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Acura considering Vezel-based compact crossover

There's a distinct benefit to automakers having their own premium brand. After all, why develop one vehicle to be sold under one nameplate if you can turn it into two? Especially if a little reconfiguration and some premium accoutrements allow said automaker to charge significantly more for the luxury version. It's a winning formula - for crossovers especially - that Toyota has used to turn the Highlander into the Lexus RX (even if the first-gen RX arrived before the original Highlander), that Ford has used to transform the Edgee into the Lincoln MKX and that General Motors has applied to the Chevrolet Suburban to turn it into the Cadillac Escalade (to name just a few of the many examples out there). And it's one to which Honda and its Acura division are certainly not unaccustomed.
Acura has adapted its Euro-spec Honda Accord into the TSX, the Civic into the ILX, the CR-V into the RDX and the Pilot into the MDX. And now that the Honda Vezel is coming to market, Acura reportedly has its eye on that as well. The idea was first introduced when Acura unveiled the SUV-X concept (shown above) at the Shanghai Motor Show this past April, just a few months after Honda revealed its Urban SUV concept that previewed the production Vezel. At the time, says Automotive News, Acura said it intended to put the concept into production in China for the Chinese market, and it's reportedly moving ahead with those plans. But now that it is, executives are wondering where else they might find buyers for the premium compact crossover.
With the Vezel soon to begin production alongside the Fit at Honda's new plant in Mexico, it wouldn't be a stretch to see the Acura version follow suit. The market does, after all, seem to be heating up with entries like the Audi Q3, BMW X1 and Mercedes-Benz GLA, and we couldn't blame Honda - pardon us, Acura - for wanting a slice of that pie.

2024 Acura ZDX price starts at $64,500 before destination, incentives

When the Acura ZDX was revealed in August, we wrote the A-Spec will be in the $60,000 range and the Type S in the $70,000 range. Official pricing shows that to be the case, the entry-level A-Spec with rear-wheel drive starting at $64,500 before destination. Acura charges a $1,350 destination fee for the RDX and MDX, it's two current SUVs. We'll use that as a placeholder sum for the ZDX, resulting in these MSRPs: A-Spec RWD: $65,850 A-Spec AWD: $69,850 Type S: $74,850 Type S (Perf. wheel & tire): $75,850 Before we get to the comparisons, let's recap what buyers get for the money. The A-Spec comes standard in rear-wheel-drive, its single motor making 340 horsepower. A dual-motor AWD version costs $4,000 more; Acura didn't specify a difference in output, it could be the same 340 hp no matter the number of powered axles. The Type S comes with dual motors producing 500 horsepower to share among the four wheels. The suspension here is upgraded from the A-Spec's multi-link independent with fixed-rate shocks and springs to height-adjustable air springs and adaptive shocks. The brakes go from 12.6-inch rotors to 15.6-inch discs clamped by Brembo six-piston calipers. The A-Spec sits on 20-inch wheels, the Type S wears 22-inchers on tires that are 10 millimeters wider. And that Type S gets the option of Double Apex Blue Pearl from the Precision concept or Tiger Eye Pearl from other Type S models. Inside, there's a a low dash with slim air vents and a pair of split screens for instruments and infotainment; 11 inches and 11.5, respectively. The steering wheel and climate controls come from the related Blazer EV, this being Acura's version of a battery-electric SUV sitting on GM's Ultium platform. Unlike a GM product, though, Acura's back end runs on Google Built-In, and there's an 18-speaker Bang & Olufsen sound system as standard equipment. Assistance features include rear emergency braking with rear cross-traffic and pedestrian detection, blind-spot monitoring with steering assist, automatic parallel parking and, thanks to being based on a GM platform, hands-free highway driving assist (Super Cruise by any other name). Every ZDX is powered by a 102-kilowatt-hour battery, the onboard charger capable of 190 kW of DC fast charging. Every unit's CCS charging port can plug in at places like Electrify America and EVgo, Acura dealers will provide free NACS adapters for use at Tesla Supercharger stations.

Acura NSX coming to Detroit, the wait is almost over [w/video]

Finally. After spending years rounding three bases in the development of the second coming of the Acura NSX, we can espy home base just beyond the turn of the year. Here is your first teaser image for the profoundly anticipated coupe that will show itself in production form at the 2015 Detroit Auto Show. (We've even brightened it up for you, but feel free to see it in high-res, original form, along with a few other teaser shots, here.) What we can see of it looks like the last camouflaged prototype we saw at the 'Ring, save for switching out the prorotype's traditional headlights for Acura's jeweled units. After years of foreplay, well... let's just say we're ready. The coupe, its zirconium e-coat and its twin-turbocharged Sport Hybrid power unit – aimed at Ferrari 458 Italia performance for Audi R8 money – will be uncovered on January 12, 2015 at 11:50 AM Eastern time, and you can watch it as it happens at www.youtube.com/acura. There's a teaser video, below, to whet your appetites. Next month's NSX debut kicks off what John Mendel, executive vice president of American Honda, calls "The Year of Honda." Speaking to members of the media at an event in Detroit Tuesday, Mendel said that following the NSX, Honda will debut a new version of the Pilot SUV in 2015, as well as a redesigned Ridgeline pickup. Mendel also confirmed that Honda will launch small-displacement, turbocharged engines for use in production vehicles. As for Acura, the company's luxury division will offer the new ILX this year, and Mendel hinted that the RDX and MDX crossovers will get a few updates to make them more competitive within their respective segments. It sounds like a busy year, for sure. And we're ready and waiting (we've been waiting...) for the NSX to kick it all off. Head below to read the official confirmation statement, and to see a teaser video. Acura NSX Production Model to Make World Debut at 2015 North American International Auto Show TORRANCE, Calif., December 17, 2014 – The production version of the highly anticipated Acura NSX supercar, successor to the legendary original NSX, will make its world debut at the 2015 North American International Auto Show on January 12, 2015. The model will reflect the production design and specifications of the mid-engine Acura supercar that is slated to launch in 2015.