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Even if the luxury car market continues to grow in recent years, brand differentiation has intensified. Changan PSA is disbanded, the future of the DS brand is unpredictable, and another joint venture luxury brand in the danger zone is Guangzhou Auto Acura.

At present, GAC Acura has three domestic models, including CDX, RDX and TLX-L, among which the car TLX-L is the "most failed" model among the brand introduction products. Guangzhou Auto Acura TLX-L was officially launched in China in December 2017. it is equipped with 2.4L engine and matches the 8DCT double clutch gearbox with a price range of 27.98-379800 yuan. Official statistics show that domestic TLX-L sold about 1600 units in 2018, lagging behind its competitors and lagging behind among the three domestic models of the Acura brand.

The failure of domestic TLX-L, in addition to the factors of Acura brand itself, product power, style, appearance and interior design are all the factors that TLX-L is frequently complained about. Three years later, Acura officially launched a new generation of TLX models, which may be the next product introduced by GAC, in order to reverse the current situation of depressed products and sales.

According to Acura's official news, the new generation of Acura TLX is based on the Acura Type S hatchback concept car, which provides 2.0T/3.0T V6 engine. In the future, the new generation of Acura TLX 2.0T model will be the first to be launched in the United States this year, while the new generation of Acura TLX Type S will be launched later in 2021, both of which will be produced at a plant in Marisville, Ohio. At present, GAC Acura has not disclosed when the new car will be introduced.

The new Acura TLX uses a diamond-shaped forward grille, and the shape is more exaggerated, with full LED headlamp group and front enclosure kit to create a sense of sports design. From the side of the body, the new TLX cockpit is rearward as a whole, creating a slender proportion of the front, while the new car is still based on the front platform. The overall shape of the tail also uses diamond-shaped design elements, and the taillight group also has a higher degree of recognition.

The length, width and height of the new Acura TLX are 4942/1910/1432mm and wheelbase 2870mm respectively. Compared with the old standard wheelbase model, the length increases 73mm and the wheelbase increases 93mm.

The interior has changed a lot. The interior of the new TLX continues the latest family design of Acura. The vertical central control area integrates a large number of buttons and knobs, and the top is equipped with a floating central control screen, which makes the overall design layout more complex.

In terms of power, the overseas version of the new TLX will carry 2.0T and 3.0T twin turbocharged V6 engines, of which the 2.0T engine has a maximum power of 276hp and a peak torque of 380Nm, while the specific parameters of the 3.0T engine have not been officially disclosed. The transmission system matches the 10-speed automatic transmission, while the 2.0T model can also be equipped with SH-AWD four-wheel drive system (3.0T model is standard) and supports all-wheel torque vector distribution.

Due to the lack of domestic model lineup, the new TLX is likely to become the next model introduced by GAC Acura. In order to cater to the consumer market, it will also be possible to lengthen the domestic model.

Acura is one of the luxury brands that are "unaccustomed to soil and water" in the Chinese market, and brand recognition is one of the biggest factors. At the same time, there is a lack of adequate publicity and brand image building, so that sales are at the bottom of the luxury brand market all the year round. Some analysts believe that Acura brand premium capacity is low, the price is falsely high, the design does not accord with the image of luxury cars, few after-sales outlets, marketing problems, etc., resulting in the dilemma of Acura now.

Since last year, the news of online sales of Acura and Guangzhou Auto Honda in some areas has spread one after another. because of sales problems, some dealers in Beijing have pulled Acura to the Guangzhou Automobile Honda showroom to sell together, so as to solve the problem that the promotion of Acura terminals can not be carried out. In response to the "grid-connected" news, GAC Honda and Acura both told the media that there are no plans for grid-connected sales, and the combined sales are only independent actions of some dealers.

In addition, in April this year, it was reported that GAC GROUP was studying to move the marketing headquarters of GAC Acura from Beijing to Guangzhou. This can alleviate the problems caused by poor communication between production and sales.

Whether it is "network connection" or "marketing headquarters relocation", the fundamental reason is the poor operation of GAC Acura in recent years, and the deep coordination with Honda brand in operation, which also creates more possibilities for the future development of Acura brand in China. However, GAC Acura responded to outside news: "We do not intend to move to Guangzhou, the network is uploading false information, there is no poor communication, please do not believe the rumors, we work well, everything is normal."

According to the data, from 2017 to 2019, the annual sales of the Acura brand in China were 16348, 9071 and 14786 respectively. Acura's current sales volume is even inferior to the monthly sales of Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Audi, almost equivalent to the monthly sales of Cadillac and Lexus.

Therefore, it is an indisputable fact that the Acura brand has a low feeling. Nowadays, with the continuous growth of the luxury car market, the growth of product lineup and sales volume is still an urgent problem to be solved.

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