Acura Sets Sights on Breaking MDX Record; Delays Launch to July

ROCHESTER, MI – Breaking the Acura MDX's all-time U.S. sales record of 59,505 units set in 2004 is achievable with the upcoming ’14 model of the large cross/utility vehicle, a top Acura official says.

"I think we'll sell more, not only because it's a great car but because of the addition of 2-wheel drive," Mike Accavitti, senior vice president-automobile operations for American Honda, tells WardsAuto at an MDX event here.

Acura already has seen a substantial increase in deliveries of its smaller RDX CUV thanks to the addition of 2WD to its traditional all-wheel-drive model lineup, he says. Sales of the second-generation RDX, on sale since spring 2012, surged 171.3% through April, according to WardsAuto data.

Accavitti says the new MDX will mark the first time Acura has competed in the large 2WD CUV segment, and he expects to see an incremental gain from buyers who don’t require AWD.

Acura expects AWD models to make up the bulk of MDX sales, predicting a 65% take rate. That ratio was determined based upon the delineation in RDX sales between its two drivetrain variants.

The best-selling '14 MDX model is predicted to be AWD with a technology package, for a 34% take rate. The 2WD tech model is seen tying with the base AWD version for the second-highest take rate of 17%.

For '14, the MDX gets a new direct-injected 3.5L V-6 engine mated to Honda's cylinder-deactivation technology. Enhanced standard equipment includes push-button start, one-touch walk-in seating for easier third-row access and wide-view rear camera.

Owners of the previous-generation MDX said they would prefer less center-stack complexity, so Acura has cut the number of hard buttons from 41 to nine with the addition of a new touchscreen.

Acura earlier slated the '14 MDX for a June launch but now is planning a July rollout because of a slow production ramp-up at Honda's Lincoln, AL, plant, where the formerly Canada-built MDX now will be manufactured. The auto maker also wants to ensure it has sufficient dealer inventory.

"We just felt trying to do it earlier, when there weren't enough cars on the ground, was too risky of a strategy," Accavitti says.

Acura is pushing back the debut of the new MDX ad campaign to early July as well and is considering a second media blast in the fall, as summertime traditionally is a difficult period to debut a vehicle because of lower TV viewership and less Internet traffic.

Advertisements for the MDX will mark the debut of Boston-based Mullen as Acura's agency of record. Previously, the Honda brand’s agency, RPA of Los Angeles, also handled Acura. TV, print and digital ads will tout the "man and machine" relationship that has been a guiding principle of Acura's engineering staff in recent years.

“That is something up to this point in time we really haven't tried to communicate in our advertising," Accavitti says. "It's not about "(BMW's tagline) ‘the ultimate driving machine,’" which is biased on the machine. It's really about the human and the machine as equal partners."

The plan is to carry the man/machine theme into future Acura advertising "if it works," he adds, hinting there may be a plan B.

Acura’s U.S. sales this year were up 13.7% through April, with much of the growth based on the increase in RDX volume, and Accavitti says May is tracking ahead of year-ago.

Acura is forecasting 180,000 brand sales this year in the U.S., while American Honda overall is looking to match or best its all-time record volume of 1.55 million units, achieved in 2007.

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