Honda Appeals to Females With Costliest Acura Ad Campaign

By Keith Naughton - Jun 24, 2013

 

Honda Motor Co. (HMC) is targeting female drivers for its redesigned 2014 Acura MDX sport wagon with the luxury brand’s most expensive advertising campaign yet.

Using the slogan “Made for Mankind,” a female narrates the moody ads showing women hiking a mountain ridge, dancing and interacting with a robot. The commercial debuts during the National Hockey League’s Stanley Cup Finals this month, while the full campaign starts July 7, Tokyo-based Honda said.

Honda is betting the ads will boost Acura sales that have fallen 25 percent in the U.S. from a peak of 209,610 in 2005. The luxury marque of Japan’s third-largest automaker is also promoting new RLX sedan and NSX sports car models priced at more than $100,000. With the new MDX, Acura said it’s trying to make an emotional appeal to female luxury-car buyers.

“Luxury is so focused on a very sort of stereotypical, 40-year-old wealthy male,” Gary Robinson, advertising manager for Honda’s Acura luxury line, said June 20 in Detroit at a briefing on the new MDX. “Going forward, certainly in our country, that is not going to be anybody’s majority anymore. So there’s this opportunity to talk to somebody different.”

Honda is hoping to imbue Acura with the same success it has found with its mainstream model line, which includes the Accord sedan, the second-best-selling car in the U.S. this year.

Going after female buyers for the MDX makes sense, said Michelle Krebs, an analyst at auto researcher Edmunds.com.

Moms Car
“Moms drive the MDX; it’s sort of a minivan that’s not a minivan,” said Krebs, who is based in Southfield, Michigan. “Why not appeal to the female audience? Not many automakers do that.”

Robinson said the MDX ad campaign is the costliest ever for Acura. He declined to reveal how much Honda is spending on it. He said it’s more than twice as much as Acura’s campaign last year to introduce the redesigned RDX model. And he said the cost of the MDX campaign is “not too far off” what Honda spends on its bread-and-butter Accord model.

“Our brand sort of struggles in terms of volume,” Robinson said of Acura. “This is our most important vehicle in a lot of ways and we can’t get it wrong.”

Honda set a goal for this year of topping its best-ever U.S. volume of 1.55 million Honda and Acura brand cars and light trucks, set in 2007. The company is counting on the third-generation MDX and new RLX flagship sedan to reach the target. Acura plans to sell 60,000 MDX models a year, Robinson said.

US Deliveries
Honda’s total U.S. deliveries gained 5.6 percent this year through May to 608,663. The company’s Honda brand rose 5.2 percent during that period, while its Acura brand increased 9.8 percent, according to researcher Autodata Corp.

Acura’s U.S. sales trail the luxury leaders, Bayerische Motoren Werke AG (BMW)’s BMW, Daimler AG (DAI)’s Mercedes-Benz and Toyota Motor Corp. (7203)’s Lexus line.

“For Acura, the luxury market is so intensely competitive and they’ve fallen so far,” Krebs said. “Now they’re trying to shake things up.”

Source;
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-06-24/honda-appeals-to-females-with-costliest-acura-ad-campaign.html

2014 Acura MDX Gets Positive Review from Consumer Reports [Video]

When you say the worlds "luxury" and "SUV" together, you're usually talking about the Range Rover or some sort of German model, like the Porsche Cayenne. The thing is, American consumers still have a lot of needs that are not met by European models, and Acura knows this.

One of their more popular models is the MDX, a large SUV which offers third row seating for large families. With the NSX Roadster and the NSX crossover both appearing in the Avengers movie, Acuras are cooler than ever, so Consumer Reports tested the 2014 MDX and found it had many of the qualities it needs.

The 2014 model is new and base some pretty bold styling, most notably headlights that look like little jewels in a row. Consumer Reports says this looks like a bug's eye, but we think it's a welcomed feature that gives it Acura-specific identity.

Consumer Reports never gives positive reviews to buttonless infotainment systems and we do agree with them. But this is an industry norm now and can't really be considered a fault with the SUV.

Overall, the 2014 MDX is roomier, more refined, quieter and more practical. If you're looking for a three-row SUV, you can't ignore it.

Source;
http://www.autoevolution.com/news/2014-acura-mdx-gets-positive-review-from-consumer-reports-video-61244.html

AutoGuide.com Reviews the 2014 Acura MDX (Video)

Drive On: Honda's Acura shifts focus to U.S.

by Mark Phelan of detroit free press

Acura, Honda's luxury brand, is shifting design, engineering and production of its vehicles to the U.S.

The new 2014 MDX crossover vehicle that goes on sale in July is the first Acura to be developed entirely by the company's Ohio tech center, the first Honda Group platform conceived here. The MDX architecture will probably also underpin the next Honda Pilot SUV.

"Acura as a brand is very heavily NAFTA-focused," Mike Accavitti, Honda and Acura senior vice president of automotive operations, says. For a long time, that simply meant that Acura only existed in the U.S. and Canada. The same vehicles bore Honda badges in the rest of the world.

Honda understands Acura must become more distinctive, particularly as the brand enters new markets such as China, Russia, Brazil and the Middle East. As the brand's historic home and largest market, Honda's U.S. operations have an unprecedented opportunity to shape Acura's future.

The MDX was designed by Acura's studio in Torrance, Calif. It just went into production in Lincoln, Ala. Every model but the RLX and TSX cars is built in North America.

