Acura
Detroit 2010: Acura Hybrids Coming Says Honda CEO
A brand desperately in search of a clear direction, Acura will soon deliver a hybrid model says Honda CEO Takanobu Ito. The announcement was made by Ito just prior to introducing the latest hybrid in the Honda lineup, the CR-Z. Ito did not comment on if an Acura hybrid would use Honda’s IMA (Integrated Motor…
Video: Honda HSV-010 Sounds Even Better Than the Lexus LFA
We’re still in awe over the HSV-010 and now there’s even more testosterone pumping video of Honda’s new race car on track at Suzuka. Reportedly powered by a tiny 3.4-liter V8 engine, we can only assume it revs to typically Honda heights to achieve all 500-hp. It certainly sounds like a screamer and we’d argue…
Report: Acura NSX Replacement Arrives to Run in Japan’s Super GT Series
It’s here at last… sort of. Above is a lone photo of the replacement to the Honda/Acura NSX – at least in race car trim. Called the HSV-10 GT, or Velocity Sports Honda, this track only exotic is built to run in the GT500 class of Japan’s Super GT series. As cars in that class…
Rumor Mill: Acura Abandons “Tier One” Goal for Volume Sales
Acura is reportedly moving away from its brand strategy to become a “tier one” luxury automaker in favor of volume sales. While no official word has been given by Honda or Acura representatives, the news has been reported by Honda fan site, TOV, which claims that several dealerships have been told a new strategy will…
Report: Acura Confirms TSX Sport Wagon to Hit Market in 2010
Acura has confirmed that it will offer the TSX as a wagon starting in 2010 as a 2011 model. Called the TSX Sport Wagon, this people hauler version of the TSX will be based on the Accord Touring model (shown above) sold in Europe. This only makes sense as the TSX was originally brought over…
Report: Acura NSX Gets Forced Retirement from Japan’s Super GT Series
Honda has just announced that due to a rule change for the 2010 Super GT Series, the NSX won’t be returning next year. The rules strictly state that all GT500 Class cars must be front-engine and rear-wheel drive. The NSX, of course, being mid-engined, does not qualify. While the NSX hasn’t been built since 2005,…
Report: Acura Headed to 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2010
An Acura will run at the 24 Hours of Le Mans next year. British Strakka Racing intends to compete with the car, in the Europe Le Mans Series, including at the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans, with an Acura ARX-01b prototype that it is currently in the process of buying from the Lowe’s Fernandez…
Report: Next Acura RL to Reassert Its Flagship Position
Acura continues to talk about being a tier-one luxury automaker, but while Honda’s luxury arm keeps to talking the talk we’re not seeing a lot of walking. Recently the folks at Car & Driver had a chat with a few Acura execs during the launch of the new ZDX model – a seemingly niche-market vehicle…
Rumor: Acura Planning Return of the RSX
Rumors have surfaced that Acura is planning to get back into the entry-level luxury segment, with a possible RSX successor coming in 2012. The new model would reportedly be based on the next generation Honda Civic which is due out in 2011 and would compete with vehicles like the BMW 1 Series, Audi A3 and…
Report: Acura Considering TSX Wagon for North America
Acura is considering introducing a wagon version of its TSX luxury sedan in North America. John Watts, product planning boss at Acura told Car & Driver that they are “closely, closely looking at it.” Watts believes that younger buyers, Generation Y in particular, are interested in wagons and don’t regard them with the same sort…
Report: Acura MDX Gets New Look, Six-Speed Transmission for 2010
For 2010 Acura has given its flagship MDX SUV a mid-cycle refresh which includes a new six speed transmission, an exciting Advance Package and, of course, the company’s new corporate shield grille. And we have to say, while the grille is “controversial” at best on Acura’s other models, it really seems to work on this…
Report: Front-Wheel Drive Acura RDX Won’t Be Offered in Canada
Acura has just released official info on the 2010 RDX luxury crossover with the biggest news being a new base model that comes standard with a front-wheel drive layout – unless if you live in Canada. Previously only offered with Acura’s SH-AWD system, the new FWD RDX gets better fuel-economy and costs $2,000 less. A…
Honda Announces Factory Support Program for Professional and Amateur Racers
