“First-time luxury buyers tend to place a high value on exterior styling, affordability and environmental issues, and that’s what we have created with the new Acura ILX,” said Jon Ikeda, head of the Acura Design Studio. “The strategy behind this new model is to position ILX as the first opportunity for many young buyers to enter the luxury market.”

Power for the 2013 Acura ILX comes from three powertrain choices including the brand’s first-ever gas-electric hybrid. The base model features a 2.0 liter 4-cylinder engine making 150 horsepower at 6,500 rpm and 140 lb-ft of torque at 4,300 rpm. Mated to a Sequential SportShift 5-speed automatic transmission, the ILX 2.0L returns an EPA estimated 24/32 mpg (city/highway). For those that want more power, the Acura ILX also comes with a 2.4 liter 4-clyinder making 201-hp at 7,000 rpm and 170 lb-ft torque at 4,300 rpm. Mated to a close-ratio, 6-speed manual transmission, the ILX 2.4L will deliver an EPA estimated 20/29 mpg.

Check out more news on the Acura ILX.

The 2013 Acura ILX Hybrid features Honda’s 1.5 liter engine and the Integrated Motor Assist electric motor. Fuel to the 20-hp electric-motor comes from a lithium-ion battery pack. Working together, the system produces 111-hp at 5,500 rpm and 127 lb-ft between 1,000-3,000 rpm. Mated to a CVT transmission, the Acura ILX 1.5L Hybrid averages a nice 35/38 mpg.

Interior features includes a standard Keyless Access System with smart entry and push-button start, along with Pandora internet radio interface and SMS text message function. Buyers can opt for a Premium Package and the Technology Package. The Premium Package gives you leather heated seats, an upgraded 360 watt stereo system, a rear view camera and an Active Sound Cancellation system to make for a quieter cabin. The Technology Package adds an ELS Surround audio system, AcuraLink Satellite Communication System, Acura Navigation System with Voice Recognition, AcuraLink Real-Time Traffic with Traffic Rerouting and AcuraLink Real-Time Weather with radar image maps. There is also an onboard 60GB hard drive.

The 2013 Acura ILX will go on sale later this year. Keep your eye out for the pricing information.

- By: Omar Rana

The 2.3 liter 4-cylider turbo in the Acura RDX has been dropped for a new 3.5 liter V6 making 273-hp. Mated to a new 6-speed automatic transmission, the 2013 RDX gets EPA estimated fuel-economy of 20/28 mpg (city/highway) for the front-wheel-drive model and 19/27 mpg for the all-wheel-drive model.

Check out more news on the Acura RDX.

The 2013 Acura RDX rides on a 4-wheel independent suspension with a MacPherson strut front and multi-link rear suspension design.

Design wise, Acura has added some subtle design changes to the outside for the 2013 model year. On the inside, the RDS gets a matte surface finish, Active SOund Control, more passenger room, larger door openings and an available power rear lift gate.

Tech wise, the 2013 RDX gets a host of new features including Pandora internet radio interface, SMS text message feature, a Keyless Access System with smart entry and pushbutton start, and a three view rear camera. There is also an optional Technology Package that gives you Acura ELS Surround audio system, AcuraLink Satellite Communication System, Acura Navigation System with Voice Recognition, AcuraLink Real-Time Traffic with Traffic Rerouting, and AcuraLink Real-Time Weather with radar image maps. There is also a 60GB hard rive on board.

Sales begin later this year and prices will be announced closer to launch. Stay tuned.

- By: Omar Rana

Earlier this week, Acura dropped its full commercial for Super Bowl XLVI which features Jerry Seinfeld and Jay Leno attempting to convince the first buyer of the upcoming Acura NSX to hand them over his keys.

Check out original post on the Acura NSX.

Acura has now released another commercial, for the web only, where Seinfeld continues his attempts.

“In his ongoing attempts to acquire the very first Acura NSX, Jerry Seinfeld offers to trade the last living Munchkin to the one person in front of him on the waiting list,” Acura said about the commercial.

Check it out after the jump.

- By: Omar Rana

It seems like automakers will be eating up most of the commercial breaks during Super Bowl XLVI on Feb. 5th. Acura will be jumping in on the game for the first time to capitalize on more than 100 million viewers.

