Honda Says It’s ‘High Time’ to Boost Sagging Acura Demand

Tetsuo Iwamura, executive vice president of Honda Motor Co., speaks during an interview in New York on Dec. 12, 2013.

by Alan Ohnsman of www.bloomberg.com

Honda Motor Co. (7267)’s No. 2 executive, asked to identify the automaker’s weak spot, spoke bluntly: The company’s Acura luxury sedans have to get better.

The world will soon learn whether they have. Next month Honda will introduce the Acura TLX to replace its aging TL, the brand’s top-selling sedan that was last revamped five years ago. Designed by Honda’s North American unit, the reworked luxury car will be the latest test of the Tokyo-based automaker’s decision to give more influence to U.S. engineers.

“We need an Acura brand to shine among luxury franchises,” Executive Vice President Tetsuo Iwamura said in an interview last week at Bloomberg’s headquarters office in New York. “It’s high time.”

Acura car sales are down 8.6 percent in the U.S. through November. That represents a drag on results for a company with four models -- the Civic, Accord, CR-V and Odyssey -- ranking first or second in their respective segments. Combined Honda and Acura sales are up 7.8 percent this year, the slowest pace of the market’s biggest automakers and trailing the industry’s 8.4 percent increase through November.

Honda plans to introduce its 2015 model TLX sedan next month at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Iwamura said. A modified ILX compact sedan with a more robust powertrain will follow, and Acura’s NSX “supercar,” a high-performance coupe, returns in 2015. Iwamura declined to detail changes to the youth-oriented ILX model.

Photographer: Susana Gonzalez/Bloomberg

A shopper views an Acura vehicle at a dealership in the Polanco neighborhood of Mexico City.

Berkman’s Role

The job of bringing the TLX to life was entrusted to Erik Berkman, a 30-year Honda veteran who in 2012 became the company’s first non-Japanese head of research and development for North America. Honda bolstered the U.S.-based operation’s power earlier this year when it created a nine-member North American management board, which includes Berkman, two other Americans and a Canadian. The board is in charge of products and strategy for the region, which generates the biggest share of the company’s global sales.

Berkman was among the engineers who helped the company tackle its last big test: 2012’s on-the-fly redesign of the critically panned Civic. He previously gained stature within Honda for leading development of Acura’s last hit sedan, the 2006 TL that helped the brand reach record sales in 2005. Getting Acura right, after what Iwamura called its “winding path,” is important to tap growing demand for premium vehicles in the U.S. and around the world.

Lagging Lexus

As Acura car sales have fallen, other premium brands have gained ground. Toyota Motor Corp.’s Lexus car sales rose 15 percent in the U.S. this year through November; Bayerische Motoren Werke AG’s BMW are up 9.2 percent; Daimler AG’s Mercedes-Benz, up 14 percent; and General Motors Co. (GM)’s Cadillac, up 55 percent. Mercedes-Benz car sales total 183,358 this year through November while BMW has delivered 178,512 cars, according to Autodata Corp.

While Honda derives the bulk of its revenue from mass-market Civic compacts, Accord sedans and small CR-V SUVs, luxury autos ensure better profit margins. The average Honda sold for $25,976 in November, versus $40,597 for each Acura vehicle, according to Kelley Blue Book, an automotive pricing and data company.

For now, Acura sales are sustained by the new MDX and RDX sport-utility vehicles, which account for 58 percent of Acura’s 149,685 U.S. sales through November. Honda sold 62,301 of its four Acura sedan models over the same period, including the large RLX and outgoing TSX, less than half the volume of Toyota’s premium Lexus cars.

‘Big Opportunity’

Acura, created prior to Lexus or Nissan Motor Co.’s Infiniti as a U.S. premium brand, can become a bigger source of global revenue for Honda, said Steve Usher, a San Diego-based equity analyst for JI Asia Research, who rates Honda a buy.

“They are now looking at it on a more global scale,” Usher said. “They’re starting to think about getting Acura to China, and that will be a big opportunity.”

Iwamura said in January that his 2013 goal was a U.S. sales record -- topping its 1.55 million U.S. sales in 2007. Lagging Acura deliveries make that unlikely, he said last week. Still, Honda averted a larger blow: that Civic and Accord, cornerstones of success for 30 years, were falling behind competitors’ new compact and mid-size offerings.

