If web traffic is any indicator, Acura may be in for a good 2012.

Consumer auto website Edmunds.com and its sister site for car enthusiasts, InsideLine.com both said stories on Honda Motor Co.’s  luxury Acura brand were among the most popular on the sites during the week of the 2012 North American International Auto Show, which wrapped Jan. 10.

“It was a pretty exciting show for Acura,” analyst Jessica Caldwell said. “They struggled over the past few years, but this year is more promising.”

The interest mirrored the readership of my blog giving online readers a first look at photos of the new models, which was the third-most-read story on our website for the week.

The Dodge Dart, Cadillac ATS and Acura ILX, the brand’s new entry-level luxury sedan, topped Edmunds.com’s shopper consideration measures for the week among new releases. The ILX had a 119 percent increase in consideration by visitors — a measure of the views for that vehicle compared with web traffic on other new vehicles in the same segment.

Among redesigned and refreshed vehicles, the Acura RDX sport-utility vehicle made the top four with a 16 percent increase in consideration, trailing only the Ford   Fusion, Toyota  Prius V and Lincoln MKZ.

“The RDX is in a great segment that is poised to do well,” Caldwell said.

Acura hopes that interest translates to sales. The brand set a sales goal of 180,000 vehicles this year, up 45 percent from the 123,299 sold in disaster-ravaged 2011.

Meanwhile, over on the enthusiast site, a video overview of the 2013 Acura NSX concept supercar, which will be built in Ohio, drew 560,000 views during that period – more than any feature on any other single vehicle.

 

Source:Bizjournals