Acura's new boss wants sedans 'that people get excited about'

Jon Ikeda is barely a few weeks into his new role as general manager of Acura, but the designer-turned-executive already knows what’s atop his agenda at American Honda’s luxury marque.

Having 26 years to prepare for the role helps.

Sitting near a trio of shiny new NSX hybrid supercars on display this month during Monterey Car Week, Ikeda says it’s not Acura’s popular crossovers he has his eye on. It’s the sedans.

“We should make sedans that people get excited about, just like when they look at this NSX here,” Ikeda told Automotive News at The Quail, an annual show of high-end cars on the Monterey Peninsula. “That will be one of my first challenges with r&d, working with them to see what we could do to get that going.”

Ikeda started working for Honda in 1989, rising to become one of its top designers. In late July, Honda abruptly announced that Ikeda would be promoted to general manager of Acura, replacing Mike Accavitti, who had been with the company since 2011. The automaker gave no reason for the move.

The Acura TLX, shown, replaced the TSX and TL.

New role

As he’s settling into his new role, Ikeda declined to provide specifics on Acura’s plans for sedans. But he said he was taking seriously the brand’s revival of its 1980s-era slogan: “precision crafted performance.”

“Every step we take with any [product face-lift], anything that we come up with is going to be geared toward that,” Ikeda said, noting that improving the performance and quality of Acura’s cars was paramount.

With only three sedans to its name -- the compact ILX, midsize TLX and full-size RLX -- Acura has a glaring weakness relative to its German luxury competitors, which field more sedans and complement them with a complex matrix of variants, such as wagons, coupes, convertibles and high-performance models.

Acura also lacks a compelling flagship sedan to serve as a true luxury and technology showcase. Its only answer to the Mercedes S class and BMW 7 series is the RLX, which sold a paltry 3,413 units in 2014 and has slumped 38 percent this year through July.

“If you’re going to be a full-line luxury brand and compete with Lexus, BMW and Mercedes-Benz, you have to have a portfolio that covers all of the segments,” said Tom Libby, an analyst at IHS Automotive.

Ikeda: Performance, quality are keys.

Distinguishing Acuras

Achieving that kind of full coverage isn’t within Ikeda’s power yet. For now, his task is to distinguish Acura’s offerings from bread-and-butter Hondas and its luxury competitors. For that, Ikeda plans to use Acura’s ace in the hole, the NSX — now delayed until early 2016 — and leverage the considerable technology under its skin for Acura’s mainstream sedans.

The NSX uses a trio of electric motors and a twin-turbocharged V-6 engine to generate more than 550 hp.

“There are going to be things that we hope that we can draw from [the NSX], whether it’s some of the styling cues, and obviously I hope some of the technology trickles down into what we are working on now so people can understand what is our DNA,” Ikeda said. 

It’s hardly a stretch for a brand such as Acura to pursue a performance-based identity. While rivals such as BMW, Lexus and Audi may make more noise about their cars’ performance characteristics, Acura’s parent company, Honda, has a long heritage as an industry leader in spirited powertrains.

“Historically [Honda] has been way out front in terms of powertrain technology,” Libby said, “so if they take advantage of that they can create some kind of unique position.”

Acura boss Jon Ikeda plans to use the technology under the NSX supercar’s hood for the brand’s mainstream sedans.

Momentum grows

Acura’s sedans also have momentum; the brand is one of the few automakers to buck the industrywide trend of slipping sedan sales in 2015. Through July, sales of Acura’s sedans are up 36 percent from a year earlier.

This is largely due to a redesign of the ILX that turned the dowdy has-been into a compelling entry-level luxury sedan, and the arrival of the TLX, which replaced the TSX and TL when it went on sale about year ago.

Overall, Acura sales are up 13 percent through July this year, and running ahead of Cadillac. But the automaker’s volume still lags far behind Lexus, Mercedes-Benz and BMW.

Bolstering its sedan lineup should help narrow the gap. Despite the recent surge in crossover sales and the strength of Acura’s RDX and MDX crossovers, cars still account for the bulk of the luxury market.

Libby said, “It’s not like the sedan is a fringe body type that’s just going to go away.” 

