It has been said that reinvention is key to success. We’re not sure by whom, exactly, but the formula certainly has worked well for megabrands like Apple and Beyoncé. Acura? Not so much. Honda’s luxury badge since 1986 has spent a good portion of its history searching for a niche to claim as its own. Now a report in Automotive News indicates that Acura believes offering all-wheel drive as standard equipment across the board might be the right hook to hang the brand’s identity on. Noting that half of all Acuras sold in the U.S. this year to date were equipped with all-wheel drive, Koichi Fukuo, Acura’s top global executive, told AN, “I think that’s the way we should go.” Although front-wheel drive is standard on base models of the entire lineup, including crossovers, the take rate for all-wheel-drive models illustrates a healthy consumer interest. (Currently, only the entry-level Acura ILX doesn’t offer an all-wheel-drive variant.)
Acura executives reportedly have noted the success and recognition that Audi and Subaru have garnered for their all-wheel-drive systems. Fukuo, riffing on the “Subarist” tag embraced by the Subaru faithful, even went so far as to coin the term “Acurist” to describe the type of dedicated customer base he would like to develop.
But riding all-wheel drive to the bank as Subaru did with the Outback might take more than just swapping around some driveline components. Subaru built its house on providing small, affordable, quirky vehicles for the pre-hipster generation of hipsters; Acura is positioned as an affordable luxury/performance brand, pitting at least part of its product line against Audi, whose storied “Quattro” moniker has become almost synonymous with all-wheel-drive luxury.
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Whereas Lexus and Infiniti (less successfully) went conventional with V-8s and rear-drive to position themselves as alternatives to Mercedes-Benz and BMW, Acura has tried to forge its own way. Going all-in for all-wheel drive certainly won’t kill sales, but we think it will take a more holistic approach to significantly increase brand awareness and sales. At least the upcoming 2016 NSX sports car already fits into an all-wheel-drive scheme: The new hybrid flagship drives its front wheels with electric motors.
The U.S.-based Acura Business Planning Office—established in February to reinvigorate sales and scrutinize the brand from a fresh perspective—supports the all-wheel-drive concept as one of many strategies for injecting freshness into the marque. Developing more-powerful engines while still eschewing large V-8s, as well as the continued avoidance of rear-wheel-drive platforms, are other suggestions presented to the Honda board on October 7.
from Car and Driver Blog http://ift.tt/1ssnWdn
via Agya
