R-I-P, RLX: Acura Kills Off Its Large Luxury Sedan for 2021

Pick up a 2020 Acura RLX before it’s too late, if that's your bag.

The 2020 model year is the Acura RLX luxury sedan's last, according to a report by Automotive News and since confirmed to MotorTrend by an Acura spokesperson. The news comes as little surprise given the model's slow sales, which, through April, are down more than 60 percent from the previous year. However, even at its peak, the RLX never drew large numbers, with Acura moving slightly more than 5,000 RLXs in 2013. BMW, by the way, sold nearly 40,000 5-Series models in the United States alone last year.

While the RLX will not live to see the 2021 model year on our shores, the model's Honda-badged equivalent, the Legend, continues on in other markets. Despite giving up on the RLX, Acura is not abandoning the sedan market. In fact, the Japanese luxury brand plans to unveil an all-new TLX sedan soon, with styling inspired by the Type S Concept that debuted during last year's Monterey Car Week festivities.

The brand also intends to release a redesigned MDX crossover in the near term. With 26,548 TLXs and 52,019 MDXs sold in 2019, the two models accounted for just under half of Acura's sales last year. The RLX represents a spiritual loss for the brand, however, which has been without a compelling flagship since the sporty and elegant Legend gave way to the doughy first-generation RL sedan in the 1990s.