The campaign is designed to strengthen Acura brand awareness and leverage the brand’s announcement in Detroit at the North American International Auto Show earlier this month, a 60-second commercial featuring the iconic talent of Jerry Seinfeld and Jay Leno coupled with the highly anticipated NSX supercar concept will air during the third quarter.

Check out original post on the Acura NSX.

“Acura has a specific plan in place across all communication channels to build off of the first round of product news announced at the North American International Auto Show. The response to the ILX, RDX and NSX supercar concept has been extremely positive,” said Susie Rossick, Acura Brand Manager. “Our Super Bowl strategies are simple—build upon the buzz created in Detroit and leverage the excitement for the future return of the legendary NSX to the Acura lineup.”

Check out more news on the Acura NSX.

The commercial is titled ‘Transactions’ and features Jerry Seinfeld and Jay Leno, in a bid to be the first in line to take delivery on the first NSX.

Production of the Acura NSX will take place in 3 years in Ohio. Over the next year Acura will also introduce the new RDX and ILX compact sedan.

Follow the jump for the commercial.

- By: Omar Rana

Acura unleashed a prototype of its latest effort to replace the aging RDX compact luxury crossover SUV earlier at the 2011 North American International Auto Show. Pinned as a second-generation model, the new 2013 Acura RDX seems more like an extensive rework rather than a completely new car.

The new RDX drops its turbocharged 4-banger mill in favor of one with two more cylinders: a 3.5L V6 punching out 273-hp. Using deductive reasoning, it’s safe to assume that this is the same engine found in the current TL and Honda Accord. Mated to a 6-speed automatic, Acura said that the new RDX should return 20 mpg’s in the city and up to 28 on the highway and front-wheel drive models are expected to offer the best fuel economy in its class.

Other changes—besides the obvious aesthetic changes—include a new adaptive suspension setup that Acura calls Amplitude Reactive Dampers.

The new 2013 Acura RDX is expected to hit your local showrooms around the spring of 2012 with pricing to be announced closer to that time.

All Photos Copyright © Omar Rana - egmCarTech.

- By: Chris Chin

The following are confirmed facts: the next NSX will be a V6 powered hybrid with Acura’s SH all wheel drive. Honda/Acura have decided that the next NSX will focus more on a favorable power to weight ratio rather than an abrasive powerplant, similar and yet different from the original NSX. This point was driven home by Takanobu Ito, CEO of Honda:In this new era, even as we focus on the fun to drive spirit of the NSX, I think a supercar must respond positively to environmental responsibilities.

“This Sport Hybrid SH-AWD system will make NSX the ultimate expression of Acura’s idea to create synergy between man and machine,” said Takanobu Ito, president and CEO of Honda Motor Co., Ltd. “The NSX will make the driver one with the car to enhance dynamic driving abilities without getting in the way.”

In this world of direct injection, carbon fiber and aluminum, I am sure they will find a way to make it a greater success than the original.

Production of the Acura NSX will take place in 3 years in Ohio.

All Photos Copyright © Omar Rana - egmCarTech.

- By: Sawyer Sutton

So far, three four bangers have been discussed for the ILX: a two-liter, a 2.4 liter and a 1.5 liter hybrid, which by the way is a first for Acura, and for this class. Aesthetically, the ILX looks little more than a grown up Accord, but one experiment (the hybrid powertrain) is probably enough for a new car.

“First time luxury buyers place the highest value on exterior styling, affordability and environmental issues and that’s a virtual definition of what we have created with the new Acura ILX,” said Jon Ikeda, head of the Acura Design Studio. “The strategy behind this new model is to position ILX as the first opportunity for many young buyers to enter the luxury market.”

The production version of the Acura ILX will be built at Honda Manufacturing of Indiana, LLC, in its Greensburg, Ind. plant.

All Photos Copyright © Omar Rana - egmCarTech.

- By: Sawyer Sutton

At the 2012 Detroit Auto Show tomorrow, Acura will display a new NSX Concept. While we’ve heard previous reports of what could be powering the new model, latest reports suggest that the NSX will return as a 400-hp four-wheel-drive hybrid that will compete with the likes of the Audi R8.

Power for the model will come from a 3.5 liter V6 engine driving one axle and pair of electric-motors driving the other. With output of more than 400-hp, 0 to 62 mph should take around 5 seconds.