Source: Automotive News

Fresh Tech Details For The 2016 Acura NSX Trickle Out

I’m not sure how many “debuts” the new Acura NSX has had, but we seem to be finally nearing the day when the hybrid supercar enters production. Just exactly when production will begin, we don’t know yet, but Acura executives did deign to release a few more tech details at the 2015 SAE International World Congress, confirming the engine size and highlighting the world’s first use of ultra-rigid “ablation” casting.

You can read the full list of new tech details below, but some highlights include conformation of the 3.5 liter twin-turbo V6 that will serve as the heart of the NSX’s powertrain, paired with a hybrid drivetrain for maximum performance and efficiency, churning out about 550 horsepower. Acura makes a big to-do about ablation casting, which allows for more rigid, impact-absorbing crush zones. Not exactly the most exciting aspect of a hybrid sports car one could discuss, but important none-the-less. Hopefully they’ve sorted out their little combustion problem too.

The automaker does wax poetic about the new Sport Hybrid Super-Handling All-Wheel Drive system and its ability to provide superior torque vectoring, and the original NSX was more at home on a road racing track than the drag strip. Pricing is estimated to be in the $150,000 when it finally, finally goes on sale later this year. ANd of course there’s still hope for a pricier Type-R version eventually as well.

- The all-new NSX employs 10 air-cooled heat exchangers responsible for cooling the front twin-motor unit (TMU), twin-turbo V6 engine, rear direct-drive electric motor and 9-speed dual clutch transmission (DCT).

- The all new, twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6 engine at the heart of the Sport Hybrid SH-AWD power unit requires the greatest cooling and receives it through three radiators: one center and two side units to get maximum airflow volume and efficiency. The center radiator is tilted forward 25-degress, allowing the largest, optimized configuration that best utilizes the inherent pressure gradient while maintaining the strict low center of gravity targets of the NSX’s Advance Sports Package.

- Condenser and power drive unit (PDU) coolers are efficiently packaged in front of the center engine radiator.

- The TMU is cooled passively through strategic use of air in the front motor room and by a heat exchanger mounted in front of the right engine sub- radiator.

- The 9-speed DCT is cooled by two heat exchangers, one mounted in front of the left engine sub-radiator and the other in the engine compartment.

- Twin-intercoolers located in the signature side intakes are used to cool the intake air charge.

- Supercar Aerodynamics NSX achieves top-class aerodynamic balance and supercar aerodynamic downforce without the use of active aero.

Acura NSX A True BMW i8 Competitor?

Acura NSX

At the moment the BMW i8 is in a class of its own. The closest things it has to rivals would be the hybrid supercar trio of the McLaren P1, Ferrari LaFerrari and the Porsche 918. However, the cheapest car of that trio is the 918 and it’s pushing seven figures.

The i8 cost no more than a competitive Porsche 911 but couldn’t be more different in style of philosophy. So will the i8 sit comfortably forever in a class by itself? Only until the Acura NSX is released.

Based on a similar philosophy; mid-engined, gas-powered engine with the aid of electric motors and all-wheel drive, the NSX should be the only true competitor to the BMW i8.

Acura NSX

While the overall style of the cars are quite similar, the details differ quite a bit. Whereas the i8 uses a turbocharged, three-cylinder engine, the NSX will use a twin-turbo, 3.5 liter V6. Both use electric motors to make the cars AWD, using a combination of one electric motor to aid the gas engine and more motors to power the front wheels. However, the i8 only uses one electric motor up front for both wheels, whereas the NSX uses one for each wheel. The i8 uses a standard 6-Speed automatic but the NSX uses an 8-Speed, dual-clutch auto. Both cars are ultra lightweight utilizing carbon fiber and aluminum extensively.

Acura NSX

The NSX means business, as the benchmark for it during development was mainly the Ferrari 458 Italia — which is considered by many to be the greatest mid-engine sports car of all time. So, the bar is pretty high over at Acura. The first gen NSX shocked the world and sent Ferrari scrambling back to the drawing board, so imagine what this one will be like considering Acura is set to make this new NSX better in every way. They even want to beat the 458’s pound-per-horsepower ratio of 6 lbs/hp.

