World Debut of New Acura Flagship, Webcast Live from New York Auto Show

Acura RL-X?!?
04/02/2012 - NEW YORK

Acura will debut its new flagship sedan at the New York International Auto Show on April 4, 2012 at 1:50 PM (EST). The reveal will take place in the Acura booth located in the Jacob Javits Center in New York City.

For those unable to attend, the press conference will be webcast live on: http://acuranews.com/live/2012nyias-acura

Consumers may also watch the webcast on: http://acurawebcast.com

Press materials will be posted to www.acuranews.com immediately following the press conference.

Additional ways to connect with Acura:
Media Information: www.acuranews.com
Consumer Information: www.acura.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/Acura
Twitter: www.twitter.com/Acura_Insider
YouTube: www.youtube.com/acura

Acura Will Debut New RLX Flagship Sedan in NYC [New York Auto Show]

by Justin Berkowitz of Car and Driver

Acura’s next flagship sedan will likely be called RLX, and is expected to debut next month at the New York auto show. The company hasn’t made an official announcement yet, but two signs point to RLX as the replacement badge for RL. First, Acura VP Jeff Conrad may have told Wards that RLX is the new name; when asked, Acura representatives declined to confirm whether the Wards quote was accurate. Second, the company has applied to trademark the name RLX with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Neither is dispositive, but taken together, we’re pretty convinced.

The RLX is set to replace the aged and out-classed RL, but will follow a similar formula. Like the outgoing RL, the RLX will feature all-wheel drive and a V-6 engine. This time, however, Acura’s range-topper will use a clever hybrid system to drive the rear wheels with electric motors. The setup should prove to be lighter and continue to offer rear-axle torque vectoring.

With the RLX replacing the RL, the TL will be the last car in the Acura lineup with a two-letter name. We’ve been told that Acura will offer just three sedans in the future—the new ILX and RLX will be two of those, meaning that either the TL or the TSX is likely to bite the dust. Given its two-letter name, the TL might be the more likely candidate, but Acura is currently in the process of trademarking TLX. We’ll just have to wait and see.

Source;
http://blog.caranddriver.com/acura-will-debut-new-rlx-flagship-sedan-in-nyc-new-york-auto-show/#more-79160

Acura to tease redesigned 2013 RL sedan at 2012 New York Auto Show

This just in – Acura will be showing a teaser of the redesigned RL flagship sedan at the 2012 New York Auto Show next week.

The 2013 Acura RL sedan will go on sale this fall.

Source;

http://www.egmcartech.com/2012/03/26/acura-to-tease-redesigned-2013-rl-sedan-at-new-york/

Casey Shain Renders the Next Gen Acura NSX Based on Avengers Movie Car

The Acura NSX supercar could be back in three years. A concept version of the Ferrari-fighter will debut in Detroit next month with a compact V-6 engine and lithium ion hybrid system. Journalists were given a glimpse of the car, which provided details for this artist's rendering.

LAS VEGAS -- Honda will overhaul and reposition its Acura lineup over the next 18 months and abandon its long pursuit of top-tier luxury-car status for the brand.

After years of trying to propel Acura into the front ranks with Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Lexus, Honda says it will settle for offering mid-level premium vehicles that favor fuel economy over performance.

With one exception: At the Detroit auto show next month, Honda will bring back the Ferrari-fighting Acura NSX -- a new version of the mid-engine supercar that disappeared in 2005 after a 15-year run. But instead of a monster engine, the NSX will have a compact, direct-injection V-6 teamed with a lithium ion battery pack. Another key to recalibrating Acura is the rollout of three new or redesigned sedans in the next 18 months, including a smaller compact and a bigger flagship.

"We are not satisfied with Acura's current positioning," Honda Motor Co. CEO Takanobu Ito said this month at the Tokyo Motor Show. "We want to showcase interesting and fun technologies and show excellent environmental performance."