We’ll have more details from the Detroit show tomorrow. Stay tuned.

- By: Omar Rana

Source: AutoExpress

Honda has notified its dealers not to sell some cars until they complete a recall to fix an air bag defect, which has been linked to 18 injuries and two deaths. The problem lies within the driver side air bag, which can deploy with a lot of force and send metal shards into the driver.

Under U.S. federal regulations, Honda must stop its dealers from selling the car before the recall is carried out. However, there are no such requirement for used cars.  The recalls cover 2001-2002 Honda Accord models, 2001-2003 Civic and Odyssey models, 2002-2003 CR-V, 2003 Pilot, 2002-2003 Acura TL and the 2003 Acura CL.

In a letter to its dealers, Honda and Acura showrooms were told that “Some vehicles affected by this campaign may be in your used vehicle inventory. These vehicles must be repaired before they are sold.”

Executive director of the Center for Auto Safety Clarence Ditlow says that Honda should also tell its customers not to drive these vehicles until they are fixed.

- By: Omar Rana

Source: NYT

Honda said that it expects sales to grow in 2012 with the Honda brand targeting a 23.6 percent sales increase and Acura targeting a 40 percent sales increase. According to Tetsuo Iwamura, president and CEO of American Honda, the gains will be lead by new cars and trucks that the company plans to update for both brands.

“It looks quite high jump, but because of the availability problem, we had a really low year this year,” Iwamura said. “To us, it is a natural growth.”

In 2011, Honda had a lot of difficulty with parts shortages caused by the earthquake and tsunami in March. The company’s U.S. market share has declined 9 percent for the first 11 months in 2011.

Honda brand gains will be assisted by the new CR-V, an updated Civic and a redesigned Accord sedan and coupe next year. An Accord Coupe Concept will be shown at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show next month.

Acura is planning on unveiled three new cars or crossovers including a successor to the NSX and a new compact sedan called the ILX, of which it will offer a hybrid version.

- By: Omar Rana

Source: Free Press

A redesigned version of the 2013 Acura RDX crossover sport utility vehicle will debut at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show next month. No details on how aggressive the redesign will be but we expect it to be quite a change if Acura wants to steal the spotlight from the Detroit 3 in their hometown.

Currently, the Acura RDX is powered by a 4-banger turbo engine making 240-hp. That engine is expected to be carried over for the 2013 model year.

Prices are also expected to remain around $32,000 – $33,000.

We’ll have more details for you from Detroit next month.

Note: 2012 Acura RDX pictured.

- By: Omar Rana

Honda announced yesterday that it will build the new Acura ILX sedan at its Greensburg, Indiana plant starting spring 2012. The new ILX sedan is an entry-level model that will be joining Acura’s lineup next year.

Scheduled to be unveiled at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show in concept form, the Acura ILX will be based on the Civic platform and will feature three powertrains including the brand’s first-ever gas-electric hybrid.

Reports say that the Acura ILX will replace the TSX and will be marketed as the gateway to the brand’s lineup.

Click here for our original post on the Acura ILX.

Acura opened its Greensburg plant in 2008 with a $550 million investment. It recently hired 1,000 workers to support the production of the new Civic.

Acura’s sales through November 2011 in the United States were down 7 percent to 110,170 units.

- By: Omar Rana

Source: AutoNews

Along with the NSX Concept, that will debut at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show next month, Acura will show a another concept called ILX. The Acura ILX Concept will show the new styling of a an all-new compact sedan that will launch at dealerships in spring 2012.

“To be positioned at the gateway to the Acura lineup, the ILX will feature three powertrains including Acura’s first-ever gas-electric hybrid,” Acura said in a statement.

“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.”

Note: Canadian Civic-based Acura CSX shown in image above.

- By: Omar Rana

“Finally, Acura will debut the NSX Concept, which represents the styling direction for the next generation of Acura’s super sports car,” Acura said in a statement.

We have no official details of what will power the next Acura NSX but there have been reports of a high-performance hybrid or electric powertrain with a possibility of an all-wheel-drive system. Of course, we’re crossing our fingers for that not to be true as we’d love something that’s totally gasoline powered and holds its own when competing against the Nissan GT-R.

More details from the Detroit show floor next month.