BMW i8

Now, I love the BMW i8. I think it’s the most important, innovative and advanced car to debut in a very long time. I also think it’s the greatest concept car of all time because the final products looks almost identical to the jaw-dropping concept. However, I fear for it when the new NSX is released because it will be vicious. Any car that takes aim at the 458 means serious business and knowing how well Honda did the first time around, I don’t see this new car being any different.

This is a competition all gearheads are waiting for — Two hybrid supercars, from very different yet very prestigious automakers, dialing it out for top trumps. Get excited people because this is going to be fun.

Acura NSX Supercar Unveiled In Detroit: This Time It's a Hybrid!

The 2015 Detroit Auto Show saw the return of a fan-favorite supercar, with a new twist.

First shown as a concept way back in 2012, the 2016 Acura NSX arrives with a hybrid all-wheel drive powertrain.

The first-generation Acura (or Honda, in most parts of the world) NSX has become a cult classic among enthusiasts, but this model shares little more than a name and a mid-engined layout with its predecessor.

The powertrain consists of a twin-turbocharged V-6 engine mated to a nine-speed, dual-clutch transmission, and three electric motors.

2016 Acura NSX live photos, 2015 Detroit Auto Show

One of the motors is mounted between the engine and transmission to help power the rear wheels, as well as as to provide some degree of engine braking and to further smooth out the transmission's shifts.

The other two motors power the front wheels, giving the NSX all-wheel drive. They can also vector torque between the left and right front wheels, improving handling.

Acura hasn't released any power output, performance, or fuel-economy figures. Those will presumably have to wait until closer to the NSX's launch.

With the instant torque of the electric motors helping to get the car off the line, it should be an entertaining ride, though.

The NSX's styling should look familiar by now. While Acura has made some changes--including lengthening the car after a decision to switch to a longitudinally-mounted engine--the production model closely resembles the concept version first shown in 2012.

2016 Acura NSX

The body panels are constructed from aluminum and Sheet Molding Compound (SMC), while the chassis is made largely from aluminum and high-strength steel, with a carbon-fiber floor for added torsional rigidity and weight savings.

Like many modern performance cars, there's a choice of multiple driving modes, including electric-only Quiet, Sport, Sport+, and Track.

The emphasis here is clearly on performance, but the NSX's hybrid powertrain should at least make that performance less inefficient.

The 2016 Acura NSX will be built at the new Performance Manufacturing Center in Marysville, Ohio, near an existing Honda plant. About 100 hand-picked technicians will be assigned to work on the car.

For more new-car debuts and concept vehicles from this week's event, head over to our 2015 Detroit Auto Show news page.

2015 Honda NSX unveiled in Detroit

Honda NSX supercar reborn as a 550bhp hybrid with a twin-turbo V6 and three electric motors; on sale in late 2015

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  Two electric motors on the NSX drive the front wheels
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This is the all-new, second-generation Honda NSX, which was revealed at the Detroit motor show this week, some 25 years after the launch of its iconic predecessor. The new car has been developed in the US and will be produced in the new Performance Manufacturing Centre in Marysville, Ohio.

Although the new NSX is built around a lightweight structure and has a mid-mounted V6 engine, that is where the resemblance to the original, all-aluminium NSX ends. The new model has a petrol-electric hybrid powertrain driving all four wheels and a new multi-material structure with an ultra-stiff carbonfibre floor.

The heart of the NSX’s powertrain is a 75-degree, twin-turbocharged V6, which drives an all-new nine-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox. On top of this, the NSX’s ‘sport hybrid’ system incorporates three electric motors. 

Honda hasn’t officially revealed the powertrain’s power and torque outputs yet, but it is expected to produce a system total of about 550bhp.

The V6 has a dry-sump lubrication system and ‘compact’ valvetrain designed to allow the motor to be mounted as low as possible in the body, helping to lower the car’s centre of gravity. Honda says the nine-speed DCT is capable of “synapse-quick” shifts and executes rev-matching downshifts.

One of the three electric motors is housed between the engine and gearbox and is said to support “acceleration, braking and transmission shifting performance”. 

The other two motors are mounted on the NSX’s front axle. Each motor drives an individual wheel, not only delivering “instantaneous torque”, according to Honda, but also providing dynamic torque vectoring. 

