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2015 Acura TLX production gets underway in Ohio

It's been three months since Acura unveiled the supposedly production-ready TLX sedan at the New York Auto Show, but dealers have yet to receive any units to sell. That's because, as we reported back in April, production of the TLX was pushed back. We're glad to report now, however, that production has commenced at the Marysville Auto Plant in Ohio.
The Honda facility in Marysville, just south of Columbus, also produces the Accord sedan and coupe for local consumption and export. With over 30 years since its founding, the factory has previously handled production of the Acura TL and RDX as well as the company's Gold Wing motorcycles.
The Marysville Auto Plant is one of many facilities which Honda operates in Ohio. Among the others, you'll also find the East Liberty assembly plant that handles the Acura RDX as well as the Honda Crosstour and CR-V, an engine plant in Anna, a transmission factory in Russells Point, several R&D centers, component manufacturers and a new Performance Manufacturing Center being built to handle the coming NSX sports car in Marysville.

Honda profit declines on semiconductor crunch and raw material costs

TOKYO — HondaÂ’s fiscal first quarter profit fell 33% from last year as a global computer chip shortage, a pandemic-related lockdown in China and the rising costs of raw materials hurt the Japanese automaker. Tokyo-based Honda Motor Co. reported Wednesday that its profit totaled 149.2 billion yen ($1.1 billion) in the April-June quarter, down from 222.5 billion yen ($1.7 billion) a year earlier. Quarterly sales slipped 7% to 3.8 trillion yen ($28 billion). Honda kept its profit forecast for the full fiscal year through March 2023 unchanged at 710 billion yen ($5.3 billion). The semiconductor shortage has hurt all the worldÂ’s automakers, including Honda, despite strong demand, and the manufacturers have been scrambling to secure alternative suppliers. Honda, which makes the Accord sedan, Odyssey minivan and Civic compact, sold about 815,000 vehicles last quarter, down from 998,000 vehicles the same period a year earlier. Auto sales dropped in almost all regions around the world, including Japan, the U.S. and Europe. “I ask for the understanding from all those who are still waiting for their vehicles and vow that our whole company is doing its utmost to make the deliveries even a day sooner,” Chief Financial Officer Kohei Takeuchi said. Takeuchi said the semiconductor shortage curtailed motorcycle production as well as car production, adding to uncertainty about future prospects. Honda said the recent lockdown in Shanghai was among the causes of the shortage in computer chips supply but declined to give specifics. Although U.S. sales are potentially facing a dent from recession worries and other economic hardships, Takeuchi acknowledged he was more worried about the shortage problem and producing the cars customers were waiting for. Takeuchi noted that motorcycle sales for the quarter, which grew to 4.25 million motorcycles from 3.88 million a year earlier, were going strong, especially in India. The cheaper yen and cost cuts helped maintain profitability overall, he added. The yen has been at a two-decade low against the U.S. dollar. A cheap yen has historically worked as a boon for exporters like Honda by boosting the value of their overseas earnings when converted into yen. But it also increases costs for imported components and materials. JapanÂ’s top automaker Toyota Motor Corp. reported recently that its fiscal first quarter profit fell nearly 18%. Nissan Motor Co. saw its quarterly profit plunge to less than half of what it was a year earlier.

2021 Acura TLX Long-Term Update | A surprise upgrade

That may look a lot like our long-term 2021 Acura TLX A-Spec, but in this case, your eyes deceive you. Say hello to our not-so-long-term TLX Type S, which is subbing in for the A-Spec while the latter undergoes a little exploratory surgery to diagnose what appears to be an escalating electrical issue.  Yes, our handsome blue steed is currently lame. What first manifested as odd transmission behavior and the occasional infotainment reboot escalated to the vehicular equivalent of a grand mal seizure on a rainy Michigan day, resulting in a flat-bed ride to the dealership and fast-tracking our plans to get the TLX in for a diagnosis. So, for the foreseeable future, I'm enjoying an extra two cylinders and nearly 100 more horsepower. All upsides, right? To a degree. While the extra power is certainly welcome, it comes at a cost – 200 pounds, give or take. That extra weight erodes some of the qualities I appreciate most about our long-term A-Spec. Acura really nailed the front-end feel of the TLX with the A-Spec, and while the Type S still feels pretty good, the added mass over the nose is inescapable. And while the 20" Type S wheels look fantastic, they make the already firmer suspension feel almost unnecessarily crashy. The 19s on the A-Spec are the sweet spot (picking up on my thesis?) but even I must admit the Type S wheels look significantly better.  On paper, this 3.5-liter V6 matches up reasonably well with the rest of the premium turbo-sixes on the market, but in the real world, it's a bit uninspiring, and not just in the too-competent-for-its-own-good way BMW's mainstream I6s tend to be. There's plenty of power and torque, but I've yet to experience one of those "ah-ha!" moments where the whole package suddenly makes sense.  In fact, I spend more time pining for the lighter, nimbler A-Spec than I do yearning for the open space I'd need to let the V6 run free. In this, I think I'm rowing against the Autoblog current; others' reviews of Acura's muscular six-cylinder have been far more enthusiastic. Be that as it may, I appreciate the way the A-Spec drives like a smaller car than it is. Related video: 2021 Acura TLX 2.0-liter turbo-four soundtrack | Autoblog