Acura Wins Edmunds 2015 Best Retained Value Award

Acura was named the top luxury brand in Edmunds.com’s 2015 Best Retained Value Awards. This is the fifth year Edmunds.com has awarded brands and individual models for projected resale value, and Acura has taken home top honors in the luxury segment for four years in a row.

With advancements in automotive technology and performance coming every model year, a car maintaining its value is more important than ever. Edmunds.com compares the value of a car at purchase to the projected value of that same car after five years, and Acura was tops among all luxury brands at an estimated 46.9% of its value after five years on the road. Toyota was awarded the highest marks among non-luxury makes at 52.4% value retention.

Edmunds.com Consumer Advice Editor Carroll Lachnit says having an idea of a car’s retained value is crucial to the car-buying process. “Smart car shoppers who are likely to sell their car within five years should always stop and consider projected residual values before making a new car purchase,” Lachnit said. “Whether you are leasing or buying, the retained value of a car can make a big difference in your wallet.”

Acura’s recognition as the best brand at retaining value was just the tip of the iceberg. Edmunds.com also recognized the 2015 ILX as the best entry-level luxury car, the 2015 RDX as the best entry-level luxury SUV, and the 2015 MDX as honorable mention in the midrange luxury SUV category. No luxury brand had more winning vehicles in this year’s awards than Acura.

This success speaks volumes about what Acura strives for. While many luxury vehicles are flashy and impressive initially, Acuras manage to toe the line between a powerful first impression and lasting appeal and value. Whether you’re interested in a car that will retain its value over a few years, or are looking for a vehicle that is built for the long haul, Acura is in a league of its own. If you would like to see any of Acura’s award-winning lineup, stop by Butler Acura today!

Gifted Designer Takes The Lead at Acura

Acclaimed author and economist George Bernard Shaw once wrote, “Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.” Acura has recently demonstrated a commitment to this philosophy by replacing their chief executive in the middle of an especially good patch for company profits.

Mike Accavitti, who was an executive with Chrysler before making the jump to Acura, was replaced after 16 months as head of the company by Jon Ikeda. The change in leadership comes on the heels of June sales that surpassed last year’s figures by 38.6%. Yet just as Accavitti was instrumental in bolstering sales in 2015, Ikeda will likely prove essential to Acura’s rise from 2015 forward.

Ikeda is in many ways the personification of how Acura thinks about cars relative to its competition. While virtually all chief executives, including Accavitti, have the bulk of their experience in fields like finance, marketing, or communications, Jon Ikeda has spent his career as a designer. Ikeda was almost single-handedly responsible for the approval and creation of Acura’s design studio in Torrance, California, and many of Acura’s most recognizable and beloved cars, like the 2004 TL, were the product of his creative and artistic abilities.

Ikeda has already demonstrated himself savvy at managing talent. He named Michelle Christensen exterior design project leader for the new Acura NSX, making Christensen the first ever woman to lead in the design of a supercar. As Acura looks to take a resurgence in sales into the second half of the decade that saw the car industry come back from the brink, Ikeda’s design pedigree seems perfectly suited to turn Acura’s vision for its future into reality.

We love our current lineup, and we’re not alone there, but the opportunity to have a true visionary with such a rich knowledge of the company take the helm has us even more excited for Acura’s future than we were already. And when the NSX finally rolls up to our lot, we’ll have the head of the company to thank for choosing a gifted designer to take the lead!

HGTV’s 2015 Urban Oasis Home Giveaway Includes a 2016 Acura TLX

This year’s HGTV Urban Oasis will give away not only a beautiful home in scenic Asheville, North Carolina, but also $50,000 cash and a 2016 Acura TLX. HGTV has been giving away city apartments in its annual Urban Oasis contest since 2010, but 2015 marks the first year that a small city and house will be featured.

HGTV has chosen the ideal site for a home-renovation project. Asheville, the largest city in Western North Carolina and one of the 15 largest cities in the state, experienced a population boom in the 1930s, and many of its most historic and picturesque homes were built almost a century ago.

HGTV’s renovation has taken a 1920s bungalow into the 20^th century in style. The over-1,300 square foot home has been opened up substantially from its original floor plan, and the house is full of naturally-lit, brightly colored spaces and furnishings combed in part from local artists and antique shops.

Yet as gorgeous a job as designer Brian Patrick Flynn has done renovating the property, nothing got us as excited as what was parked in the garage. The 2016 Acura TLX looks right at home alongside classic architecture with modern styling, and $50,000 in prize money should go a long way with the new TLX’s impressive fuel efficiency.

