
I've been thinking about Acura's approach to luxury. Autoextremist states it pretty succinctly as, "Technology for technology's sake."
Indeed, the TLX has followed that mantra. Acura has put every piece of technology that they have into the TLX. Just take a look at this list of technologies.
- Precision All-Wheel Steer
- Super Handling All-Wheel Drive (SH-AWD)
- Agile Handling Assist
- Integrated Dynamic System (IDS)
- Acura Link
- HomeLink remote system
- Real-time traffic
- Lane Departure Warning system
- Lane Keeping assist system
- Collision Mitigation Braking system
Now having all those technologies is not a bad thing in itself, but I feel that Acura has conflated luxury with technology. Ultimately, the luxury buyer is looking for much more than just technology. I think that luxury buyers see luxury as a feeling and a lifestyle. It has to do with the design of the vehicle, the care that has been put into it, and the pride you take in owning the vehicle. Many luxury buyers would give up a whole bunch of these technological features, like lane departure warning and lan keeping assist, in favor of a vehicle that uses the nicest materials and simply evokes an emotional response from them.
By focusing too much on technology, Acura has become a bit of a robot in the luxury world. Their cars don't evoke strong emotions, they seem like a nice package with every technological goody possible packed inside. Maybe that appeals to some, but I think that the way into the luxury buyer's pocketbook is through their heart and not through dazzling technology.
It also seems that Acura hasn't learned from its past mistakes. It continues to present the same thing to consumers, while it claims that it is new and different. Repeatedly Acura has missed the mark when it comes to connecting with luxury buyers where it counts.