Honda reinforced Acura's American identity when it decided to build the next generation NSX exotic sports car in Ohio.

"It'd be nice to have a higher brand premium" in terms of pricing, and a higher overall perception of Acura's status, said Accavitti, a former Chrysler executive who joined Honda in 2012. Accavitti said buyers see Acura as a smart choice because its cars have good resale value and offer lots of features compared with similarly priced competitors.

Acuras also tend to have roomy interiors, good fuel economy and high quality and reliability, said Frank Markus, technical director of Motor Trend magazine, and my driving partner in the MDX last week.

None of that has translated into the prestige and prices Acura needs to compete in the top tier of luxury automakers.

"Acura has a crisis in design," Markus said. "Their vehicles just don't look very interesting or good. Especially versus competitors like the Audi A7 or Mercedes CLA. They've got a long way to go on styling and to simplify their controls."

The 2014 MDX — almost certain to be a highly profitable successor to Acura's best-selling model — is vital to the brand's immediate future, but the Ohio-built and-engineered NSX hybrid supercar may be the key in the long term. It could change people's perception of the brand, particularly as others jump on the high-performance bandwagon with hyper-priced hybrids such as the $845,000 Porsche 918 Spyder, $1.3-million McLaren P1 and $2.3-million LaFerrari.

"We're breathlessly awaiting the NSX," Markus said. "It's the affordable hybrid supercar."

It's the successor to the legendary NSX that helped put Acura on the map in the 1990s. Acura expects the combination of all-wheel drive, three electric motors, a turbocharged V6 and high fuel economy raise the brand's profile.

"They can't get the NSX fast enough," said Jim Hall, managing director of 2953 Analytics. "Acura needs a serious flagship with a clear connection to the rest of its models."

Source;
http://www.usatoday.com/story/driveon/2013/06/03/acura-honda-mdx/2383523/

2014 Acura MDX Production Begins in Alabama

The mass production of the all-new 2014 Acura MDX luxury SUV has begun at Honda Manufacturing of Alabama, with the vehicle set to go on sale at US dealers nationwide in the coming weeks.

Designed, engineered and developed in the United States, the seven-seater vehicle received a new platform for 2014 and Acura says it will come with improved ride comfort, a more versatile and luxurious cabin, class-leading fuel economy and enhanced dynamic performance. Also, the Japanese company claims the new MDX will achieve the highest available safety rating.

"What a beautiful vehicle we have created together," said Jim Keller, chief engineer for the 2014 Acura MDX at Honda R&D in Raymond, Ohio. "Today we celebrate not a finish line, but a starting line. Our race is just beginning, and to win this race takes a constant and committed focus on quality and on the customer."

Honda also announced that the 2014 Acura MDX will be offered for the first time with a more affordable and more fuel-efficient two-wheel-drive configuration, but pricing information has yet to be revealed. Besides the Acura MDX, the Alabama facility also builds Honda vehicles such as the Odyssey minivan, the Pilot SUV and the Ridgeline pickup.

Source;
http://www.autoevolution.com/news/2014-acura-mdx-production-begins-in-alabama-58912.html

All-New 2014 Acura MDX to Restake Luxury SUV Benchmark Status at the 2013 New York International Auto Show

With its sharpened performance, efficient design, and refined cabin, the third-generation MDX aims to redefine the 7-passenger luxury SUV segment

03/18/2013 - TORRANCE, Calif 

 

The production version of the all-new 2014 Acura MDX will be unveiled March 27, at the 2013 New York International Auto Show (NYIAS), which will further cement the model's position as the benchmark in the three-row luxury SUV category. Utilizing a completely new platform that has been optimized in every respect, the seven-passenger MDX will offer enhanced ride comfort, a more versatile cabin, and increased fuel efficiency, while also improving dynamic performance.

The new third-generation 2014 Acura MDX is equipped with a highly efficient direct-injected 3.5-liter i-VTEC V-6 engine with Variable Cylinder Management (VCM), and will be offered in both SH-AWD and 2-wheel-drive drivetrain variants, the latter configuration being a first for the model. The 2014 MDX features a longer wheelbase that raises ride quality, increases second-row legroom, and improves third-row seat access. In addition, the 2014 Acura MDX harnesses a collection of Acura signature technologies, including the next-generation of the AcuraLink® Connectivity System and Jewel Eye™ LED headlamps.

The 2014 MDX offers a collection of innovative driver assistive and visibility technologies such as the Multi-Angle Rearview Camera and the available Lane Keeping Assist System (LKAS), Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) with Low-Speed Follow, and Blind Spot Information (BSI). The third-generation MDX is also equipped with a broad array of advanced safety technologies, including the next generation Advanced Compatibility Engineering™ II (ACE™ II) body structure and the available Forward Collision Warning (FCW) and Lane Departure Warning (LDW) systems. Further, the 2014 MDX is expected to achieve top-level safety ratings, including a 5-star Overall Vehicle Score from the NHTSA and a TOP SAFETY PICK+ rating from the IIHS.

The Acura press conference is scheduled for 12:10 PM (EDT) on March 27, 2013 inside the Jacob Javits Convention Center. Shortly after, the recorded press conference will be available for view on www.acuranews.com and www.youtube.com/acura. For members of the media, press materials and photography will be posted at www.acuranews.com immediately following the press conference.

Source;
http://www.hondanews.com/channels/corporate-headlines/releases/all-new-2014-acura-mdx-to-restake-luxury-suv-benchmark-status-at-the-2013-new-york-international-auto-show