1998 Acura Integra Type R *genuine* 800hp Turbo 1500 Miles On Build on 2040-cars

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Did Acura just confirm it's working on an Integra successor?

The Acura Integra (pictured above in Type R trim) was one of the definitive vehicles of the Acura brand in the US, having joined the Legend at the marque's birth here. However, since the retirement of the RSX, the luxury arm of Honda has lacked a compact, sporty coupe to fill that niche. There appears to be a chance of that absence possibly coming to an end in the coming years, though.
Acura lead designer Dave Marek spoke to Car and Driver during the SEMA Show and said, "A performance brand needs a flagship and it needs an accessible sport car. Not a sports car, but a sport car." However, he also suggested that a new model wouldn't be spinning its tires too soon, at least not before 2017 by his indication.
While the vague possibility of a new sports coupe is still years away, Acura is taking its early steps in a brand revitalization campaign that includes spinning the luxury arm further away from Honda. The strong initial sales of the TLX are certainly a good start, but the work appears to just be beginning, according to Marek. "There are changes coming, and then there are more changes coming," he said to Car and Driver.

2023 Acura Integra production begins in Ohio

Acura has launched production of the 2023 Integra. The sedan is built in Marysville, Ohio, meaning it's made in America for the first time. Carmakers launch production of new models on a regular basis, it's what keeps our industry going, but Acura explained that preparing the Marysville plant and its staff to build the Integra was easier said than done. While the hatchback was unveiled online in March 2022, preparations started much earlier, and Acura had to juggle various COVID-related setbacks and restrictions in order to meet its deadline. The company explained that its production team relied on video-conference tools set up in the plant to stream trial production live, for example. They made design changes remotely, and Acura went as far as setting up a virtual teaching system to train its workers. Everything went according to plan, and the born-again Integra has started rolling off the line. It's built on the same assembly line as the bigger TLX. Acura dealers across the nation will begin receiving the 2023 Integra in June 2022. Pricing starts at $31,895 including a $1,095 destination charge. Interestingly, the base model and the mid-range A-Spec trim are exclusively offered with a continuously variable transmission (CVT); the only way to get a six-speed manual transmission is to select the range-topping A-Spec with Technology Package trim priced at $36,895. Regardless of trim, power comes from a 1.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine rated at 200 horsepower and 192 pound-feet of torque. Related video:

Honda delays JDM Legend over quality concerns

Honda has been having some quality issues lately, to say the least. Most of those have revolved around the airbags supplied by Takata, but not exclusively. The new Fit Hybrid, for example, has been subject to five consecutive recalls in the year since it launched. And now the Japanese automaker is reportedly delaying the launch of its new Legend sedan. The Legend, for those unfamiliar, is what Honda calls the Acura RLX in the Japanese Domestic Market – a model that has been subject to a handful of recalls in the United States, affecting components ranging from headlights to seatbelts to suspension bolts. Such quality control issues have prompted Honda to delay the introduction of its flagship sedan in its home market, pushing its arrival in Japanese showrooms back from the fall (when the model was revealed) initially to January 22 and now to February 20, according to the report from Bloomberg. The extra time is earmarked the give Honda engineers the opportunity to look into potential problems with the vehicle's radar safety system and its advanced hybrid powertrain, before introducing it to the local market. Hopefully further recalls can be avoided once deliveries have commenced.