Half of Potential Acura Buyers Displeased with Styling

Beauty might only be skin deep, but it still counts for a lot when it comes to auto sales figures. Acura has been highly criticized for its car design ever since it first introduced its beak-like front end design with the 2009 TL. A new 2010 Avoidance Study, released by J.D. Power, has revealed that nearly half of all prospective Acura buyers said the brand’s styling is their main reason for not purchasing an Acura.

Company representatives have continued to defend the styling of vehicles as Acura rolled out its ‘shield’ design across the product lineup. However the message seems to have finally gotten through, with the new 2011 models offering toned-down lines.

"The direction we were going became irrelevant within 60 days. We missed the window. We've had to reconnoiter. We had to go with our strengths."said Steve Center, chief marketing officer for American Honda, referring to the economic crash of 2008.

While consumers have been loathing the styling of Acura's sedans, the smart packaging of the MDX and RDX crossovers has allowed the brand to ride the wave of American consumers returning to trucks and SUVs. RDX sales have risen by 52% this year, while MDX sales are up 46%. Acura's overall gain of 24% means it is outselling Audi, Infiniti and Lincoln in the States, but the company sold barely half of its 2005 peak of 209,610 vehicles last year.

The Acura brand does however have some strengths, as Automotive Lease Guide has rated it the top luxury brand for residual value for the past 2 years, according to a recent Autonews article. The brand also shot from 14th to second place in J.D. Power's Initial Quality Study, trailing only behind Porsche.