In the works for Acura:
-- The ILX compact sedan will arrive in spring, using Honda's global Civic platform. It replaces the tired TSX that used the bones of the European Accord.
-- A redesigned RL flagship that is larger than the current version is due next fall.
-- A redesigned mid-sized TL sedan follows in the spring of 2013.

"Our sedans haven't been doing the job for the brand," said Vicki Poponi, American Honda assistant vice president for product planning, at a briefing here for dealers and the media.
Poponi said the TSX, TL and RL were cannibalizing sales because they were too close in footprint and interior size. The new models will create a bigger spread in the lineup.

Changes in the crossover categories also are coming, with a redesigned RDX compact arriving next spring and the next MDX in 2013.

In using the Civic as the basis for the ILX, Acura is traveling the same platform-sharing course it did with its Integra and RSX coupes in the 1980s and 1990s. But Poponi said the ILX will bear no resemblance to the Civic or the Canadian-market Acura CSX, which has been derided as a rebadged Civic.

"All the suspension settings will be tuned to be Acura," Poponi said. "Consider it as different as the TL is from the Accord or the MDX is from the Pilot."

The ILX will be available with a choice of a 2.0-liter direct-injection four-cylinder engine with automatic transmission, a 2.4-liter engine with a six-speed manual transmission or a 1.5-liter hybrid powertrain. Features will include push-button start, rearview camera, Pandora link and SMS with text-to-voice capability.

Acura hopes that sales of the ILX, to be priced "well below $30,000," will be about 40,000 units annually. The current-generation TSX peaked at 31,998 sales in 2008.

Next up is the flagship RL, which has had little success competing in the $50,000 sedan segment against the likes of the Mercedes-Benz E class, BMW 5 series and Lexus GS. Critics have called it overweight and underpowered, and the interior is cramped.

Poponi said the redesigned version will have more cabin space, with rear legroom going from worst-in-class to the best-in-class.

"It will have [BMW] 7 series cabin space with the agility of a 5 series," Poponi said. "Our sedans need to instill passion and emotion. The new flagship establishes that, and sets the ceiling for premium pricing. Once we have set that, then our SUVs can come into the market and leverage that prestige."

The RL will debut in April at the New York auto show and go on sale next fall.

As for the RDX, the previous generation has been criticized for the jerkiness of its turbocharged four-cylinder engine. The new RDX will have a V-6 with "top-class fuel economy," Poponi said.

The RDX also will use the Honda CR-V's simpler electric power steering and all-wheel-drive systems, rather than the pricier Super Handling All-Wheel Drive system of the old RDX. Poponi says it will be "quieter, roomier and more comfortable."

Then there is the NSX that arrives in concept form next month in Detroit. The original V-6-powered NSX was decked out with astonishing technology when it debuted in 1990. It was the first car without turbos to deliver 100 hp per liter of engine displacement. It also was the first major project for body engineer Takanobu Ito, now Honda's CEO.

Ito killed a previous NSX concept after the autumn 2008 Lehman Brothers meltdown destroyed Honda's desire to re-enter the segment. The project has been revived, but Ito has changed the concept.

"Our approach is efficiency and a strong power-to-weight ratio," said Acura sales boss Jeff Conrad. "The original NSX did this. But the proposed successor went into the classic world of a heavy vehicle, requiring a V-10 engine and other technologies to be a performance car."

Conrad adds: "That is not Acura DNA. If we are thinking about being sporty, we need to do it with the machine's efficiency. That's the thing we can do. The way we achieve it will be unique to Acura."

In addition to the NSX's compact V-6, the lithium ion battery-powered Sport Hybrid All-Wheel Drive system uses two integrated drive units at the rear wheels connected to a motor-generator that delivers power.

Regenerative brakes will capture electricity and deliver torque to the outside wheel -- while absorbing negative torque from the inside wheel -- as the car goes through a corner.

American Honda President Tetsuo Iwamura did not set a date for the NSX's launch, saying: "We hope within three years. ... As soon as possible."