‘Strong Again’

A poor review for the 2012 Civic by Consumer Reports sent shock waves through Honda. The company took the unusual tack of rushing out an upgrade -- what it calls a “major minor refresh” -- that improved Civic’s interior and added a stronger frame that gave it the best crash rating of any U.S. compact.

The revamped Civic and new Accord that came out in 2012 lifted Honda-brand car sales 8.8 percent, outpacing an industrywide average for cars of 5.6 percent, according to Autodata.

“Honda is definitely strong again and, if not boiling over, on a steady simmer in terms of progress and momentum,” said Karl Brauer, industry analyst at Kelley Blue Book.

Honda argues that if fleet sales are removed, it boasts one of the industry’s best growth rates in retail deliveries this year. Retail sales reflect only vehicles sold directly to individuals, rather than to businesses and rental-car companies.

Honda estimates less than 2 percent of its U.S. sales are to fleets. It eschews them to maintain higher resale values for retail buyers, U.S. senior vice president Mike Accavitti said.

Changing Landscape

Like Toyota, Honda is still adapting to an automotive landscape in which quality is a given and companies including GM, Ford Motor Co. and Hyundai Motor Co. now build some of the most compelling vehicles.

“Everybody is better than they used to be,” Brauer said. “You can’t be the clear or easy winner in any segment like you used to.”

Acura’s inconsistent car line has made the brand a laggard in recent years to BMW, Mercedes, Lexus and GM’s Cadillac and Volkswagen AG’s Audi unit. Sales peaked at 209,610 in 2005 and dwindled in 2009, when U.S. auto sales collapsed. Acura deliveries may reach about 163,000 units this year, based on the sales pace through November.

Iwamura said the mid-size TLX sport sedan that replaces the aging TL will be the biggest change for Acura in 2014.

The racing-style NSX that returns in 2015 will be Acura’s performance “halo,” Iwamura said. The car should sell for more than $100,000, he has said. The last units of the all-aluminum coupe were sold in 2007.

‘Big Kids’

Much as 2010 was a low point for Toyota, which had to battle a recall crisis, 2011 was similarly tough for Honda.

The Consumer Reports pan of the Civic came after Asian natural disasters in 2011 -- Japan’s earthquake and tsunami, and flooding in Thailand -- stalled Honda’s global production for months. A 2011 spike in the yen’s value made sales of Japan-built models such as the Fit subcompact unprofitable in the U.S.

Those setbacks, along with lackluster reviews for several Honda and Acura models, provided an opportunity to try a new approach, U.S. Executive Vice President John Mendel said in an interview last month in Los Angeles.

Honda has struggled with balancing a “small company mentality” with the fact that it now “is sitting at the big kids’ table,” he said. 

Source;
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-12-19/honda-says-it-s-high-time-to-boost-sagging-acura-demand.html

Honda tops nonluxury peers in drivers poll

by Dan Gearino

Honda continues to be in the middle of the pack in a J.D. Power and Associates rating of how gratifying an auto brand is to own and drive.

The brand received a score of 791 out of 1,000 points in the research firm’s annual Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout — APEAL — study. That was slightly below the industry average of 795, but above average among nonluxury brands.

Honda ranked ahead of brands such as Ford, Chevrolet and Toyota.

“Overall, (Honda) really performed better than their competitors,” said Raffi Festekjian, director of automotive research for J.D. Power.

Acura, Honda’s luxury brand, received a score of 811.

This year, J.D. Power changed its formula to reflect the growing importance of on-board electronics. The revision was the first since 2006, and because of it, the firm is urging caution when comparing the results with previous years.

Last year, Honda had 771 points, Acura had 816, and the industry average was 788.

Honda, which makes the Accord, CR-V and Acura TL in central Ohio, tends to perform well in J.D. Power’s ratings of reliability, and less well in this assessment of the driving experience.

The Honda Odyssey, assembled in Alabama, received the highest score in the minivan category. The Accord ranked among the top three in the midsize-car segment. No other Honda or Acura models were listed among the top three in a category.

“We’re very pleased to see that the improvements we’ve made to core models like Civic and Accord have been appealing to customers,” said Chris Martin, a Honda spokesman.

Luxury brands dominated the ratings. Porsche retained its spot atop the list with the highest score, 884 points. The other leaders, in descending order, were Audi, BMW, Land Rover and Lexus.

The top nonluxury brand overall was Ram, with 817 points. At the bottom was the subcompact Smart brand, with 739.