Asheville has more in common than our very own Ashland, Oregon than the first syllable of its name. Both towns are frequently featured on lists of America’s best small cities, and both are home to thriving art scenes.

If a beautiful house, $50,000 cash, and a premium luxury vehicle sound like your cup of tea, you can enter to win HGTV’s Urban Oasis 2015 twice a day from now until September 24^th, 2015. Even if you would never consider leaving Southern Oregon, a free TLX is hard to beat!

Test Drive Tuesday: 2016 ILX is the Best ILX to Date

When we first got behind the wheel of the 2016 ILX, we weren’t quite sure what to expect. After all, what exactly does ‘entry-level’ mean when it comes to a luxury vehicle? What we found in the 2016 was a compelling blend of style and performance that maintains the standard of excellence that made Acura famous while setting itself apart from every ILX that came before it.

This car makes a strong first impression: Acura’s patented Jewel Eye LED headlights, combined with a rear spoiler and striking body, evoke understated sophistication. The interior is spacious and boasts just enough hard plastic to make Acura’s signature two-tier screen system, which previous ILX models had lacked, pop visually. The seats adjust to fit a wide height-range and featured seat warmers which went unused, as I was driving in 90+ degree heat.

While the ILX has improved leaps and bounds from last year in terms of comfort, appearance, and technological features, its improvement is most obvious in its sheer drivability. The 2015 model we drove for reference utilized a 2 liter engine, to less than awe-inspiring effect; the 2016 ILX boasts a 2.4 liter engine and the 8-speed dual clutch transmission, which make for a powerful, smooth drive, both in town and on the highway.

Also new to the ILX this year is AcuraWatch, with features like Blind Spot Information, Adaptive Cruise Control, and Lane Departure Warning. We’re not fans of bells-and-whistles for innovation’s sake, but we found ourselves using many of the included safety features to enhance our driving experience. The navigation feature was intuitive and streamlined, and the sound system provides crisp and clear audio while also actively noise-cancelling to decrease unwanted noise.

When we pulled back into Butler Acura, we found our questions as to the state of this entry-level luxury sedan answered: Anyone who wants the performance, style, and technology that have made Acura famous along with the best fuel economy and lowest price-tag possible need look no further than the 2016 Acura ILX.

Memorial Weekend is the Best Time to Buy a New Acura

Did you know Memorial Day Weekend is actually one of the best times to find great deals on new cars? As the 2016 models arrive, dealers are now able to discount the 2015 models. Inventories like ours are well stocked with gorgeous 2015 Acura RDXs, MDXs, and TLXs and they are now being priced to move.

In case you’re wondering how this whole process works, Acura dealers cannot price lower than Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) on a current year. For example, there are no incentives or discounts for a 2015 TLX  if the 2016 model hasn’t arrived. However, once the new models finally start to arrive (exciting!!) automakers dole out incentives on high volume and slow selling older models to keep inventories fresh and manageable. The good news for you is…our fleet of 2016 models including the RDX, and MDX and ILX have arrived and we’re ready to pass these incentives and discounts onto you. The 2015 RDX dropped from $41,468 to $38,975. An award-winning RDX for under $40k? WOW! Our best-seller, the MDX, is also joining the sale party with the 2015 model plummeting from $50,313 to $46,975!* Click HERE for details about both these stunning SUVs.

“The warmer weather is finally here, and consumers are back on dealer new vehicle lots,” says Jonathan Banks, executive analyst at the National Auto Dealers Association. “With an abundance of incentives, competitive finance, and lease offers, it isn’t surprising to see new vehicles sell so well.” To that end, Banks says automakers’ incentive spending was up by 3.2 percent last month, at an average $2,671 per vehicle.

According to Forbes.com, they recently scoured the deals and incentives listings in each of several online car price/shopping services, including Cars.com, Edmunds.com, TrueCar.com and Kelley Blue Book, as well as automakers’ websites to unearth some of the absolute best new-car deals in time for summer road trips. Click HERE for more information.

We hope you have a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend! If you’re wondering what to do on this three-day weekend we have some thoughts:

1) Saturday-Sunday: visit us in Ashland and check out some the best deals on Acuras you’ll find ALL year! Find out more HERE or come in!

2) Find the Acura of your dreams and take a small road trip to the coast, dig your feet in the sand, relax. Or go to the mountains. Or sit in a hammock. Or the couch. Relax.

*MDX and RDX sale prices good through 5/30/15 

Luxury AND safety live here in Ashland!

