Honda, Acura Dealers Request Full-Size SUVs

As Honda looks to make their SUV lineup more SUV-like, of course dealers are asking fro full-size SUVs. The dealer networks for both Honda and Acura feel that, although the MDX and Pilot are quite large vehicles, there is still potential for something even bigger. A larger SUV would offer more room for passengers and cargo, and that suits the needs of big families. If Honda were to listen to what the dealers have to say, they could possibly surpass sales of the Chevy Tahoe/Suburban, Nissan Armada, Toyota Sequoia, and Ford Expedition.

Honda dealers also want an all-wheel drive sedan, which would attract more customers since the Accord and Civic sedans only have front-wheel drive. The only problem is that they would internally compete with the all-wheel drive Acura TLX sedan. Honda isn't the only one who wants more from the brand.

Honda's premium automaker agrees, but not only does Acura want a full-size SUV, but they feel the need for more crossovers in general. This isn't surprising at all, since Acura only sells and MDX, which is the luxury version of the Honda Pilot, and the midsize RDX. "When you look at the MDX and RDX, and you see those sales, they're consistently selling 50,000 to 60,000 per year, and people love and trust them year after year," Acura dealers said, "Acura has so much equity in their SUVs that it would make complete sense to have both a crossover that would slot below the RDX and above the MDX."

If Acura wants to really compete with the Europeans, they need crossovers above and below their current ones. In fact, smaller luxury crossovers tend to sell more than larger ones. Acura could update their foreign-market CDX compact crossover an bring it to the US to compete with the BMW X1 and X2, Audi Q3, Mercedes GLA, and Lincoln Corsair. Another compact crossover could suit the needs of American buyers and compete with the slightly larger Mercedes GLC, Audi Q5, and BMW X3.

A coupe crossover like the old ZDX could compete with the BMW X4 and X6 and Infiniti QX55. The larger SUV that dealers really want would use the Honda SUV's platform and compete with the Cadillac Escalade, Lincoln Navigator, Mercedes GLS, BMW X7, and GMC Yukon. And, most importantly, Acura will have to add an EV to rival the Audi E-Tron, Tesla Model Y, and BMW iX at some point.

That's a lot of SUVs and other ambitious cars, but Honda and Acura will need them to please buyers and dealer networks, and give competitors more challenging rivals.

Source Credits: CarBuzz

Image Credits: Honda, Acura