“Even within the same vehicle segment, consumers are willing to spend substantially more on vehicles that they find attractive, provide the performance and utility they are looking for, and have well-executed interiors,” David Sargent, vice president of global automotive at J.D. Power, said in a statement. “These vehicles also sell more quickly.”

The results are based on survey responses from 83,000 drivers of 2013 model year vehicles.

Source;
http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/business/2013/07/24/honda.html

Temple of Vtec: 2015 Acura TLX Spyshots????

Date: June 24, 2013 21:31
 Submitted by:  JeffX
 Source: Ben Cheah for Brenda Priddy & Company
 Credibility Rating: Not Specified

Ben Cheah was cruising through Death Valley over the weekend and spotted some BMW i8s being tested. Intrigued, he followed them into a parking lot and found a group of Honda and Acura(?) test mules along with a new 2014 MDX. One of them appears to be some sort of Accord V6 variant, but this heavily camo'd one could be an early mule for the 2015 Acura TLX.

A huge thanks goes out to Ben Cheah for sharing these photos with the TOV. 

 

Source (a alot more photo's);

http://www.vtec.net/news/news-item?news_item_id=1153709

Honda Appeals to Females With Costliest Acura Ad Campaign

By Keith Naughton - Jun 24, 2013

 

Honda Motor Co. (HMC) is targeting female drivers for its redesigned 2014 Acura MDX sport wagon with the luxury brand’s most expensive advertising campaign yet.

Using the slogan “Made for Mankind,” a female narrates the moody ads showing women hiking a mountain ridge, dancing and interacting with a robot. The commercial debuts during the National Hockey League’s Stanley Cup Finals this month, while the full campaign starts July 7, Tokyo-based Honda said.

Honda is betting the ads will boost Acura sales that have fallen 25 percent in the U.S. from a peak of 209,610 in 2005. The luxury marque of Japan’s third-largest automaker is also promoting new RLX sedan and NSX sports car models priced at more than $100,000. With the new MDX, Acura said it’s trying to make an emotional appeal to female luxury-car buyers.

“Luxury is so focused on a very sort of stereotypical, 40-year-old wealthy male,” Gary Robinson, advertising manager for Honda’s Acura luxury line, said June 20 in Detroit at a briefing on the new MDX. “Going forward, certainly in our country, that is not going to be anybody’s majority anymore. So there’s this opportunity to talk to somebody different.”

Honda is hoping to imbue Acura with the same success it has found with its mainstream model line, which includes the Accord sedan, the second-best-selling car in the U.S. this year.

Going after female buyers for the MDX makes sense, said Michelle Krebs, an analyst at auto researcher Edmunds.com.

Moms Car
“Moms drive the MDX; it’s sort of a minivan that’s not a minivan,” said Krebs, who is based in Southfield, Michigan. “Why not appeal to the female audience? Not many automakers do that.”

Robinson said the MDX ad campaign is the costliest ever for Acura. He declined to reveal how much Honda is spending on it. He said it’s more than twice as much as Acura’s campaign last year to introduce the redesigned RDX model. And he said the cost of the MDX campaign is “not too far off” what Honda spends on its bread-and-butter Accord model.

“Our brand sort of struggles in terms of volume,” Robinson said of Acura. “This is our most important vehicle in a lot of ways and we can’t get it wrong.”

Honda set a goal for this year of topping its best-ever U.S. volume of 1.55 million Honda and Acura brand cars and light trucks, set in 2007. The company is counting on the third-generation MDX and new RLX flagship sedan to reach the target. Acura plans to sell 60,000 MDX models a year, Robinson said.

US Deliveries
Honda’s total U.S. deliveries gained 5.6 percent this year through May to 608,663. The company’s Honda brand rose 5.2 percent during that period, while its Acura brand increased 9.8 percent, according to researcher Autodata Corp.

Acura’s U.S. sales trail the luxury leaders, Bayerische Motoren Werke AG (BMW)’s BMW, Daimler AG (DAI)’s Mercedes-Benz and Toyota Motor Corp. (7203)’s Lexus line.

“For Acura, the luxury market is so intensely competitive and they’ve fallen so far,” Krebs said. “Now they’re trying to shake things up.”

