All indications are that Acura has been marginalized in the Chinese market, and it is only a matter of time before it "leaves".
In recent years, GAC Acura's voice in China has become weaker and weaker, especially after the suspension of China's import car business and car business in 2021, the voice of "Acura is about to withdraw from China" is even more endless.
Until March 4 this year, the news of Acura's withdrawal was once again boiling over, but this time, the signs were more obvious than ever.
Acura began to "roll up" in China?
According to the news circulated in recent days, the only GAC Acura 4S store in Beijing, Beijing Jingang store, has officially stopped selling and will become a McLaren 4S store in the future. In addition, Acura Beijing has 4 showrooms, all set up in the Guangqi Honda 4S store, which is still digesting last year's inventory cars, but has no longer booked new cars from manufacturers, and the factory has stopped working.
In this regard, GAC Honda said, "The official side has not issued any statement, but combined with the development trend of the Chinese market and the changes in consumer demand, GAC Honda is exploring the integration of brand resources." ”
GUANGQI Honda also mentioned the after-sales problem, "GAC Honda will continue to provide after-sales service for existing users. Under the premise of good cooperation, GUANGQI Honda will communicate with the special stores, suppliers and other related parties one by one, properly handle relevant matters, and protect the interests of the special stores and suppliers. ”
The information given by Acura dealers is that the Gac Acura 4S store Beijing Jingang store is currently being renovated and upgraded to prepare for the sale of electric vehicles. At the same time, the phenomenon of clearing inventory in the exhibition hall does exist, and some 4S stores say that they are waiting for the manufacturer's final notice, while some have begun to "discount and sell". However, the factory did not stop production and can still take orders. In terms of after-sales service, Guangqi Honda is used as a guarantee.
Although the official did not confirm the news of Acura's withdrawal from the Chinese market, it did not deny it, and in general, several information points can be drawn.
The first thing that can be confirmed is that the "chaos" in the Acura 4S store does exist. This means that GAC Acura has indeed made some moves recently, after all, in the face of manufacturers, the perception of dealers is often the fastest and most direct.
Secondly, Guangqi Honda and 4S stores both guaranteed Acura's after-sales problems. Its subtext is that even if Acura withdraws from the Chinese market in the future, after-sales can still be carried out at GUANGQI Honda.
Third, Guangqi Honda mentioned the integration of resources for the brand, and the only Acura 4S store in Beijing, Beijing Jingang, also mentioned that it is upgrading its stores for the resale of electric vehicles. This means that THE CONCESSION OF GAC ACURA is most likely to make way for GAC Honda's electric vehicles.
The problem of soil and water incompatibility comes from the womb
For the reasons why Acura is on the edge of the Chinese market, the industry's cognition is particularly unified - few models, large displacement, and high prices.
Counting, acura has been in China for 16 years since it entered the Chinese market as an imported car in 2006. Its localization began in 2016, when GAC and Acura formed GAC Acura, officially began to produce domestic models, and established an independent sales network in the domestic market.
However, in the past six years of localization, GAC Acura has only launched three models, of which the TLX-L was forced to stop production in 2019. At present, on the official website, only acura CDX and RDX are included in the models on sale.
In terms of price, the PRICE of CDX for Binzhi Shell Change is from 229,800 yuan, the hybrid version is as high as 299,800 yuan, and the RDX is asking for 328,000 yuan.
Although GAC Acura is defined as a luxury brand, its high pricing has become a major criticism. Industry insiders said that Acura entered the Chinese market relatively late, lacked in shaping a high-end image, and the brand positioning was not recognized by consumers, so it was relatively weak in the high-end car market.
Interestingly, there is also the definition of Acura, "Honda's high-end brand, widely popular in North America and Foshan, Guangdong"
It is reported that Acura is particularly popular in the Foshan area of Guangdong Province. But at present, it seems that it is far from enough to be favored by the people of Foshan. The data shows that in 2017, Acura's sales in China were 16,348 vehicles, an increase of 80.4% year-on-year; in 2018, it fell by 42% year-on-year to 9424 vehicles; in 2019, sales rebounded to 14,786 vehicles; in 2020, sales of 11,193 vehicles, down 31.7% year-on-year.
By 2021, Acura's cumulative sales for the whole year were only 5762 vehicles, down 48.6% year-on-year. In contrast, Acura's total new car sales in the United States in 2021 were 157408, an increase of 14.9% year-on-year, ranking among the top 5 in the U.S. luxury car market.
The fundamental reason for the disparity in performance between the two markets is that Acura was founded in North America in 1985 and was originally a luxury brand built for Honda for the North American market. Relatively speaking, its large displacement and other designs are more in line with the tastes of American consumers, and as a result, there is obvious dissatisfaction in China.
This alludes to the fact that although the Chinese market cake is large, the consumption logic does not apply to all car companies. For gaga acura, which has been marginalized, the transformation is not necessarily a good thing.
Temporary opt-out or the best option
Acura has always shown a conservative and Buddhist side in the Chinese market, lack of brand power, product strategy is not precise enough, digital backwardness... Although Acura has also tried to make changes, such as marketing, the substantive changes brought to Acura have been extremely limited.
Combined with the aforementioned, Acura's exit may also be for Honda and its own electrification strategy.
In October last year, Honda officially launched Honda's new e:N family. According to honda China's electrification strategy, 10 new electric models will be launched within five years, and all new models launched in China after 2030 will be electrified models, including pure electric BEVs, hybrid HEVs, and plug-in hybrid PHEVs.
In addition, Acura also released an electric vehicle plan at the end of December last year, when Emile Korkor, vice president of sales of Acura North America, said bluntly that Acura's electrification transformation will directly bypass the development of hybrid models and launch the first electric vehicle in 2024. Acura hopes to sell 30,000 units a year, and it expects electric vehicle sales to account for 50% by 2030.
The resource integration plan of the GAC Honda brand may include the integration of the distribution network of GAC Acura to help Honda fully develop electrification in the Chinese market.
On the other hand, for Acura, bypassing hybrid vehicles and directly developing pure electric models is a crucial choice and the only way out at present. Opting out of the Chinese market is conducive to concentrating on the development of electrification. As for whether it will fight in the Chinese market with a new look, it may still take time for Acura.