A few days ago, some media reported that they learned from Acura dealers that the Acura brand will withdraw from the Chinese market, and they are currently waiting for the final notice from the manufacturer.

　　According to online sources, the only 4S store in Beijing, the GAC Acura Beijing Jingang Store, has officially ceased sales and will become McLaren's 4S store in the future.

　　It is understood that since 2021, Acura has stopped the import car business in the Chinese market. Some dealers said that the production of Acura models has been discontinued in China. At present, the 4S stores are selling the stock cars produced last year, and they are just waiting to withdraw from the Chinese market. Manufacturer's final notice. Subsequent repairs and maintenance of Acura vehicles will be handled by GAC Honda 4S shop.

　　In this regard, Caijing.com contacted the relevant person in charge of GAC Honda, and the other party said: "There is no such statement that Acura has withdrawn from the Chinese market."

　　Weak brand marketing

　　According to public information, the Acura brand was founded in the United States in 1986. It is a high-end car brand under Honda Motor and the first Japanese luxury brand. However, in terms of brand recognition, domestic consumers have little understanding of the Acura brand, which is mainly due to its low presence in the domestic luxury brand camp.

　　In 2006, Acura was introduced into China as an imported car. At that time, the Acura brand in the domestic market competed with Lexus, Infiniti and other brands. Unfortunately, the market recognition is far less than that of the BBA luxury brand, and the final sales volume is not enough. optimism. Today, Acura Beijing also has 4 dealer showrooms, all of which are located in GAC Honda 4S stores.

　　In addition, in terms of brand recognition, in the domestic luxury car brand camp, Acura's brand market recognition is far less widely recognized than other second-tier luxury brands. Infiniti and Lexus, which are also Japanese luxury brands, are recognized The awareness far exceeds that of Acura. The brand performance of other second-tier brands such as Lincoln and Cadillac has also undergone new changes. The Japanese luxury brand Acura is gradually being marginalized.

　　From the perspective of market communication performance, in GAC Acura's official public account content push, most of the content is the product map of conventional models, and less brand activities have become an influencing factor affecting consumers' cognition.

　　The Acura brand has also reported that dealers are under great operating pressure and are gradually reducing operating costs. Today, the news that the Acura brand is about to withdraw from the Chinese market has once again been reported. In the future, it may affect the sales performance of the Acura brand in China, and the situation of GAC Acura dealers will also become more and more difficult.

　　Significant decline in sales

　　The decline in the Acura brand and sales is not a short-term factor. Although it is a second-tier luxury brand, Acura has also achieved good market sales results. In 2015, the sales volume of the Acura brand in China was also close to 5,000 vehicles. In 2016, in order to further expand the market competition, the Acura brand began to introduce three sedans, ILX, TLX and RLX, as well as RDX, MDX and ZDX has three SUV models, and started the domestic product strategy with GAC Group. The launch of the first domestic model CDX has won the market growth for it. Sales data show that in 2016 Acura's sales in the Chinese market reached 9,062 units, a year-on-year increase. 120%.

　　According to Acura's sales data released by Honda China, Acura's sales in China reached 16,300 units in 2017, with a significant year-on-year growth rate. Since 2018, the Acura brand's sales in the Chinese market have declined to only 9,424 units, while in 2019 Acura's sales in the Chinese market once again reached 14,786 units.

　　In 2020, GAC Acura sold 11,193 units, down 31.73% year-on-year. Entering 2021, Acura brand sales in China continue to decline. The latest sales data show that the GAC Acura brand sold only 6,554 units in 2021, a year-on-year decrease of 45.05%. Among them, the CDX, the main model, sold 3,264 units, and the other RDX sold 3,290 units.

　　Different from the domestic market, the Acura brand's new car sales data in the United States in 2021 shows that its total sales will reach 157,408 units, a year-on-year increase of 14.9%, ranking among the top 5 in the US luxury car market. Obviously, mainly Acura's marketing strategy is different.

　　Acura's sales in the domestic market are sluggish, while overseas market performance is impressive. Zhang Xiang, an automotive industry analyst, said that because Acura's main market is still for the North American market and the Japanese market, the sluggish performance in the Chinese market is due to product design and Chinese consumers. The demand for cars does not match. In addition, Acura's publicity investment in the Chinese market is not enough. Consumers only know that it is a luxury brand of Honda, but Chinese consumers do not understand what the products have. For example, the BBA brand, everyone knows that it is a German car, and the quality is relatively good. Cadillac is an American car. As a presidential car, the brand is relatively strong, but Acura does not have the halo of these brands, and its popularity is not high, and Chinese consumers do not. It is understandable that with the entry of new Chinese automakers into the domestic market, Acura's withdrawal from the domestic market has also intensified.

　　or will withdraw from the domestic market

　　The factors affecting the sluggish sales in the Chinese market, Acura also manifested in product and marketing mistakes, and did not make factual changes in the Chinese market. To this day, Acura's imported models MDX and NSX have long been discontinued in China, and GAC Acura TLX-L also announced the discontinuation of production in 2019. Today, Acura only has two domestic models, the CDX and RDX, on sale in China.