Source;
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-06-24/honda-appeals-to-females-with-costliest-acura-ad-campaign.html

Car and Driver: 2014 Acura RLX Tested

by Eddie Alterman of www.caranddriver.com

Why was the old Acura RL so firmly nailed to dealership floors, with just 379 sold last year? That’s easy. It was too small. Its back seat was so tight that rear riders could practically adjust the stereo, could possibly even drink from the front cup holders with a long-enough straw. Too in thrall to Honda’s minor-key virtues of frugality and modesty, the RL couldn’t compete with the chest-thumping, lane-filling champions of the mid-size luxury-car segment. 

Repeat: It was because it was almost Civic-sized in back, and not because it had a six-cylinder engine or was based on a front-drive chassis. In fact, you could argue that the rest of the luxury-car fleet has finally caught up with the Acura flagship. Amid rising fuel-economy standards, a six-cylinder luxury sedan no longer seems like a tin Rolex. Furthermore, all-wheel drive is now the de rigueur luxury-car format, and Audi has even sold front-drive A6s and A8s with a straight face. All of this might not get the new RLX the respect it deserves, but what Acura has produced here, for better or worse, is a car fully in sync with these comfort-, mpg-, and tech-obsessed times. 

The RLX overcompensates for the old car’s biggest failing. It’s full-figured, with a 2.0-inch-longer wheelbase and 1.7-inch-wider body than the outgoing RL’s. The cabin is far airier and roomier than before, with lots of clearance for occupants’ extremities. It’s also beautifully finished in muted tones, but its two-screen radio and nav interface is confusing; you never quite remember which of the screens and knobs will deliver the function you want. Also, the seat bottoms are too short for even the moderately lanky.

Engine downsizing touches the RLX, but only by 0.2 liter. The naturally aspirated, direct-injected 3.5-liter V-6 feeds the front wheels 310 horsepower and 272 lb-ft of torque, up 10 and 1, respectively, from the old 3.7-liter. Acceleration times are about par for the class, with the speedo needle finding 60 mph in 5.8 seconds and the quarter-mile passing in 14.3. Fuel efficiency should be very competitive, at 20/31 city/highway, figures we’re inclined to trust as they’re derived from a naturally aspirated engine. (We saw 20 mpg over about 1000 miles of mixed driving, but we drive like we’re qualifying at Monaco.) 

Interestingly, Acura’s fuel-sipping strategy doesn’t rely on a tiny engine or sluggish gear ratios to achieve its result. Its final drive is actually 14 percent shorter than the RL’s, preserving the high-revving, coltish character of the powertrain primarily via careful management of its variable-valve-timing and cylinder-deactivation systems. The car retains the high-rpm urgency and natural linearity—abetted by a telepathic transmission—that’s missing from the turbocharged set. 

But some of the fuel saving comes from, of all places, the rear suspension. Good news, lovers of high-tech Japanese cars from the late ’80s: Rear steering is back. Acura calls it Precision All-Wheel Steer, or, cutely, P-AWS, and it can toe the wheels independently. Under braking, for example, it pigeons the rears inward to keep the car stable. It also incorporates an ersatz torque-vectoring software program dubbed agile handling assist—let's call it AHA—to rotate the car into corners with the brakes.

Beyond its handling benefits, the independent rear steering helps fuel economy by reducing tire scrub, especially in corners. It’s an expensive and complicated way to eke out some fuel savings, but it spares drivers from having to suffer low-rolling-resistance tires that impose braking and cornering compromises.
P-AWS and AHA give the RLX vivid path accuracy and turn-in characteristics, as the car refuses to betray its front-wheel-drive layout and 60.8/39.2-percent front-to-rear weight distribution until pushed hard. The steering is as predictable and progressively weighted as what we’ve experienced in a front-drive Honda product. Despite the flat and stable ride, though, we found wheel impacts to be a bit too harsh for a car that boasts fancy new ZF Sachs dampers. 

Hold on: We’re not done with the acronyms and abbreviations yet. The Advance trim model we drove had LKAS (lane keeping assist system) and ACC (adaptive cruise control), as well as FCW (forward collision warning) and LDW (lane departure warning), which are standard on the base car. Sadly, none of these letters conjures images of fuzzy animals or contrived surprise, but the first two do create a force field around the car in stop-and-go traffic. The Acura folk call this the “405 feature,” in reference to L.A.’s clogged carotid. ACC prevents the RLX from hitting a leading car by slowing to a full stop if necessary, and LKAS keeps the car in a lane, its camera-based intelligence actually steering the car away from a road line. So text away, idiots. These control-seizing functions aren’t on by default, and the multi-button process to engage them isn’t well guided, but at least you have to willingly deploy these systems. Acura’s legal department thanks you. 