Luxury AND safety live here in Ashland! Acura took another step in solidifying its reputation as the safety leader and innovator in the luxury segment with the addition of the Acura RLX to its increasing list of models earning a 5-Star Overall Vehicle Score, the top available rating in the U.S. Government’s New Car Assessment Program (NCAP). The safety rating, which includes five star ratings in all six crash test ratings and a five-star rollover resistance rating, applies to both the 2016 RLX and RLX Sport Hybrid.

In addition to the RLX, Acura has earned top safety ratings from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) TOP SAFETY PICK+ rating for the TLX performance sedan and MDX luxury SUV, which are each equipped with the exclusive AcuraWatch™ suite of advanced safety and driver-assistive technologies. AcuraWatch™ has expanded to every model in the Acura lineup for 2016.

“The 2016 Acura RLX exemplifies how the brand is creating new value for luxury customers with the addition of advanced safety technologies,” said Michael Accavitti, senior vice president and general manager, Acura Division. “Luxury customers expect the latest in technology and Acura delivers with safety and driver assistive technologies available across the lineup.”

AcuraWatch™

Available on all trims and standard on the Technology and Advance packages, the RLX now includes AcuraWatch™, a comprehensive suite of safety and driver assistive technologies that help to improve the driver’s situational awareness and, in certain circumstances, intervene to help avoid a collision or mitigate its severity. AcuraWatch™ includes Acura’s Collision Mitigation Braking System, an autonomous emergency braking (AEB) feature that the NHTSA recently announced would be added to its list of NCAP recommended safety features.

The 2016 RLX offers the most comprehensive suite of safety and driver assistive technologies available on an Acura vehicle to date; depending upon trim, the RLX includes:

· Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) with Low-Speed Follow (LSF)

· Collision Mitigation Braking System™ (CMBS)

· Forward Collision Warning (FCW)

· Lane Departure Warning (LDW)

· Lane Keeping Assist System (LKAS)

· Road Departure Mitigation (RDM) – new to RLX

· Blind Spot Information (BSI)

· Multi-View Rear Camera with Dynamic Guidelines

· Cross Traffic Monitor – new to RLX

Acura Surround View Camera System

The luxury sedan features the first U.S. application of Acura’s Surround View Camera system, which provides a 360-degree image of the area around the vehicle. Assisting drivers with critical and precise driving and parking situations, the system employs four cameras to seamlessly create a composite bird’s eye image to provide the driver with information about the surroundings. The cameras can also provide singular views behind, in front, to the left and right of the vehicle. Dynamic guidelines are displayed on the navigation screen to help the driver see their projected path relative to the lines demarking parking spaces or other objects, allowing them to maneuver with greater confidence.

RLX Gets Other Key Refinements

The 2016 RLX flagship luxury sedan has also received significant chassis tuning refinements to enhance ride quality and has upgraded to 19-inch wheels that are standard across all trims. Best of all, despite all of the additions to the 2016 model year, the manufacturer’s suggested retail prices (MSRP) of the 2016 RLX remain unchanged from the 2015 model.

The 2016 RLX Sport Hybrid, which features a three-motor Sport Hybrid Super Handling All-Wheel Drive (SH-AWD) system with electrically powered torque vectoring, goes on sale this summer. We’ll keep you posted on when the newest addition in safety and luxury arrive on our lot! 

Breathless. Stunning. There are no words. The All New Acura NSX.

We’ve all been breathless, waiting for more news of the stunning new NSX. Acura has purposely been slow to release information — we get that they know how to build excitement about this much-anticipated supercar, but with its launch quickly approaching, new technical details of the legend were revealed at the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) World Congress and Exhibition held April 22nd in Detroit.

“Our goal is to create something altogether new and exciting, something that advances the concept of a next generation supercar in the spirit of the original NSX,” said Ted Klaus, chief engineer and global development leader of the new NSX. “In order to provide NSX-level value, we needed to push ourselves to experiment with, refine and then realize many new technologies.”

