Acura dealers have been complaining that the brand’s flagship RL sedan is a slow seller because of its high price tag and lack of a V8 engine. AutoWeek reports that an RL goes for about $50K, and despite being laden with all manner of technological trinkets it just can’t compete with similar sedans packing the grunt of a V8 for the same price.
Apparently corporate has heard their cries and has decided that the solution is not adding a V8 engine to RL's option list, but rather offering a decontented version of the sedan at a lower price. Acura’s dealer council has officially made the recommendation for the decontented model and is hoping for a model that goes in the low to mid-$40K range.
Some question whether Acura has a strong enough brand image to price a vehicle near $50K, which we think is hogwash. There’s nothing wrong with the idea of a $50K Acura in this segment that a proper V8 wouldn’t fix. Sure, there are vehicles at or above that price point that come standard with a smaller cylinder count, but they’re not luxury sedans.
Apparently corporate has heard their cries and has decided that the solution is not adding a V8 engine to RL's option list, but rather offering a decontented version of the sedan at a lower price. Acura’s dealer council has officially made the recommendation for the decontented model and is hoping for a model that goes in the low to mid-$40K range.
Some question whether Acura has a strong enough brand image to price a vehicle near $50K, which we think is hogwash. There’s nothing wrong with the idea of a $50K Acura in this segment that a proper V8 wouldn’t fix. Sure, there are vehicles at or above that price point that come standard with a smaller cylinder count, but they’re not luxury sedans.
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