Honda’s upscale brand is not bashful about charging customers for all of this, with the base car starting at $49,345. That includes an adequate but by no means complete raft of acronyms: P-AWS, LDW, FCW, full LED headlights, and the basic but excellent 10-speaker ELS audio system. The RLX with Navigation trim level adds navigation for $2500. The next trim level up is the RLX with Technology Package, at $55,345, and it brings 19-inch aluminum wheels, four more speakers, blind-spot warning, power-folding side mirrors, rain-sensing wipers, and very soft Milano leather. Moving on to the 14-speaker RLX with Krell Audio Package for another $2500, you get a system that spent four years in development. You can hear it in its absolute fidelity at high volume and its level of sonic detail; you notice things in old songs you’ve never heard before. Our test car was a fully stocked, $61,345 RLX with Advance Package, with all the above plus ACC, LKAS, ventilated front seats, parking sensors, heated rear seats, and pre-crash braking and seatbelt systems. That’s suddenly real money, even if it’s about $5000 less across the board than the German competition. And an all-wheel-drive RLX, with a 370-horse three-motor-hybrid V-6, a seven-speed DCT, and expected 30/30/30 fuel economy, is coming later this year. We’ll see if it can command the $70,000 it’s expected to cost, but you’ve got to admire Acura’s chutzpah.  

Source;
http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/2014-acura-rlx-fwd-test-review

2013 Acura TL Special Edition

The current-generation Acura TL sedan has been around longer than many of its competitors, so, for the 2013 model year, the automaker is introducing a new special-edition model. Simply called the 2013 Acura TL Special Edition, the car takes a couple features from higher-trim TLs, but at the comparatively lower price of $38,300 including destination.

The $38,300 Acura TL Special Edition is $1500 more than the base-model 2013 TL and $2230 less than the front-drive TL with the Technology package. Unlike the base-model TL and its 17-inch wheels, the special-edition Acura rolls on flashier 10-spoke 18-inch wheels that look similar to accessory wheels the automaker separately offers for $2260. The 2013 TL Special Edition also gets the Technology package’s decklid spoiler and hands-free keyless access. Acura’s version of the technology recognizes which of the two key fobs are being used, and adjusts the driver’s seat, steering wheel, side-view mirrors, climate control, and sound system to a profile the owner has pre-programmed.

The 2013 Acura TL Special Edition will be available in the four colors with a black leather interior: Bellanova White Pearl, Crystal Black Pearl, Graphite Luster Metallic, and Silver Moon Metallic. Power comes from a 280-hp 3.5-liter V-6 and the special-edition front-drive TL uses a six-speed automatic with paddle shifters. An all-wheel-drive model is powered by a 305-hp 3.7-liter V-6, which is mated to a six-speed automatic or manual transmission.

When we drove the refreshed 2012 TL in SH-AWD Advance trim, we said it “manages to blend impeccable comfort with enthusiastic performance” but noted the car wasn’t quite as athletic as the BMW 3 Series or Volvo S60.

Other standard equipment on the 2013 Acura TL Special Edition includes a 10-way driver’s seat, eight-way power passenger seat, eight-speaker sound system, and a high-resolution Multi-Information Display. The special-edition model makes the TL far more affordable to those who want the Technology package’s bigger wheels and hands-free keyless entry, but the navigation system and rear-view camera are only available on TLs with the Technology package and higher trims.

Acura TL sales through the first five months of this year are down 15.3 percent compared to the same period last year, and rumors suggest that in the 2015 model year, the TL and TSX lines may merge to form a new TLX model. For now, potential Acura TL customers who want bigger wheels and hands-free keyless access can consider the special-edition model, which is now on sale.


Source;
http://rumors.automobilemag.com/acura-introduces-2013-tl-special-edition-228835.html#axzz2VdQSL4WB

TSX could be squeezed out of Acura lineupk

LOS ANGELES -- The future of Acura's TSX appears uncertain as Honda Motor prepares to abandon the platform used for the compact sedan.

Acura boss Jeff Conrad says the TSX will remain in the lineup "for the foreseeable future." But when Acura moved into the entry-luxury segment with the ILX last year it jammed up its sedan lineup -- both in terms of vehicle sizes and pricing ladders.

