Acura Meets with Dealers talks about moving 'up a Tier'

Apparently Acura is having aspirations of moving one step closer to the BMW, Volvo, Mercedes, and Lexus level. I would imagine that alot of Acura's identity crisis has become as a result of recent 'brand studies' and where they are percieved next to their peers.
http://thehondaportal.blogspot.com/2008/01/honda-and-toyota-top-consumer-reports.html

Let's face it, most of Acura's lineup is close to what is offered by Honda themselves (I still giggle when I see a CSX drive by).

In a 45 minute meeting with dealers Acura said that the brand will be adding one new vehicle a year (including changes to existing models).

“In the next year there will be a huge shift toward tier 1, and the dealer body is excited about that shift,” said Valerie Voyles, CEO of the Ed Voyles Automotive Group in metro Atlanta.

“We’re not up there with Lexus, BMW and Mercedes-Benz, but a big shift is coming,” Voyles said. “You’ll see more separation of the brands (Acura and Honda), with more Acura-only product.”

Here is the original link;
http://www.egmcartech.com/2008/02/18/acura-to-make-huge-shift-to-tier-1-luxury-will-offer-acura-only-vehicles/

Honda and Toyota Top Consumer Reports 'Brand Perception' Survey

Well, it looks like Honda and Toyota have done it again, this time Brand Perception. Now, this is brand perception, NOT in some cases reality. When you look at some of the catagories, Safety being one, there are a few companies that are left off of the list; Mercedes and BMW come to mind in a big way! Anyway, here is the list along with the link;

Best Brand Perception
1 Toyota - 189 pts
2 Honda - 146 pts
3 Ford - 114 pts
4 Chevrolet - 110 pts
5 GMC - 102 pts

Worst Brand Perception
1 Buick - 25 pts
2 Mercury - 22 pts
3 Mitsubishi - 21 pts
4 Audi - 14 pts
5 Acura - 8 pts

Must say, I am shocked at the brand perception of Audi and Acura.
Here is the Brand Perception by Catagory;

Safety
1 Volvo - 77%
2 Toyota - 21%
3 Subaru - 18%
4 Ford - 17%
5 Honda - 17%

Quality
1 Toyota - 33%
2 Honda - 24%
3 Lexus - 23%
4 Mercedes Benz - 19%
5 Chevrolet - 17%

Value
1 Honda - 30%
2 Saturn - 24%
3 Toyota - 24 %
4 Kia - 23%
5 Ford - 20%

Performance
1 BMW - 28%
2 Porsche - 25%
3 Chevrolet - 21%
4 Toyota - 20%
5 Honda - 20%

Here is the link to the rest;
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/cars/new-cars/news/2008/01/brand-perceptions/top-five-in-brand-perception/brand-perceptions-top-5.htm