The upscale division of Honda Motor Co, Acura recorded a whopping 24 percent increase in sales for the year 2010 when compared to sales of 2009. This record increase crosses the marks set by the other big luxury car makers namely Lexus, Mercedes-Benz and BMW. The only factor that stopped Acura from being the first-tier luxury player has been the recession. Honda executives in Japan have two years ago halted plans for a V-8 engine and rear-wheel drive. American Honda’s assistant vice president for product planning, Vicki Poponi has said that Acura is still trying to figure out what it is and what it wants to be.
The chief marketing officer for American Honda, Steve Center referred to the time period just after the collapse of the Lehman Brothers which caused the start of the economic recession and mentioned how the company worked with its strength to get through the times.
Acura has been rated as the top luxury brand for residual value by Automotive Lease Guide. They have been holding this record for past two years. The position was held by Porsche till this one jumped from 14th position to second with J.D. Power’s Initial Quality Study. Acura spends just $2,600 per vehicle on incentives as per TrueCar and Autodata. This is one of the lowest when compared to any luxury brand except for the Lexus.
Source: 4wheelsnews