Significant technical revelations for the new NSX include:

• Acura’s first use of a revolutionary multi-material space frame design that delivers class-leading body rigidity while remaining lightweight.
• World’s first automotive application of new ablation casting technology resulting in world-class body rigidity for ultimate handling and control.
• World’s first use of a three-dimensionally formed, ultra-high-strength steel A-pillar, supporting class-leading rigidity and crash performance while providing outstanding outward visibility.
• Top-in-class aerodynamics targets without the use of active aerodynamic elements, while its three-motor Sport Hybrid power unit is cooled through 10 heat exchangers all thanks to a total airflow management strategy that maximizes the flow of air around and throughNSX.
• Displacement of theNSX’s all-new twin turbo V-6 engine was confirmed to be 3.5-liters.
• TheNSX will mark the introduction of the most capable and highest torque capacity Super Handling All-Wheel Drive system in Acura history.
• The latest proprietary logic advancesAcura’s two decades-long pursuit of Super Handling that proactively responds to driver inputs, allowing the NSX to achieve a new level of line trace while at the same time intelligently supporting the driver in changing environments.

For the full press release click HERE.

…and yes we are SO excited at Butler Acura to see, touch, feel, and sit in this vehicle…stayed tuned to our blog — we will be posting information as quickly as we get it….#NSX #TooExcitedToSleepNSX #RevolutionaryNSX

Have You Ever Wondered…

Have you ever wondered how beautiful new Acuras are arrive at the dealerships around the nation? Where they come from? How they’re transferred on the “matrix” semi-trucks? Wonder no more…

Today we received a shipment of Acuras and we snapped a small photo gallery of the process, because once again I was reminded of the complexity of this process. This delivery featured stunning new 2016 MDX’s rolling out of the covered semi-truck and on to our lot. We always know we’re getting special Acuras when a covered truck pulls up.

We chatted with the truck driver and he shared oftentimes there isn’t a lot of room between the vehicle and the truck, so they have to squeeze into the backseat of the vehicle to get into the driver’s seat. Notice where he starts wiping off his shoes and gets ready to squeeze into the MDX before he rolls it out. Who knew? Stay tuned for more “behind the scenes” details of the car biz!

Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee

We’ve just discovered this hilarious series presented by Acura called “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee.” It features Jerry Seinfeld along with a whole host of famous comedians, who drive around in funky cars, meet at various restaurants and discuss laughable topics. Click HERE for one of our favorite “Single Shot” episodes.

The 2016 Acura MDX Has Arrived!

Affordable Luxury DOES Live In Ashland. The award-winning, best-selling Acura SUV – the MDX – arrives and leaves as quick as they come off the truck! The first shipment arrived this month and the newly minted 2016 Acura MDX has a plethora of innovative upgrades, in fact doubling from the 2015 to the 2016 model.

The most significant upgrades relate to the powertrain and safety of the vehicle.  The 2016 Acura MDX received an updated powertrain with a revised all-wheel-drive system and a new nine-speed automatic transmission featuring a push-button gear selector. The new safety features are now bundled into an available AcuraWatch™ package that Acura adds to its family of trim levels: MDX with Technology Package, MDX with Rear Entertainment System, etc. AcuraWatch™ separates advanced safety features available for 2015 into a package and adds a few new ones such as Road Departure Mitigation and rear cross-traffic alert.

The new nine-speed automatic transmission (which replaces the previous six-speed automatic transmission) is 66 pounds lighter and enhances acceleration performance with more closely spaced gears plus 25 percent faster shift times, according to Acura. Another innovative change is the replacement of the traditional column-mounted gear selector with the handy new push-button gear selector where Park, Neutral and Drive are engaged with the push of a button. Reverse is selected by a separate control.

The beautiful MDX’s all-wheel-drive system is also upgraded and now uses Acura’s next-generation Super Handling All-Wheel Drive. The revised system is 19 pounds lighter and has an increased torque vectoring response for amplified turning. What IS torque vectoring you may ask? Torque vectoring creates rotation movement by changing wheel speed and can create more responsive handling.  Acura says the torque-vectoring responsiveness has been enhanced to benefit agility and stability.

Now, onto the safety features. The AcuraWatch™ suite of safety features includes many of the 2015 MDX features, plus a plethora of additional cutting-edge features including Road Departure Mitigation (RDM). We just love this awesome new feature! So what does it do? It monitors lane lines and other markers to recognize when the car has left the lane. It will then apply steering correction and the brakes to self-correct. A rear cross-traffic monitor works with the blind spot warning system to alert drivers when a vehicle is approaching from the side while the car is in Reverse. Amazing! Here’s a quick list of the other AcuraWatch™ features:

• Adaptive cruise control
• Collision mitigation braking system
• Forward collision warning
• Lane departure warning
• Lane keeping assist
• Road Departure Mitigation
• Blind spot warning
• Multiview rear camera
• Rear cross-traffic monitor

These next-generation vehicles are here in Ashland for you to see.