- By: Omar Rana

Honda announced today that it is expanded a previous recall of certain 2001 through 2003 model-year Honda and Acura brand vehicles to replace the driver’s airbag inflator originally install in around 273,000 vehicles in the United States. The recall covers an additional 917,267 vehicles.

Honda said that “affected driver’s airbag inflators may deploy with too much pressure, which can cause the inflator casing to rupture and could result in injury or fatality.”

This recall now includes certain 2001 and 2002 Accord, 2001 to 2003 Civic, 2001 to 2003 Odyssey, 2002 and 2003 CR-V, 2003 Pilot, 2002 and 2003 Acura 3.2 TL and 2003 Acura 3.2 CL vehicles.

“Separately, Honda has also determined that approximately 640 affected driver’s airbag service parts were sold for installation in vehicles for collision repair or other vehicle service,” Honda said in a statement. “Because Honda is unable to determine the specific vehicles that may have received the affected service parts through existing information, Honda will inspect an additional approximately 603,000 vehicles and replace those parts as necessary.”

Notifications will be sent out in late December 2011.

- By: Omar Rana

Known as the Super Sports Concept, the mode will follow the Small Sports EV Concept (pictured above) that will make its debut at the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show this week.

The Honda Super Sports Concept will be a spiritual successor to the NSX. No details are available as of yet, but we’ve heard reports of a high-performance hybrid or electric powertrain with a possibility of an all-wheel-drive system.

Click here for more news on the Acura NSX.

The Honda Small Sports EV Concept that we’ll see in Tokyo is expected to hit dealers in 2013.

- By: Omar Rana

Source: AutoCar

Honda has been under the spotlight for quite some time now with a lot of rumors circulating about its replacement to the famous halo car, the NSX (you can read all of the here). And to make things a bit better or worse, word is that Honda’s R&D boss Mibe Toshihiro has confirmed that an NSX is in development. The catch is however, that the replacement will most likely either be a hybrid or an EV NSX replacement.

“We are now at a point where we can consider the next generation of electric and hybrid vehicles. President Ito has already mentioned a new NSX, and we have looked at that in the R&D department,” said Toshihiro. “It would be an interesting project — electric or hybrid vehicles can be fun as well as economical.”

Despite the positive note that Honda is working on a halo car, the rumor that it will either be a hybrid or an EV is a bit disappointing, especially since Lexus is asking for a competitor with its LF-A supercar. Additionally, some other reports said that Honda’s president Takanobu Ito said that the next-generation NSX won’t follow the same formula as the original. Well, that doesn’t sound too promising.

To put things in perspective, Honda once said on the original press release for the NSX that “Cars, no matter their market niche, should be amply endowed with a large dose of driving fun.” The NSX was the purest embodiment of Honda’s corporate philosophy, one that put Honda on the performance map for sure and gained them their enthusiast following. But as we’ve seen already, anything with a hybrid or alternative powertrain is far from truly fun. So the new NSX sounds like it’s shaping up to be something that will fall short to filling the same shoes and do the same justice that the original NSX did. At which point, is it even worth it?

Boy, have the times changed. Either way, it will definitely be interesting to see what Honda has to show for its rumors and reports when the Tokyo Motor Show rolls around.

- By: Chris Chin

Source: Inside Line

The Honda/Acura NSX is one supercar that we’re kind of sick of writing about – and no it’s not because we have a distaste for the car – we just have a distaste of rumors about a successor for the car being on and off.

New reports suggest that the new Acura sports cars concept seen recently on the set of The Avengers in Central Park, New York, with actor Robert Downey Jr at the wheel, is a teaser to the next-generation NSX.

Apparently, a source inside Honda has told AutoExpress that the dual note 4WD hybrid concept from the 2001 Tokyo Motor Show was our look at the technology that will underpin the NSX. That concept was powered by a 3.5-liter V6 and an in-wheel electric motor that pushed over 400-hp.

Click here for more news on the Acura NSX.

Insiders say that Honda is working on a new 3.5 liter to 3.7 liter VTEC V6 with a twin electric motor set-up that will get its juice from lithium-ion batteries. It will have a plug-in recharge system for a small electric-only driving range.

If all this is to be believed, the next Honda / Acura NSX will debut sometime in 2014.

- By: Omar Rana

Source: AutoExpress