The Woes of Acura

           In recent times, Acura has come under a lot of scrutiny for their lack of sales. There have been multiple bloggers, automotive journalists and CEO’s that have put their two cents into what’s really wrong. Everyone has their own opinion about the ways Acura can change their misfortunes. Guess what? I have my own as well.

            Not so long ago, Lexus was having the same problems. No one wanted to buy a Lexus because it was seen as a glorified Toyota. More recently, Lexus is cross-shopped between Audi, BMW and Mercedes Benz. So what exactly did Lexus do right?

           The Lexus LFA was the savior for the brand. It’s monstrous V-10 produces 552 horsepower and 354 lb-ft. of torque, while taking up the same space as a V-6 engine. 60 miles per hour (mph) takes a blistering 3.6 seconds to pass and propels the car to a top speed of 202 mph. The monocoque for the vehicle was constructed out of aerospace-grade carbon fiber. As a vehicle, the LFA screamed supercar and separated Lexus from Toyota once and for all.

            Engineering and building the LFA wasn’t easy. It took five years to develop and then another four years to perfect it. According to the majority of automotive reviews, Lexus did make it perfect. The superb supercar even came with an outrageous price tag of $375,000, but that didn’t stop Lexus from selling all 500 vehicles. Without even driving the car, there is no hesitation to call it a proper supercar. Not only did it secure a spot within the supercar world, it also brought Lexus into a higher automotive standard. You could say that the LFA lead the way for Lexus’ newly revised lineup of vehicles. 

        Even Infiniti has decided to spread its wings and produce it’s own supercar – the Infiniti Q50 Eau Rouge. Infiniti decided to replace the 3.7-liter engine with the 3.8-liter twin-turbocharged marvel from the Nissan GTR. The Q50 Eau Rouge utilizes the same all-wheel-drive system from the GTR, but uses a newer seven-speed transmission. A supercar heart, supercar handling and a supercar transmission, dare I say it, the Infiniti Q50 Eau Rouge would be a supercar.

            Infiniti has not confirmed production of the Q50 Eau Rouge, but that hasn’t stopped them from showing it off. All of this marketing has allowed Infiniti to attract more customers, increasing the amount of vehicles sold. The Q50 Eau Rouge has also allowed Infiniti to place some distance from its parent company, Nissan.

         All Acura has to do to sell more cars is to put a supercar into production.  This will draw more customers to their vehicles, as well as allowing supercar technology to trickle down.

            Supercars show the world that your company is moving forward – progressing into the future. They offer lucky individuals with something that few vehicles manage to do, a laugh. They’re absolutely mental to drive, a riot to admire and are a form of inspiration for others to follow. Go-ahead Acura, let loose, show the world that you can make a car that’s fun to drive and look at.