The ILX and aging TSX are positioned close to each other, as are the TSX and mid-sized TL. The RLX has grown slightly to distance itself from comparisons to the TL, but not by much.

Product plans elsewhere within Honda Motor may force Acura's hand.

The TSX is based on the aged smaller Honda Accord platform used in Japan and Europe. The U.S. Accord traditionally has been larger and has been the basis for the Acura TL.

But the Accord that debuted in the United States last year is on a new global platform that is sized for the U.S. Accord, rather than the Japanese and European market versions.

The British magazine Autocar reported that slow Accord sales in Europe won't justify a new model or allow Honda to keep the old platform. That makes the TSX a car without a donor platform.

Also, the TL is being redesigned for a summer 2014 launch, and a Honda Motor source said that it will be made smaller to make room for the flagship RLX, which is priced $12,500 higher. But that would put the TL right on top of the TSX in terms of size.

Closely packed

Starting prices and dimensions for Acura's sedans
	Price	Wheelbase (inches)	Length (inches)
ILX	$27,795	105.1	175.1
TSX	$31,405	106.5	185.6
TL	$36,800	109.3	194
RLX	$49,345	112.2	196.1
Prices include shipping charge.

The TL is Acura's best-selling car, while the ILX has struggled to outpace the old TSX. Sales of each nameplate are between 24,000 and 32,000 units a year.

Acura has told dealers nothing about a shakeup in the lineup. They expect a 2014 TSX to arrive on schedule in September.

Read more: http://www.autonews.com/article/20130603/RETAIL/306039975#ixzz2VBDogHXd
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Drive On: Honda's Acura shifts focus to U.S.

by Mark Phelan of detroit free press

Acura, Honda's luxury brand, is shifting design, engineering and production of its vehicles to the U.S.

The new 2014 MDX crossover vehicle that goes on sale in July is the first Acura to be developed entirely by the company's Ohio tech center, the first Honda Group platform conceived here. The MDX architecture will probably also underpin the next Honda Pilot SUV.

"Acura as a brand is very heavily NAFTA-focused," Mike Accavitti, Honda and Acura senior vice president of automotive operations, says. For a long time, that simply meant that Acura only existed in the U.S. and Canada. The same vehicles bore Honda badges in the rest of the world.

Honda understands Acura must become more distinctive, particularly as the brand enters new markets such as China, Russia, Brazil and the Middle East. As the brand's historic home and largest market, Honda's U.S. operations have an unprecedented opportunity to shape Acura's future.

The MDX was designed by Acura's studio in Torrance, Calif. It just went into production in Lincoln, Ala. Every model but the RLX and TSX cars is built in North America.

Honda reinforced Acura's American identity when it decided to build the next generation NSX exotic sports car in Ohio.

"It'd be nice to have a higher brand premium" in terms of pricing, and a higher overall perception of Acura's status, said Accavitti, a former Chrysler executive who joined Honda in 2012. Accavitti said buyers see Acura as a smart choice because its cars have good resale value and offer lots of features compared with similarly priced competitors.

Acuras also tend to have roomy interiors, good fuel economy and high quality and reliability, said Frank Markus, technical director of Motor Trend magazine, and my driving partner in the MDX last week.

None of that has translated into the prestige and prices Acura needs to compete in the top tier of luxury automakers.

"Acura has a crisis in design," Markus said. "Their vehicles just don't look very interesting or good. Especially versus competitors like the Audi A7 or Mercedes CLA. They've got a long way to go on styling and to simplify their controls."

The 2014 MDX — almost certain to be a highly profitable successor to Acura's best-selling model — is vital to the brand's immediate future, but the Ohio-built and-engineered NSX hybrid supercar may be the key in the long term. It could change people's perception of the brand, particularly as others jump on the high-performance bandwagon with hyper-priced hybrids such as the $845,000 Porsche 918 Spyder, $1.3-million McLaren P1 and $2.3-million LaFerrari.

"We're breathlessly awaiting the NSX," Markus said. "It's the affordable hybrid supercar."

It's the successor to the legendary NSX that helped put Acura on the map in the 1990s. Acura expects the combination of all-wheel drive, three electric motors, a turbocharged V6 and high fuel economy raise the brand's profile.

"They can't get the NSX fast enough," said Jim Hall, managing director of 2953 Analytics. "Acura needs a serious flagship with a clear connection to the rest of its models."

Source;
http://www.usatoday.com/story/driveon/2013/06/03/acura-honda-mdx/2383523/