Honda Performance Development (HPD), a division of Honda that is behind motorsports activities like the company’s American Le Mans Series efforts, is launching a new program to help both professional and amateur racers. Dubbed Honda Racing Line, this new grassroots motorsports initiative will allow members access to HPD and OEM products, as well as certain…
Confirmed: 2010 Acura RDX Gets Front-Wheel Drive, Lower Base Price
It looks like the folks in Acura’s marketing department are working well ahead of the folks in PR, as the company’s consumer website was updated today with images of the new 2010 RDX, before any press release about the luxury crossover was sent out. We can now confirm (as can anyone who heads over to…
Report: Honda Boss Says Acura Doesn’t Need a Conventional Rear-Drive, V8 Sedan
Acura will not introduce a rear-drive, V8-powered luxury sedan as the automaker doesn’t need one. At least that’s what Honda president Takanobu Ito thnks. Ito told Automotive News that, “I don’t think we need a classic front-engine, rear-drive car.” Instead Ito believes Honda should chart its own course for Acura, which includes more fuel-efficient models,…
Report: Acura ZDX Officially Revealed
First unveiled in pre-production form at the New York Auto Show earlier this year, Acura promised the high-riding ZDX four-door coupe would make its way to dealer floors shortly without many design changes. True to their word, the folks at Acura have just released a selection of images of the controversially designed vehicle that defies…
Leaked: 2010 Acura RDX Gets Corporate Makeover, Front-Wheel Drive Option
The photos above and below are reported to be of the 2010 Acura RDX, complete with a mid-cycle redesign. Visually, the entry-level luxury crossover gets a little less attractive thanks to the addition of the corporate Acura badge. And if not attractive, at least it will help to set the crossover apart in an incredibly…
Acura Four-Door Coupe In the Works?
It seems as though the upcoming Acura ZDX isn’t the only new model Honda’s luxury arm is planning to release in the near future. Both German auto pub Auto Motor und Sport and Japan’s Holiday Auto are both reporting that four-door coupe is in the works and that is likely to be based off the…
Mazda Tops Podium in New Jersey
Jason Saini raced to the top of the podium in his Mazda6 this weekend, during the SCCA’s SPEED World Challenge Touring Car series event at New Jersey Motorsports Park’s Thunderbolt Raceway. Saini placed third in qualifying but quickly made it to second place off the standing start, and spent much of the rest of the…
Acura ZDX Concept Officially Unveiled
Acura gave us the official first look at its new ZDX Concept, a four-door coupe crossover thingy, at the New York Auto Show today. And, well, it’s not exactly what we would call beautiful. The real-life proportions of the car make it look distinctively different from the BMW X6, even though original teaser photos from…
Acura Becomes First Company to Ever Score Perfect Safety Rating For Every Vehicle It Sells
Several months ago we reported that Acura has achieved an historic first by earning a perfect rating by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) for every vehicle in its lineup. Now Acura has claimed another manufacturer first after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) awarded the new Acura TL a perfect 5 star…
Acura ZDX Four-Door Coupe Coming to New York Auto Show
Those clever folks over at Acura sure must be having a good laugh right about now. The company has just announced that it will debut a “luxury four-door sport coupe” called the ZDX at the New York Auto Show. “The ZDX prototype is unlike anything you have ever seen before from Acura,” said Jeff Conrad,…
Bimmerworld BMW 328i Clinches Victory at First 2009 Touring Car Race at Sebring
Seth Thomas, piloting the No. 38 BimmerWorld/GearWrench BMW 328i, jumped into the lead off the standing start during the first race of the 2009 World Challenge Touring Car series and never looked back. With a qualifying run that landed him in 2nd, Thomas used the BMW’s rear-drive advantage to get a quick lead on pole-sitter…
Sebring Surprise: Acura Tops Audi & Peugeot for Pole Position
Can a gasoline engine best a diesel one in endurance racing? It can during qualifying, as Acura proved by claiming the pole for the 12 Hours of Sebring race, set to take place tomorrow. Scott Dixon shocked pretty much everyone on Thursday by piloting the de Ferran Motorsports Acura ARX-02a to the pole with a…
