These days it can seem like a new passenger car is being discontinued every other week, and while that isn’t literally true, the market for cars continues to shrink and therefore the culling continues.
We’ve covered several of the departing (and departed) at PASMAG over the past few months, with the BMW Z4, Lexus RC, and Toyota Supra among the nameplates that will be leaving us in the coming months. Others, like the Lexus LC, and Subaru BRZ-Toyota 86 twins face an uncertain future at best. It won’t surprise us if they also meet their demise in the not-too-distant future.
But today, as the title suggests, it’s not a coupe that’s getting chopped, but another sedan. After two generations, and a lineage that stretches back to 1996, Acura will end production of the TLX mid-size sedan on July 31.
Acura issued a statement which included the following:
“Acura will conclude production of the TLX performance sedan this month to better align with the evolving needs of our customers and the changing landscape of the automotive industry."
"The TLX and its predecessor, the TL, served an important role for Acura brand for much of the past 30 years – with nearly 1.2 million units sold. However, since the initial success of the model, sales have been in a gradual, but steady decline as consumers increasingly turn to crossover utility vehicles.”
Once a strong seller in Acura’s lineup, the TLX has sold just 3,634 units in the U.S. through Q2 (June 30), which represents a 12.6 percent decline over the same period last year (4,211 sold).
TLX sales are a barometer of the decline of passenger cars sales generally in the U.S. When the TLX debuted a decade ago as the result of merging the old TL and TSX sedans into a single nameplate, its sales numbers were respectable. In its first year on sale in 2015, TLX sales peaked at 47,080.
Since then, its sales have steadily declined especially since 2021 which coincided with the debut of the current second gen model. By 2022, U.S. sales shrunk to 11,508, and by last year just 7,478 were sold. Even for a premium brand, those figures aren’t sustainable.
With the TLX gone, Acura will have just one non-SUV in its lineup, the compact Integra. Its sales aren’t exactly scorching either, but they’re almost three times better (13,638) than the TLX through June 30. Other Japanese luxury brands aren’t selling many cars these days either, with Infiniti killing off the Q50 sedan last year, and the Q60 coupe in 2022. It now sells SUVs only. Lexus still sells three sedans (ES, IS and LS), plus two coupes (LC and RC), but the RC is done after this year, and the IS and LC could be axed after 2026.
So, it’s not looking great for premium market coupes and sedans. Even the Germans have pared back their offerings as new models are rolled out. The new Audi A5 is strictly a sedan with no coupe or convertible models, and Mercedes-Benz has consolidated its coupes into the CLE. Sure, SL and GT models are still around, but they both retail for more than $100,000.
Could the TLX come back as an EV in a few years? So far, Acura is mum on that possibility, but it could happen. But it probably won't be a passenger car. We say that because the RSX, which was a compact sports coupe in the early 2000s, is coming back as an EV SUV in 2026.
Bottom line, the outlook for passenger cars, whether they’re sedans, coupes or convertibles, is grim. Surely, some will survive. The Honda Accord, sister car to the TLX, continues to perform well. It clocked in at 67,965 units sold through Q2. Still, that’s a decline of 14.7 percent over last year, so its days will probably become numbered too, eventually.
A generation ago, this writer briefly worked in an Acura dealership as a new car salesperson. I wasn’t particularly good at selling cars, but I was there long enough to sell a few, including the second gen mid-size TL sedan (pictured below). The TL was one of five cars in the Acura lineup at the time. Others included the EL compact sedan, CL coupe, RL full-size sedan, and the then all-new RSX sports coupe.
The only SUV in the lineup at that time was the MDX. The exact opposite of where things stand two decades later. The TL’s U.S. sales during my brief auto sales career in 2002 were 60,764.
A long time ago, indeed.
Photos courtesy of Acura
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