Acura’s new entry-level ILX sedan is based on the Honda Civic and will offer a choice of three powertrains, including Acura’s first hybrid gasoline-electric drive system. The ILX, unveiled here in concept form, will be assembled at Honda’s plant in Greensburg, Indiana, and goes on sale in spring.
The ILX is being positioned by Acura as its new “gateway” model, aimed at younger buyers. The basic version will come with a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, while a more sporting edition gets a 2.4-liter four and a six-speed manual gearbox. The ILX Hybrid will share the Civic’s 93-horsepower 1.5-liter gasoline engine.
Other features include a smart entry keyless access system and pushbutton start, as well as Pandora internet radio interface and SMS text message function. Acura also plans to offer an optional Technology package.
The Acura NSX will punch its way back into the sportscar arena within the next three years, with a new car patterned closely on this concept, unveiled at the 2012 Detroit auto show.
Going on seven years on hiatus, and with one mostly abandoned revival behind it, the NSX is one of the cars that gave Honda’s upscale brand sales leadership in the 1990s. The NSX first took flight at the 1989 Chicago auto show, and went into production for the 1990 model year with an aluminum body, a mid-engine-mounted V-6 engine, and to some, the best handling of any of the day’s supercars.
Then it lingered, without much change, for the next 15 years. Save for the addition of targa models, an automatic-transmission model, 20 horsepower and an extra transmission gear, the NSX staggered along until 2005, when Honda discontinued it without a direct successor.
An effort to build a second-generation, 600-horsepower, V-10 NSX was ditched during the 2008-2009 financial crisis. No production cars ever were built, but Honda did race the fully-developed cars.
With the new NSX concept–like many recent Honda and Acura concepts, it looks nearly production-ready–Honda is keeping true to its latest corporate mission of favoring efficiency over enthusiast dreams of rear-wheel drive and big-displacement engines. Not only does the new NSX have a V-6 powerplant, just as it did in its first iteration, this one’s also a hybrid that uses electric motors to give the car all-wheel drive. Acura says the new system can dynamically change torque to the front 19-inch wheels; the rear wheels on the concept are 20-inchers.
Honda promises a new direct-injected V-6 will be paired with a dual-clutch transmission with its own built-in electric motor, for even more drivetrain efficiency, but declined to make any horsepower or gas-mileage estimates.
The new NSX will measure 170.5 inches long, 74.6 inches wide, 45.7 inches tall, on a 101.4-inch wheelbase. That compares with the original car’s 174.2-inch overall length, 99.6-inch wheelbase, 46.1-inch height, and 71.3-inch width.
The new NSX will also make extensive use of lightweight materials, but it’s unclear if it will be an all-aluminum body, like the one sported by the first-generation car.
In a telling move, given Honda’s recent problems with natural disasters and an unfavorable exchange rate with the yen, this NSX will be developed by its American engineering team in Ohio.
The new NSX is one of a slew of new models being issued rapid-fire by Honda as it tries to pull its luxury brand out of a sales and styling funk. Last year, Acura sales fell to below 100,000 units, while German luxury brands BMW and Mercedes each sold nearly 250,000 vehicles just under those hallmark brands.
It will be a battle for Acura to regain the luster it had in the days of the Legend, the Integra, and the original NSX. The company’s confident its new trio–especially its new halo car–are up to the task.
“Acura will once again defy conventional wisdom to become one of the top luxury brands,” said Jeff Conrad, vice president and general manager of Acura, “by creating luxury vehicles based on our own unique values.”
Acura today announced that three of its best selling models received the highest possible safety rating of TOP SAFETY PICK from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) under its more-stringent testing guidelines implemented last year.
The Acura TSX sedan and wagon, TL and MDX earned the highest-possible score of GOOD in all four ratings, including the more rigorous roof-strength test. According to the IIHS, vehicles rated good for rollover protection have roofs more than twice as strong as the current federal standard requires. The IIHS TOP SAFETY PICK award recognizes vehicles that do the best job of protecting vehicle occupants in front, side, rollover, and rear crashes based on ratings in the Institute’s evaluations.
All 2012 Acura models utilize the Advanced Compatibility Engineering™ (ACE™) body structure. ACE™ is an exclusive body design that enhances occupant protection and crash compatibility in frontal crashes. The ACE™ design utilizes a network of connected structural elements to distribute crash energy more evenly throughout the front of the vehicle. This enhanced frontal crash energy management helps to reduce the forces transferred to the passenger compartment.
Standard safety equipment on all Acura models include Vehicle Stability Assist™ (VSA®) with traction control, an anti-lock braking system (ABS), dual-stage/multiple-threshold front airbags, front-side airbags with passenger side Occupant Position Detection System (OPDS), side curtain airbags for all outboard seating positions, front seats with integrated active head restraints, front seatbelts with automatic tensioning system and load limiters, Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) and Daytime Running Lights (DRL).
There’s a lot of news coming out from Honda’s headquarters today. Following the announcement on the Accord Concept study that will preview the ninth-generation of Honda’s mid-size model series, the Japanese automaker’s luxury division Acura also confirmed its plans for the rapidly approaching 2012 Detroit Motor Show.
The star of Acura’s lineup will be a concept version of the next generation NSX super car which in the company’s own words, “represents the styling direction for the next generation of Acura’s super sports car”.
The next NSX, which will be sold under the Honda brand name in markets outside of North America, is believed to feature the firm’s new “high output electric SH-AWD hybrid system”.
The hybrid powertrain combines a new direct-injection 3.5-liter V6 gasoline engine with a built-in, 30kW (40HP) electric motor, two independent 20kW (27HP) electric motors on both sides for the rear wheels, a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission and a high performance lithium-ion battery.
Joining the NSX will be another concept model called the ILX, which is a styling study for an all-new luxury compact sedan scheduled for launch in spring 2012. The Japanese company said that the ILX will be its new entry-level model and will be available with three powertrains including Acura’s first-ever gas-electric hybrid.
Finally, the third Acura model scheduled to appear in Detroit is a prototype of the 2013 RDX, the second generation of the brand’s five-passenger SUV.
“Acura has a steady cadence of exciting new models coming to market and it will all begin in Detroit,” said Jeff Conrad, vice president and general manager of Acura sales and service. “From the all-new Acura ILX at the gateway of the lineup to the pinnacle of performance with the Acura NSX Concept, Acura vehicles are being created for luxury customers who aspire to the highest levels of quality and value, with beautiful styling and the right balance of technology, performance and environmental responsibility.”
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