TSX could be squeezed out of Acura lineup

LOS ANGELES -- The future of Acura's TSX appears uncertain as Honda Motor prepares to abandon the platform used for the compact sedan.

Acura boss Jeff Conrad says the TSX will remain in the lineup "for the foreseeable future." But when Acura moved into the entry-luxury segment with the ILX last year it jammed up its sedan lineup -- both in terms of vehicle sizes and pricing ladders.

The ILX and aging TSX are positioned close to each other, as are the TSX and mid-sized TL. The RLX has grown slightly to distance itself from comparisons to the TL, but not by much.

Product plans elsewhere within Honda Motor may force Acura's hand.

The TSX is based on the aged smaller Honda Accord platform used in Japan and Europe. The U.S. Accord traditionally has been larger and has been the basis for the Acura TL.

But the Accord that debuted in the United States last year is on a new global platform that is sized for the U.S. Accord, rather than the Japanese and European market versions.

The British magazine Autocar reported that slow Accord sales in Europe won't justify a new model or allow Honda to keep the old platform. That makes the TSX a car without a donor platform.

Also, the TL is being redesigned for a summer 2014 launch, and a Honda Motor source said that it will be made smaller to make room for the flagship RLX, which is priced $12,500 higher. But that would put the TL right on top of the TSX in terms of size.

The TL is Acura's best-selling car, while the ILX has struggled to outpace the old TSX. Sales of each nameplate are between 24,000 and 32,000 units a year.

Acura has told dealers nothing about a shakeup in the lineup. They expect a 2014 TSX to arrive on schedule in September.