Too much machine
Despite the NSX's go-fast ambitions, a major part of Acura's new philosophy will be dialing back on performance in exchange for fuel economy. Executives say that today's luxury cars have more power than they need, and that premium-vehicle buyers now care more about mpg than mph.

Conrad said Acura has returned to its original philosophy of elegant engineering and top-of-class fuel economy, and has stopped chasing the elite of the luxury segment. The new slogan: "Smart luxury."

Mike Accavitti, the former head of Dodge who became American Honda's vice president of marketing in August, describes the current luxury market as "too much machine and not enough humanity."

Said Accavitti: "Our overweight bodies require overweight engines and more safety systems to protect them. Some of these cars the average driver just can't control. We have been increasing performance beyond the ability of the driver, or we have complicated the driving process."

Poponi said of Acura's previous batch of products: "Our engineering ego was getting in the way."

Peaks and valleys
American Honda hopes this philosophy can stabilize Acura's sales, which have peaked twice -- once in the early 1990s and again in setting a brand record in 2005, at 209,610 units. But each time things fell apart because of ill-conceived products and faulty marketing -- not to mention the recent recession. This year, sales through November were down 7 percent to 110,170. Honda says short supplies caused by the March earthquake in Japan were a factor.

For a new crop of customers, Honda is looking at Generation Y. The leading edge of that generation is turning 30, and Honda says the generation's top priorities are exterior styling, price and environmental friendliness.

"A good sound system" finished fifth in its research, and less than 20 percent care about high performance, Honda says.

"Technology is only as good as the driver," said Gary Evert, division director for advanced automotive planning at Acura r&d. "The vehicle almost always has more capability than the driver can handle. Anything outside the customer's understanding is waste.

Source;

http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20111212/OEM03/312129953/1115/FRONTPAGE

Acura RL Replacement Coming in April, TL or TSX To Get Axed

Acura’s replacement for the aged RL will greet the public in April at the New York auto show. The model is desperately needed for the brand, which has struggled on the periphery of the luxury world since its birth as the first upscale Japanese nameplate 25 years ago.

The next flagship sedan—the company’s trepidation at calling it the RL gives us naive hope it’ll be named the Legend—is meant to embody the brand’s identity. A rendering we saw looked a lot like a bloated TL. So, uh, what exactly is the Acura brand identity?

According to the company’s execs, the flagship sedan will be relatively lightweight, nimble, and economical. It also will feature Honda’s new hybrid Super Handling All-Wheel Drive system, which uses a V-6 to power the front wheels and two electric motors for the rears. (You can read more about how the system works, and our drive of a car with a prototype of the system, here.)

Acura says that creating a spacious interior was a very high priority. As opposed to the new Honda Civic–based ILX, which will be pitched to younger buyers, the flagship sedan is meant to appeal to slightly older customers. As such, Acura’s engineers and designers focused on creating a car that would comfortably take a second couple out to dinner, and has a large-enough trunk to handle larger parcels. A product planner says that interior space will be comparable to that of a BMW 7-series, even though the vehicle’s exterior dimensions will be more like a 5er’s.

The flagship will sit atop a three-sedan product line. Currently, the company offers the TSX, the TL, and the RL. With the addition of the ILX and the confirmation of a replacement for the RL, that makes it likely that either the TSX or TL is on the chopping block. An alternative scenario sees the RL name dying off, with the new flagship wearing TL badging. In that case, the TSX—which is derived from the European Honda Accord—could hang around, with the ILX serving as a gateway to the brand.

The latter approach makes a little more sense—TL and TSX are arguably the most recognizable names in the Acura car family—but it strikes us as a little confusing. The ILX is being introduced as a low-cost entryway to the Acura brand; wasn’t that the point of the TSX when it originally launched? The first-gen car, having been bred to compete with the Ford Mondeo and lesser BMW 3-series models in Europe, was a precise handler and perfectly sized. Had this generation of TSX/Euro Accord not grown, there wouldn’t be a need for something smaller. But it did grow—into something a bit disappointing.