Each motor drives a front wheel and can apply differing levels of torque, “enhancing acceleration and braking performance”. This set-up can also deliver “zero-delay launch and braking performance”, the company says. Agile Handling Assist (AHA) uses “subtle application of brake torque to further enhance response and dynamic stability”.

The NSX has four switchable chassis modes. Quiet mode allows the car to be driven on battery power only for short distances. The other modes - in an ascending order of dynamism - are Sport, Sport+ and Track. Honda claims the latter “reveals the full spectrum of the NSX’s capabilities”.

The structure of the new NSX is described as a spaceframe design that is constructed from ultra-high-strength steel and aluminium. The floor of the structure is made of carbonfibre and the cabin features “ultra-thin” A-pillars.

The NSX also features a “world-first [aluminium] casting process that combines the benefits of both cast and forged components”. The body panels are made from a combination of aluminum and sheet moulding composite.

At 4470mm long, the NSX is about 40mm longer the original, as well as 130mm wider and 45mm higher. The front track is a significant 145mm wider and the rear track 75mm wider. The car’s shape was aerodynamically refined in Honda’s Ohio wind tunnel.

Under the skin, the NSX’s T-shaped battery pack is mounted down the car’s centre tunnel and behind the seats. Suspension is by aluminium  double wishbones all round and the car rolls on 8.5x19in front and 11x20in rear wheels. 

The braking system features carbon-ceramic discs with six-pot calipers on the front and four-pot calipers at the rear.

The order books for the new NSX will open in the summer and the first examples should be delivered towards the end of this year. The likely price has yet to be revealed.

Officials have confirmed to Autocar that a right-hand drive version of the NSX will be made, with the aim to have that model on sale before the end of 2015. Just 1419 examples of the original NSX were sold in Europe between 1990-2007, from 18,700 sales globally.

2016 Acura NSX Spotted by Nürburgring, Not on Fire

With turbos, engines, and electric motors all over, the successor to the original Honda (nee Acura) NSX super car has been highly anticipated since the 1990s. The last time Honda took a prototype of its upcoming NSX hybrid out to Germany’s storied Nürburgring, however, the sleek, low-slung exotic promptly burned to the ground in a fire caused by an exploding experimental battery.

This time, there was no such drama. Now in the final stages of testing, latest prototypes have been seen sporting a new lower front grille and new air vents in the bonnet. It seems aggressive and purposeful, and all indications are that the new car is nearly ready for prime time.

That’s a good thing, because Honda is expected to unveil the 2016 Acura NSX at January’s Detroit Auto Show. That’s the same show that saw the unveiling of the latest NSX “concept” back in 2012, and also the nearest “major” auto show to the Ohio facility where the NSX will be built, so it’ll be a fitting place for the production car’s debut.

You can see a few more “spy shots” of the model year 2016 Honda / Acura NSX hybrid, below, and head on over to AutoCar for the rest of the 14 picture photo gallery. Enjoy!

2016 Honda / Acura NSX Spied in Germany

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Source | More Photos: AutoCar UK.

2015 Acura NSX Fires Could be Caused by Exploding Batteries

New details surrounding the horrific fire that claimed one of Honda’s 2015 Acura NSX hybrid prototypes at the Nürburgring earlier this week have emerged over at enthusiast site, WorldCarFans. Their (unnamed) source claims that “the fire started at the back (of the NSX) following two explosions of the batteries, and, shortly after that, the flames extended onto the rest of the vehicle.”

NSXテストカー炎上…これは熱対策しなきゃいかんやつですかね pic.twitter.com/r8HPc0VxGP

— ゆう (@_Yu03) July 24, 2014

Needless to say, this particular 2015 Acura NSX is a total loss after the blaze. Still, it’s worth noting that (as with Tesla’s highly-publicized fires last year) no one was hurt as a result of the fire. The test driver, apparently having received some sort of warning in addition to the batteries’ popping, pulled over at the Pflanzgarten corner, safe and sound.

