Awd, Technology Package, Leasther Heated Front Seats, Alloys, Dual Climate on 2040-cars

Auto blog

These are the top luxury cars bought by people entering the segment for the first time

Let's say you just got a big promotion at work or the kids are moving out of the house, and you finally have some extra money. You decide to blow it all at once and treat yourself by upgrading your ride. Naturally, you look to a luxury automaker. What do you choose?
Models like the Audi A3 and Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class may be tailor-made to introduce buyers to the premium segment, but a new study finds that they don't garner the highest rates of non-luxury customer conquests. It turns out that a Volvo leads among folks moving up to a premium brand, and it isn't even one that's made anymore, at that.
A recent study by Polk and IHS Automotive looked at what models had the highest rates of buyers upgrading from a non-luxury segment. The information comes from its new vehicle registration data through April 2014. All ten top models boasted conquest rates of over 50 percent, but the Volvo C70 led the field with 68.01 percent of its customers coming from non-premium brands.

eBay Find of the Day: S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Acura MDX from The Avengers

Planning to dress up as Agent Coulson for Halloween next year? We've got the perfect accessory to complete your Level 7 costume. On eBay Motors at this very moment is an auction for an Acura MDX S.H.I.E.L.D vehicle, one of only 10 made that the seller claims was used in filming of The Avengers.
The crossover is being sold by Scottsdale Motor Company, and while the eBay auction is up to nearly $19,000 with less than four days remaining (at the time of this writing), the dealer's website is asking $42,900 for this piece of movie memorabilia.
What you see is no mere prop, though. This S.H.I.E.L.D. vehicle is a proper 2011 MDX, equipped with the available Technology Package and leather from the factory. The flat black paint was even applied by Acura itself, and the graphics were added by the film studio's art department.

Acura TLX caught naked in production guise, can you spot the differences?

Acura doesn't tend to do concept cars these days that don't foreshadow a specific upcoming production model. The ZDX prototype of 2010 previewed the production version, as did the ILX and RLX showcars of 2012 and the MDX of 2013. The NSX concept is on its way to production, as the SUV-X concept is likely to do as well in the coming years. So when Acura revealed the TLX prototype at the Detroit Auto Show a few months ago, we all but knew it would only be a matter of time before that, too, would be produced. And here it is.
Spied all but completely undisguised while undergoing testing, this pair of TLX prototypes (one in white, one in black) looks almost identical to the show car. You might spot a few minor tweaks here and there - the strip of LEDs in the lower front bumper have been replaced by round fog lamps and some of the chrome accents are missing - but by and large, we're looking at the same vehicle we saw in Detroit earlier this year.
The finished production version of the TLX is expected to debut at the New York Auto Show next month, after which it will replace both the TSX and the TL, slotting in between the smaller ILX and the larger RLX in Acura's sedan lineup.