How Honda Will Fix Acura - 2013 Tokyo Motor Show
By Scott Evans | November 19, 2013
During a roundtable discussion with journalists at the 2013 Tokyo Motor Show, American Honda Motor Company CEO Tetsuo Iwamura said that his biggest challenge in the next five years will be fixing Acura. In a surprisingly candid explanation, Iwamura said Acura’s brand image needs to be raised and acknowledged it’s not as strong globally as rivals Lexus and Infiniti (which have their own issues in global markets). Rather than try to expand Acura beyond its current markets in the U.S. and China, Iwamura said the priority is to grow the brand in those markets and make it as strong as possible. Only once the brand is strong enough in its core markets will Honda expand it into more markets, he said.
Growing Acura in the U.S. hinges on improving sales and market share of its sedans. The plan to fix Acura began with getting its SUVs right, Iwamura said, and as a result, the MDX and RDX are seeing big sales increases. Now the focus shifts to the brand’s sedan lineup.
Read more: http://wot.motortrend.com/1311_how_honda_will_fix_acura_2013_tokyo_motor_show.html#ixzz2l8tLxHxv
By Scott Evans | November 19, 2013
During a roundtable discussion with journalists at the 2013 Tokyo Motor Show, American Honda Motor Company CEO Tetsuo Iwamura said that his biggest challenge in the next five years will be fixing Acura. In a surprisingly candid explanation, Iwamura said Acura’s brand image needs to be raised and acknowledged it’s not as strong globally as rivals Lexus and Infiniti (which have their own issues in global markets). Rather than try to expand Acura beyond its current markets in the U.S. and China, Iwamura said the priority is to grow the brand in those markets and make it as strong as possible. Only once the brand is strong enough in its core markets will Honda expand it into more markets, he said.
Growing Acura in the U.S. hinges on improving sales and market share of its sedans. The plan to fix Acura began with getting its SUVs right, Iwamura said, and as a result, the MDX and RDX are seeing big sales increases. Now the focus shifts to the brand’s sedan lineup.
Read more: http://wot.motortrend.com/1311_how_honda_will_fix_acura_2013_tokyo_motor_show.html#ixzz2l8tLxHxv