Most importantly, however, is that this NSX test mule did exactly what it was sent out on the track to do: fail. The testers can now take whatever data they can get from the incident, study the physical limitations that led to the explosion, and develop fail-safes that will make it into the production version of the Ohio-built 2015 Acura NSX when it finally does debut early next year (think “Detroit Auto Show” or, possibly, the Super Bowl).

You can head over to WorldCarFans to check out more crash porn, if you’re into that, using the source link, below – and let us know what you think of Honda’s new hybrid super car in the comments section at the bottom of the page.

Source | More Images: WorldCarFans ,_Yu03.

Reburn Honda S2000 Could Be A 350 Horsepower Hybrid

The Honda S2000 has long been a favorite among Honda fanboys, and if the flyweight roadster returns, it could be as a 350 horsepower turbocharged hybrid. While these rumors are far from confirmed, a new S2000 would slot nicely into Honda’s current sports car lineup.

According to AutoExpress, Honda is currently considered a mid-range, mid-engine S2000 successor that would sit between the recently-approved Honda S660 roadster, and the Acura NSX hybrid supercar due out next year. But the S2000 will be an entirely different beast from the car we’ know, doing away with the soft top roadstyle in favor of a fixed roof and moving the engine amidship. That engine is said to be a tuned-version of the new 2.0 liter turbo, paired with a smaller, cheaper version of the NSX’s hybrid all-wheel drive system. That means a pair of powerful electric motors driving either the front or rear-wheels, as the final design is far from settled.

If Honda goes through with this though, it would make the manufacturer the first to offer a trio of affordable mid-engine sports cars. The S2000 hybrid should be fast enough to sprint from 0 to 60 MPH in less than 5 seconds, but still deliver a legitimate 40 MPG. As one of the most popular Hondas ever built, the S2000 holds a special place in the sports car pantheon, and a proper successor has a lot of hype to live up to. Sending it down the hybrid performance path seems like a no brainer to me, replicating the decisions of many high-end automakers like Porsche , which has embraced hybrids wholeheartedly.

Here’s hoping Honda is ready to make the same kind of commitment.

Source: AutoExpress

3D Printer Plans For Honda Concept Cars Hit The Web

The quiet rise of 3D printing has the potential to change everything we know about traditional manufacturing, and this includes the auto industry. Honda likes to position itself as one of the more tech-savvy automakers, and the move to upload 3D printer plans of five past and present Honda concept cars is likely just a taste of things to come.

3D printing is making its way into homes all over, and it seems inevitable that everything from utensils to automobiles will be made via 3D printers. No wonder Honda is already aligning itself with the technology, albeit in a benign way. The 3D printer plans include five Honda and Acura concept cars, including the new Acura NSX hybrid, the 2003 Kiwami, and the 1994 FSR Concept.

Of course these aren’t full-sized, drivable vehicles you’re printing, but rather just scale models of the exteriors. Which is still, you know, pretty sweet for any Honda fans who happen to own a decent 3D printer. I’d love to print out a mini NSX for my desk, though most of the other concepts fall somewhere between “Meh” and “Huh?” If you want to download the plans for yourself though, visit www.honda-3d.com.

While we’re still at least a decade or two from the first drivable, 3D-printed car, but it will be a revolutionary day when it does eventually happen.

Source: Honda

Acura NSX Teased In New Vine, Instagram Videos - VIDEO

The return of the Acura NSX as a hybrid supercar is being hailed by Honda and hybrid fans alike as the second-coming of an automotive deity, and with good reason. Speed, agility, and efficiency are at the heart of the new Acura NSX, which will be built right here in America, and Acura has seen fit to tease fans with a short teaser video from the Vine app, as well as the first official prototype photos.

While its official debut remains set for 2015, Acura will roll out a pre-production model for gawkers ahead of the IndyCar race at Mid-Ohio next month. The direct injection V6 engine will be paired with three electric motors, one integrated into the motor and two driving the front wheels, and while power figures have not been divulged, I doubt any of us will be disappoitned.

As much as we want the NSX on the road now though, it still has a while before it will enter production, as 2015 is the goal date for production and pricing will be aimed for between $120,000 and $200,000. So for most of us, this teaser video or shots from auto shows are as close as we’ll come to the real thing.

But that sound, isn’t it just wonderful?

Source: Acura