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Honda Adopts Tesla's Sales Model, Wants Future Acura EV Sales To Be 100% Online

Tesla, Rivian, and Lucid are an inspiration for legacy automakers. Honda, for example, announces that Acura’s all-electric models will be sold solely online starting next year. You won’t have to haggle with anyone. Here’s what you need to know.
Acura ZDX Type S Prototype 13 photos
Photo: Acura
2024 Acura ZDX Electric Crossover SUV rendering by MV Auto2024 Acura ZDX Electric Crossover SUV rendering by MV Auto2024 Acura ZDX Electric Crossover SUV rendering by MV Auto2024 Acura ZDX Electric Crossover SUV rendering by MV Auto2024 Acura ZDX Electric Crossover SUV rendering by MV Auto2024 Acura ZDX Electric Crossover SUV rendering by MV Auto2024 Acura ZDX Electric Crossover SUV rendering by MV Auto2024 Acura ZDX Type S prototype2024 Acura ZDX Type S prototype2024 Acura ZDX Type S prototype2024 Acura ZDX Type S prototype2024 Acura ZDX Type S prototype
Acura has been around since 1986. Initially, Honda wanted to name its luxury division Channel II in the U.S. but they decided against it and time has shown that it was the right way to go. The brand debuted its activity with a network of 60 dealers across 18 states. It needed less than a year to expand it to 150 dealerships in 50 cities from 36 states. After just 18 months since its introduction in America, Acura climbs to the top spot in the J.D. Power Customer Satisfaction Index. The brand ends 1987 with a network of over 200 dealers.

Well-known for manufacturing popular vehicles like the NSX, the Integra, and the MDX, Acura is now on a cleansing path that will eventually lead to a lineup made entirely from zero-tailpipe emission vehicles. But before launching its battery-electric vehicles, Acura is making sure to give customers a dealership-free buying experience. Essentially, it plans on following in Tesla’s footsteps. But it won’t be a definitive solution.

In a meeting with the press, Honda’s VP of sales Mamadou Diallo confirmed that in 2023 Honda intends to sell around 1.2 million cars, while Acura targets the 160,000 mark. Moreover, the on-hand inventory already increased in the U.S. by almost double the last year’s amount.

But Honda doesn’t want to reach these sales figures all by itself. Diallo said the company will keep a close connection with its dealership network so customers can experience more interesting things this year.

On the other hand, the same can’t be said about Acura. The premium brand will kickstart the digital sales experience for the 2024 Acura ZDX and ZDX Type S. Pre-sales will happen first by the end of 2023, while normal orders will only be possible through an online platform starting in 2024.

It’s unclear if Acura intends to allow dealerships to cash in on the ZDX pre-sale phase until the end of the current year. It’s also not known if prospective customers will get early access to the all-new platform so they can submit their pre-orders for the made-in-America ZDX and ZDX Type S before 2023 ends, and without having to deal with the middleman.

Honda’s premium division also promises a couple of modest upgrades for the TLX sedan. It does not say what those are, but specifies an enhanced “appeal in the competitive midsize luxury sedan segment.”

Both Honda and Acura remain committed to the total electrification of their portfolios. For now, the brands set 2040 as the limit. But there’ll be another decade until the automaker will become zero-emission.

As part of the early electrification strategy, Honda will increase the sales of the hybrid-powered CR-V and Accord, while the electrified Civic will come next year in both sedan and hatchback forms. Also in 2024, the auto company will launch its first all-electric SUV – the Honda Prologue.

The Japanese automaker also confirmed that it will soon “break ground on a new $3.5 billion joint venture EV battery plant in Ohio, with another $700 million in re-tooling set to begin on three Honda auto plants.” The plan in question is being co-developed together with LG Energy Solution.
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About the author: Florin Amariei
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Car shows on TV and his father's Fiat Tempra may have been Florin's early influences, but nowadays he favors different things, like the power of an F-150 Raptor. He'll never be able to ignore the shape of a Ferrari though, especially a yellow one.
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