Moving Upscale
Acura decides to kill the RSX coupe as it moves to separate from Honda brand

By KATHY JACKSON | AUTOMOTIVE NEWS

AutoWeek | Published 05/01/06, 7:46 am et

LOS ANGELES -- Acura will kill the RSX coupe at the end of the 2006 model year.

John Mendel, senior vice president of automobile operations at American Honda Motor Co., says the company is considering replacements for its cheapest vehicle but would not elaborate. Some dealers say Acura will add a coupe version of the TSX.

Elimination of the RSX, Acura's least expensive vehicle by about $8,000, looks like part of Acura's long-term plan to move upscale and separate from sibling brand Honda.

Consumers can now buy a 197-hp Honda Civic Si for about the same price as a base 155-hp RSX.

"The Acura brand has been inconsistent," Mendel said during an interview with Automotive News. "We want to be performance, luxury and technology -- in the BMW area a little bit."

This summer Acura will introduce the small RDX all-wheel-drive crossover, Acura's first vehicle with a turbocharged engine. A redesigned MDX SUV goes on sale this fall with a V-6 engine that Acura promises will deliver more horsepower than any other vehicle in its class.

The base RSX, on the other hand, is powered by a 2.0-liter inline four-cylinder engine making 155 hp. It is priced at $20,940, including the $615 destination charge.



By comparison, the Civic Si is powered by a 2.0-liter inline four-cylinder engine making 197 hp and teamed with a six-speed manual transmission. It sells for $20,840, including shipping.

The RSX was introduced in 2002 and freshened in the 2004 model year. U.S. sales fell 10.6 percent the first three months of this year, to 4,150 units.

By comparison, Acura's best seller, the TL, posted sales of 16,804 in the same period.

Guido Vildozo, automotive analyst with Global Insight in Lexington, Mass., says the RSX needs to go if Acura wants to distance itself from Honda and move upscale. "Where do you position RSX now that Honda has the Civic Si?" Vildozo asks.

Rob Mohr, sales manager for 20 years at Montano Acura in Albuquerque, N.M., says dealers have heard that Acura may add both coupe and convertible models to the TSX sedan, the second-least expensive Acura, which lists at $28,505, including shipping.

But Mohr questions the brand's decision to kill the RSX. He says the inexpensive sticker brought in a lot of customers.

"It's a mistake," he says. "It's a great first car for Acura. We had our chance at the luxury market and blew it. Now we're going to lose a lot of the RSX customers, and I'm not so sure we can get them back."



The RSX is the successor to the Integra, an Acura mainstay in the past. In 1995, for instance, the Integra posted U.S. sales of 61,316.

The Integra outsold the Acura Legend by more than 3-to-1 and accounted for 63.1 percent of Acura sales.

Acura already has learned some lessons about high price tags. The redesigned RL flagship sedan arrived in the fall of 2004 loaded with such equipment as all-wheel drive and a navigation system. The sticker is just shy of $50,000.

But sales are down by more than a third this year. So Mendel says the company will bring out a trim line this summer that will give customers more flexibility with options. He says the vehicle will be priced more in the mid-luxury range.