Tag: Acura News

This week in Honda News Insight and Ridgeline come under the spotlight

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Insight Shades of Civic Hybrid. Photo Attributes American Honda 2017.

This first week of 2018 is a bit slow as to breaking Honda News. Here it is Tuesday, and American Honda has yet to publish year end sales data for the 5th largest U.S. car brand. Japanese owned, but mostly made in Canada, Mexico and the U.S., production related news, will most likely come on Wednesday, with yet another record year for America’s #5 car brand.

Factoid: Honda integrates more U.S. sourced parts into their new car lineup than Fiat Chrysler, GM or Ford. If you drive Accord, Civic or CR-V, your car or light truck is more likely than not, built in North America. Here’s where the news comes in to play: Last month American Honda Motors teased not only the redesigned Acura RDX compact crossover, but a made in Ohio 3rd generation Honda Insight Hybrid. This marks the remake of the first hybrid gasoline/ electric car made available to North American buyers back in 1999, light years ago by automotive design and development standards.

Yet here we are, once again returning back to the future — with a Civic sized Insight that Honda tells us will be manufactured in the U.S, rolling down the same production line as Honda CR-V — that plants an idea or two for the future of CR-V. Electrified? Certainly! Read my Torque News take on Honda’s latest and greatest mainstream hybrid car here.

I anticipate an entry trim price point just south of $30,000. What do you think? Will Honda get it right this time — market timing that is, Insight was and remains a great compact hybrid.

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2019 Acura RDX crossover Prototype. Photo attributions Acura Division 2017

Honda’s luxury car Division is scheduled for a new offering or two. That reinvention will begin with the introduction of a ground-up RDX compact crossover redesign for 2019.

As shared at the top of my first week of 2018 rant, 2 weeks earlier, Acura leaked a Pre-Detroit Show reveal of Acura RDX; the one and only compact, CR-V derived crossover in the maker’s North American lineup. I like RDX, in-fact, It’s my favorite personal daily driver. But, it could use a makeover, more specifically on the electronic, connectivity, integrated navigation side of the equation.

In short, RDX electronics don’t work perfectly, something that Acura owners insist on!  Looking to the reveal photo, 2019 RDX comes to market with a futuristic, low drag coefficient look. I see RDX taking on Lexus, it’s that cool!

However, I’m afraid that Acura’s mechanically bulletproof V6 will go the way of 2018 Honda Accord. In its place will most likely sit a high output, fuel efficient 2.0L direct injected, turbocharged 4 cylinder gasoline engine, paired to a segmented CVT or 8-speed duel clutched transmission. Yes there will be an all-wheel-drive offering. Will it be electrified, smart ?

Hang in there Honda fans: We should know more after Acura shares a detail or two in Detroit on January 15, 2018. Read my take on the all new Acura RDX here.

Acura injects ‘Precision Performance’ throughout the 2017 linup

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New Acura NSX in Nouvelle Blue

 

Despite the market arrival of 2017 Acura NSX, North America’s only gasoline/electric hybrid supercar, car sales were a bit flat for Honda’s luxury division as consumers opted for crossover/SUV offerings. No worries!

Acura’s MDX and RDX premium SUV variants remain the #1 and #2  best-selling vehicles in Acura’s lineup, and the best-selling premium SUVs available to North America. For 2017 Acura will present a 1 engine, (3 liter V6 motivated) 7 speed duel clutch shifted smart handling all-wheel-drive MDX — the only 3-row midsize hybrid SUV available in North America.

Read today’s Acura-Torque News article here. What does the future hold for Acura’s sedan offerings? Good question. I look to Acura Precision Concept, first revealed to the automotive press at the New York International Car Show early in 2016. Stunning! is the short description here — as one views Acura’s unique slant on a near future drive and ride experience centering around the driver.

