ChinchillaX
10-08-2004, 05:49 AM
Honda launches Legend sedan
Reuters / October 07, 2004
TOKYO -- Honda Motor Co. launched the fourth-generation Legend sedan on Thursday, saying it aimed to sell 6,000 units of the high-end model year in Japan.
Japan's third-biggest carmaker said it would also target annual sales of about 20,000 units in North America, where the car is sold as the Acura RL under its luxury brand.
The new Legend, the first remodelling in eight years, is priced at $47,160, a few thousand dollars more than the previous model.
But Honda said the car carried many high-tech features including the Super Handling All-Wheel-Drive system (SH-AWD) which it said was the world's first to distribute torque between the left and right wheels to boost traction on slippery surfaces.
At the new sticker price, the Legend/Acura RL will be competing with foreign luxury brands such as Mercedes-Benz and BMW in a tough Japanese sedan market that is under attack from the popular minivan and compact segments.
"It's a very competitive market," CEO Takeo Fukui told a news conference.
"We know the competition will be tough against the Europeans but we think we can win customers over with the SH-AWD system," he said.
The Legend is also the most powerful car in Honda's line-up, with a 3.5-liter V-6 engine yielding 300 hp.
The car, to be built at Honda's Saitama factory in Japan, goes on sales in Japan on Thursday and in the United States next week with a price tag of $48,900.
Honda said it also aimed to sell around 2,000 units in Europe, although it did not say when sales would begin.
Honda's sales of non-minivehicles in Japan jumped 9.5 percent in September and are up 1.7 percent in the year to date at 361,998 units.
http://www.honda.co.jp/auto-lineup/legend/
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Personally, I like the grille on the Legend more so than the RL, but its nice to see a great car replace the outgoing dated and dull RL. I this car is a success when it arrives in North American showrooms in December.
Reuters / October 07, 2004
TOKYO -- Honda Motor Co. launched the fourth-generation Legend sedan on Thursday, saying it aimed to sell 6,000 units of the high-end model year in Japan.
Japan's third-biggest carmaker said it would also target annual sales of about 20,000 units in North America, where the car is sold as the Acura RL under its luxury brand.
The new Legend, the first remodelling in eight years, is priced at $47,160, a few thousand dollars more than the previous model.
But Honda said the car carried many high-tech features including the Super Handling All-Wheel-Drive system (SH-AWD) which it said was the world's first to distribute torque between the left and right wheels to boost traction on slippery surfaces.
At the new sticker price, the Legend/Acura RL will be competing with foreign luxury brands such as Mercedes-Benz and BMW in a tough Japanese sedan market that is under attack from the popular minivan and compact segments.
"It's a very competitive market," CEO Takeo Fukui told a news conference.
"We know the competition will be tough against the Europeans but we think we can win customers over with the SH-AWD system," he said.
The Legend is also the most powerful car in Honda's line-up, with a 3.5-liter V-6 engine yielding 300 hp.
The car, to be built at Honda's Saitama factory in Japan, goes on sales in Japan on Thursday and in the United States next week with a price tag of $48,900.
Honda said it also aimed to sell around 2,000 units in Europe, although it did not say when sales would begin.
Honda's sales of non-minivehicles in Japan jumped 9.5 percent in September and are up 1.7 percent in the year to date at 361,998 units.
http://www.honda.co.jp/auto-lineup/legend/
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Personally, I like the grille on the Legend more so than the RL, but its nice to see a great car replace the outgoing dated and dull RL. I this car is a success when it arrives in North American showrooms in December.