1996 Acura Integra Gsr Jdm Clipped, Rebuilt Rare B17a1 Db8 on 2040-cars

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2014 Acura MDX ad campaign the most expensive in brand's history

Realizing that it must spend more marketing dollars to compete with the more established luxury automakers, Acura is preparing to launch its most expensive ad campaign ever for its redesigned 2014 MDX. At $78 million, according to Advertising Age, the new "Made for Mankind" campaign that kicks off next month is exactly double what Acura spent on the 2013 RDX launch last year. It's also the brand's first cooperation with its new agency, Boston- and Los-Angeles-based Mullen Advertising. Thanks to its bigger budget, we'll be seeing ads for the MDX pop up just about everywhere from television commercials, cinemas and billboards to videos focused on computers and mobile devices.
The first such video is entitled "Human Race," and it enunciates Acura's recent tagline highlight, the synergy between man and machine. More interestingly, the 2014 MDX, which went on sale this month, doesn't make an appearance in the 60-second spot until close to the end. This video is posted below as well as a press release from Acura along with images of various ads we should start soon.

Acura announces NSX GT3 Evo22 race car will live on

The Acura NSX may be winding down production in 2022, but it still has some life left on the track. Today, Acura announced that it will introduce a new version of its NSX GT3 race car. It features a slew of improvements that should make the platform more competitive. Called the NSX GT3 Evo22, it builds upon the existing NSX GT3 a car that has won multiple championships in IMSA, SRO and Japan's SuperGT. The Evo22 gets improved intercoolers for the 3.5-liter twin-turbo shared with the road car, allowing it to perform consistently in a wider range of conditions and locations. Underneath, the suspension earns some tweaks in revised spring rates and geometry adjustments. To improve the car for endurance racing, the Evo22 reduces pit time with larger fluid tanks, while a revised wheel system allows for quicker tire changes. An FIA-mandated rain light illuminates the rear. Acura will also offer several air conditioning and headlight options. As with the outgoing NSX GT3, the Evo22 eschews the road car's hybrid and all-wheel-drive systems. Instead, it employs an XTRAC semi-automatic six-speed sequential transmission to send power to the rear wheels. Both the race and road car, however, share the same specs for the engine block, heads, valvetrain, crankshaft, pistons, and dry-sump lubrication system. The motors and chassis are both built at Acura's Performance Manufacturing Center in Ohio, while final assembly for the GT3 takes place in Milan, Italy. While European GT3s are supported from Italy, Honda Performance Division in Southern California will support North American teams. The NSX GT3 is the defending IMSA GTD and SRO GT Manufacturers’ Champion, and has achieved 25 IMSA and SRO class wins since its North American introduction in 2017. Interestingly, Acura says the the NSX GT3 is homologated globally through 2024. So, while new road cars won't be produced after next year, you'll still see them representing the "A" calipers at the track beyond that.

2013 Acura ILX 2.4

Going Mainstream Has Its Privileges
Acura's experiment with niche models has failed. Competing in the luxury car business by filling white space with product just didn't work for the Japanese automaker. In place of slow-selling models like its ZDX and quirky first-gen RDX, the mindset at Acura has recently switched to more conventional products with vastly improved volume potential. The redesigned 2013 RDX, for example, sold almost as many units in 2012 as it did in 2010 and 2011 combined, and the all-new 2013 ILX has sold more units each month - since going on sale in May - than Acura sold in ZDXs and RLs in all of last year.
While the redesigned RDX is a crucial product to compete with luxury compact crossovers, the ILX might be the most important new product for Acura, as a growing number of premium makes are starting to realize the importance of upscale entry-level compact cars. Ironically, this segment was a pivotal part of the brand's success in the 1980s and '90s thanks to the Integra, but Acura completely abandoned the genre when it killed off the RSX coupe in 2006. The addition of the ILX not only gives Acura a competitive small car again, it also drops the brand's entry price by almost $5,000.