Looking to “Acura Precision Concept’s” body design one notes a coupe-like sculpted 4-door sedan inspired by the reinvented second generation NSX supercar with a twist or two. At first look, due to invisible rear door handles, I truly believed the concept a two door coupe. Completing the futuristic yet very doable concept is Acura’s patented diamond grill design, centered 3-D-like- monogram and 22 inch machine cut alloy wheels. Awesome!

While viewing Precision Concept’s interior one discovers Acura’s near autonomous driver centered cockpit and office lounge-like passenger seating, precision integrated soft and hard molded surfaces, eye pleasing color combinations, and a control center akin to that of a modern private jet. What’s not to like?Acura_Precission_Concept

2017 MDX Hybrid arrival slated for Spring 2017

I’ve driven NSX and RDX. Both share a hybrid system similar to the one that will set MDX far a part from am ever-growing field of premium 3-row SUVs. The icing on the cake for me and others that prefer a light truck based drive and ride platform is greater horsepower,(+35) and much improved city fuel efficiency.(+7) At the end of the day while not the highest output SUV in the 3-row segment. MDX will be the most fuel-efficient, best road handling, and least expensive premium midsize 3-row in North America.

As to Acura’s car side: With Honda’s 10th generation Civic comes the opportunity to essential reinvent Acura’s portal sedan ILX. And, with that reinvention will inevitably come turbocharging to Acura’s car lineup. The manufactured in Japan RLX will remain unchanged.

As to TLX: Looking to the timeline we’re a mere 3 years into TLX. And, although with sales not as brisk as originally anticipated, 3,000 + TLX sedans drove off  the lot per month in 2016. I don’t anticipate a major TLX redo prior to model year 2018.

 

Acura returns to North American Grand Prix with 2017 NSX GT3 car

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Acura NSX GT3 Race Car

As reported Wednesday by (HPD) Honda Performance Development president Mr. Art St Cyr, Acura will return to North American Grand Prix racing in 2017 — for the first time since 2009 — in a factory built and modified 2017 NSX supercar, sans the hybrid drive train.

No big surprise here for those of us that have followed the decade-long unfolding saga of the “next” generation Honda/Acura NSX. We knew a race ready version of Acura’s halo car was in the works from day one, confirmed by track testing in Japan and Europe. I reported on the 2015 Acura NSX Pikes Peak Hill Climb Pace Car here.

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Sitting before us on Acura’s stage at the New York International Auto Show is the culmination of a multi-national design, engineering and track tested effort. According to Art St Cyr: The balance of track preparation and testing for the North America specification GT3 car will be completed by a state-side team, and built by the same folks that bring us the production NSX in Marysville, Ohio.

I recently had the pleasure of touring the Honda Performance Development Center, and the Honda Heritage Museum in Marysville, while speaking with the NSX development team. — my experience there was life changing.

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2017 Acura NSX is North America’s only hand-built hybrid supercar.

I walked away with not only a greater understanding of the complexity of today’s automotive engineering, but a true appreciation of what “personal accountability” brings to the mostly hand crafted one-off supercar that is 2017 NSX.

Looking to the NSX GT3 car sitting next to a production model, it becomes apparent that in practice, Acura NSX technology s not only derived from the disciplines of aeronautic and automotive engineering, but in fact comes straight off of the race track.  When Acura tells you that NSX will roll off of the factory race ready, they’re not exaggerating.

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No hybrid technology for Acura NSX GT3

As learned on the track by Acura Real Time Racing, it doesn’t always pay to push the boundary of race classification guidelines when it comes to racing. In the case of NSX GT3, there will be no hybrid drive train. Instead, Acura has opted for an extreme high output 600 horsepower twin turbocharged 3.5 Liter V6, as found on the Acura TLX GT and Honda Ridgeline Baja Race Truck.

As with the Acura TLX GT, torque will be transferred to track via a rear live axle. As of the posting Acura is not sharing specifications, date of launch or the team chosen to pilot 2017 NSX GT. My money is on Real Time Racing. Only time will tell.