　　To this end, Caijing.com also contacted the relevant person in charge of GAC Honda, who said: "The official side has not issued any statement, but there is some information that can be disclosed at present, combined with the development trend of the Chinese market and changes in consumer demand. , GAC Honda is discussing the integration of brand resources. In terms of after-sales, GAC Honda will continue to provide after-sales service for existing users. On the premise of good cooperation, GAC Honda will communicate with related parties such as special stores and suppliers one by one to properly Handle relevant matters and protect the interests of special stores and suppliers."

　　Regarding whether the Acura brand can finally withdraw from the Chinese market, Zhang Xiang, an auto industry analyst, said that the Chinese market has become the world's largest auto market. Large luxury car brands have entered the Chinese market one after another. Therefore, in the process of market competition, some brands will definitely win and some brands will withdraw from the market. As market competition intensifies, it is inevitable that some brands will be eliminated in the Chinese market.

　　A source close to the GAC Honda dealer revealed to the media that in the future, the dealer authorization of Honda's new pure electric brand e:N will give priority to the original Acura dealers. You can go to the GAC Honda dealership for after-sales.

　　Facing the sales situation of Acura cars, Caijing.com contacted the official customer service of Acura. The other party said that our current Acura brand 4S stores are in normal operation, and the customer service center has not received relevant information from the manufacturer. It is sold normally, and the customer's order can also be satisfied normally, so you can buy with confidence. The manufacturer will also do a good job in the customer's related after-sales work. For after-sales maintenance services, the manufacturer will provide guarantees. Regarding the abnormal situation of the Acura dealership in the Beijing area, the customer service said that it will further feedback to the manufacturer for verification.

　　Subsequently, the relevant 4S dealerships of Acura gave information feedback to Caijing.com, but it was not the feedback received from the GAC Acura Beijing Jingang store, but the other party said, "At present, the Acura brand is still operating normally, and according to the news circulating on the Internet, we distribute The store is now selling cars and selling normally, and the orders can basically be satisfied, so there is no need to worry about the new car and subsequent after-sales service." As for whether to withdraw from the domestic market, the sales staff said, "These are after all news on the Internet, and they do not It is not an official response, at present Honda and Acura are all selling, ordering and maintaining as normal."

　　According to Honda's official description of the integration of brand resources, the feedback given by the dealership is that "Acura and Honda have also implemented this strategic adjustment measure of the same storefront, that is, Acura and Honda will be sold in the same store in the future." .

　　To this end, Caijing.com also contacted the GAC Acura Beijing Jingang offline dealership to learn about the sales of new cars. Information, it takes about 20 days to order a new car, and if you buy a car, it will not delay subsequent car use and maintenance."

　　For Honda, Acura's market performance is facing a situation of acclimatization. Zhang Xiang, an automotive industry analyst, said: For Honda, the price range of Acura's mainstream products is between 300,000 and 500,000 yuan. The new power brand in this range is ideal. Auto, Xiaopeng Motors, Tesla, etc. are all in the process of product layout, including BYD is also in the market of about 300,000 yuan. The entry of these new brands has not only squeezed the market space of BBA, but also squeezed the market. Acura's living space cannot be profitable in the Chinese market. If it continues to operate, the losses will become more and more serious, so Acura withdrew from the Chinese market.

　　The Acura brand is facing acclimatization, and it is also reflected in the fact that Honda's layout transformation in the field of new energy vehicles is not ideal. Honda is still taking the hybrid technology route, and it is unwilling to invest in the field of new energy. At present, many luxury brands such as BMW, Audi, Porsche, Cadillac, etc. are all actively deploying in the new energy field and building new energy product platforms, while Infiniti, Acura, etc. have not made new progress, which will lead to brands withdrawing from the domestic market in the long run.

　　Faced with the rise of independent brands and the rise of new power brand car companies, the market competitiveness of joint venture brands has gradually weakened. Nowadays, the products in China's auto market have become more and more diversified, and the competition in the luxury car market has become more intense, especially in the auto market of second-tier luxury brands. Car brands such as Cadillac, Infiniti, Lincoln, and Volvo are also adjusting their sales in China. Market strategy, the Acura brand must also make adjustments. In the face of the development of China's new energy vehicle market, how the Acura brand will face the uncertain market challenges leaves less and less room for its thinking.