Acura Bets Big on New TLX

Acura is mounting its largest advertising campaign and spend as it gets ready to roll out the new TLX sedan in the U.S.

The TLX marks Honda’s first big play to revive its underperforming Acura sedan lineup and reach new heights with the luxury brand in the U.S. market.

Mike Accavitti, Honda senior vice president and general manager of Acura, says his division has been on a bit of a sales roll over the last four years, with most of its gains have been on the truck side, where the MDX lays claim to being the best-selling 3-row luxury CUV in the market and its newer RDX rang up 25 straight monthly sales records through April.

But the division has been admittedly weak on the car side, a position it hopes to reverse with the performance-oriented TLX that replaces two models, the TL and TSX, in the brand’s stable.

The TLX offers a choice of two engines, a 2.4L 4-cyl. mated to an 8-speed dual-clutch transmission or a 3.5L V-6 coupled with a 9-speed automatic.

Acura officials won’t disclose the planned budget for the TLX media campaign, but say it is significantly above its last high-water mark, set when it launched the MDX.

“It’s a lot,” Accavitti says during a webinar for media Friday detailing the ad campaign. “We can say though, with great confidence, this is the most we’ve spent on a campaign in the Acura brand’s history.

“We understand challenges we have as a brand,” he adds. “This is a new nameplate, and we want to get the word out to all the targeted consumers.”

Acura is planning to touch all media platforms with its campaign, beginning with its “My Way” anthem spot that will be shown on TV and online. It tells the story of the TLX’s development, set to fast-paced music and high-speed visuals, ending with the tagline: “We made this one for us, but you can have one.”

There will be considerable focus on targeted digital advertising as well, including an augmented-reality brochure that works with a smartphone to demonstrate the car’s technology, including its all-wheel-drive and 4-wheel-steering systems.

Acura says it already has 40,000 sales leads from customers who have requested to be put in touch with a dealer about the car. Accavitti says that doubles the next-highest presale draw for the brand, the 20,000 hand-raisers pulled in by the MDX prior to its launch.

Acura believes the TLX will offer buyers the size and packaging of the outgoing TSX but with better performance, refinement and accoutrements.

“We think we have solved the equation,” Accavitti says.

The TLX rollout follows on the heels of a reorganization earlier in the year that split Acura U.S. operations away from American Honda and gave U.S. management greater say in all aspects of the product, from engineering to manufacturing and sales.

“This is a significant change to the way we’ve done business,” Accavitti says. “This is demonstrating the company’s commitment that Acura can be a greater volume and profit contributor.

“We’re focusing resources to give Acura an independent voice and create its own destiny as an independent brand.”

The TLX was supposed to hit the market in May, but the debut was delayed because “we wanted it to be perfect,” Accavitti says. Production was launched in July in Marysville, OH.

[email protected]