The TL has succeeded as Acura’s mainstay sedan for more than a decade in spite of having a forgettable alphanumeric name. It really is the modern-day Legend, and it seems like a mistake to cancel one of your better-known products. But it’s large, quite powerful, and offers all-wheel drive; with the new, bigger flagship on the way, what’s the point of keeping it?

In explaining the too-close positioning of the present-day RL and TL, an Acura product planner told us, “We made the same mistake twice.” (The first being the overlap of the Vigor and Legend in the 1990s.) Let’s hope the current sedan restructuring isn’t a third time.

Source;
http://blog.caranddriver.com/acura-rl-replacement-coming-in-april-tl-or-tsx-to-get-axed/

First Drive: Honda hosts at Research and Developement centre

By Richard Russell
MOTEGI, Japan – For a company with a reputation for innovation and engineering, Honda has been surprisingly quiet on those fronts in recent years. No new engines, transmissions, hybrid, electric or plug-in systems in an era when everyone else in the industry is rushing them into production.

In what could be called a comeback or a reaffirmation of what put the company on the map, Honda is about to unveil a steady stream of new innovations that will find their way into everything the company builds, from lawn mowers and leaf blowers to motorcycles and cars of all sizes and stripes.

As if apologizing for its recent lack of news on these fronts, Honda hosted media from around the globe at its R & D Center here. We were exposed to a dizzying array of new products and ideas, most of which will find their way into your local Honda store in the next couple of years.
We drove a variety of new and future vehicles powered by a completely new family of four and six cylinder engines. We tried several new transmissions, a truly innovative all-wheel-drive system, various hybrids, including one without a transmission, pure electric vehicles and a sleek sedan powered by a fuel cell.

Honda is back
On the engine front, look for a unique combination of variable valve-timing, twin camshafts and direct injection that allow engines to run on the fuel-savings Atkinson Cycle without the loss of power or torque previously associated with that method. These include a quartet of new four-cylinder gasoline engines ranging in displacement from 1.0 to 2.4 –litres and a new 3.5-litre V6. The new 2.4-litre will first appear in the next Accord, late in 2012 and perhaps the new CR-V shortly afterwards.

We drove vehicles powered by a new 148-horsepower, 1.8-litre four that would be right at home in a mid-cycle version of the new Civic being readied for the 2012 model year and a 127-horsepower, 1.5-litre four destined for the Fit. In all cases these preliminary power figures are on the conservative side but considerably higher than current engines of similar displacement, while consuming 10 per cent less fuel.

We also sampled a Civic powered by a potent little 1.6-litre turbo diesel. Bring it on!
Honda R&D has come up with a trio of new CVT (Continuously Variable Transmissions) for small and mid-sized cars. Development has led to less of the “motor-boating” and “rubber-band” effects associated with CVT transmissions. Driven under normal conditions they feel like a normal stepped automatic, only when pressed hard on the track did they assume the CVT propensity to sound like a clutch was slipping.

It has also developed a seven-speed dual clutch gearbox.

Under the “Earth Dreams” banner, all of these engines and transmission will appear in stand-alone or hybrid applications across a wide range of vehicles of all sizes and shapes in the next two years.

Honda has developed the world’s most efficient two-motor hybrid system, one that allows a big family-size car to operate without a transmission with a resultant savings in space and cost.
It also turned us loose on the big oval of the adjacent Twin-Ring Motegi race track in an Accord-size sedan equipped with the new V6 sending 310 horsepower and 265 lb. ft. of torque to the front wheels and a pair of electric motors powering the rear wheels. In addition to the abundance of instant torque when accelerating the innovation meter was pegged by the fact the motors were programmed to send more power to the outside wheel in a corner and reduced power to the inside wheel.

Needless to say performance was more than impressive on the straights or in the turns. Look for this combination in a forthcoming replacement for the big RL sedan and a rumored replacement for the NSX sports car.