for one of the newly redesigned Acura models, they hope to create a new vehicle that ranks well in all three of these areas as well. Though the vehicle won’t resemble the Civic, it will offer many of the aspects that have been measures of success for it. Some of these include the simple electric power steering and suspension systems, which are quieter and take up less room than their luxury alternatives. What it means for consumers is a quieter, more spacious ride.

New Consumer Trends

Perhaps one of the biggest shifts that Honda plans on implementing is seen in their reduction in performance in lieu of fuel economy. Many experts in the vehicle and auto field these days are showing that consumers are looking for less MPH and more MPG. Some experts even go so far as to say that today’s luxury line has too much power, and with the prices of gasoline these days, luxury vehicle owners are looking for a break. They will find this break in the refreshingly gas sipping engines in the new Acura lineup. Rather than increasing performance beyond the capabilities of the drivers who own these vehicles, Honda is seeking a new niche within the luxury field; gas conservation. By doing so, the company hopes to stabilize Acura sales and reassert the brand as a consumer choice vehicle. Keep your eyes out on the roads and you might catch auto shippers transporting these new vehicles.

Exceptions to the Rule

There will be one exception to the new approach. In 2005, the supercar being sold as the Acura NSX disappeared from the market. Now, with the new outlook on the overall brand, Honda plans for the model to make a reappearance. They unveiled the newest version of the NSX at the Detroit auto show; a vehicle that will really give cars like the Ferrari a run for their money. Rather than putting everything into the sooped up engine, however, Honda plans to couple a compact, fuel efficient engine with a lithium ion battery that will allow the supercar to compete for the most environmentally friendly of such vehicles on the market. Don’t expect to pay less, though. The NSX is still a muscle car.