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Why the 2015 Detroit Auto Show will be the best since The Crisis

The Detroit Auto Show clearly has its swagger back, and the 2015 edition will be a veritable feast for the enthusiast senses. We're talking serious performance, and it will be exhibited in a variety of forms. Sports cars. Supercars. Muscle-bound luxury cars. They're all set for splashy debuts in January in the Motor City. It's another signpost that companies have recovered from the global economic crisis that gripped the industry from 2008-09. For a while, automakers played it safe at Detroit and other shows. Environmentally friendly cars were important, especially for General Motors and Chrysler that were living on loans from Uncle Sam. Ford, Toyota and other companies generally focused on their best-selling or core models. With a few notable exceptions, recent auto shows have been a bit more buttoned-down than in the past. Boring probably isn't the right word, but austerity has been reality. That's changing. Car companies are making money. Sales are up. Aside from the many nagging recalls – and they are notable – the industry now has the time and energy to make performance cars a priority. That will be offered in hard evidence in Detroit. A year from now when we look back at this auto show, we'll sum it up with one word: Horsepower. But make no mistake, this isn't frivolous. Sports and luxury cars are expensive. They're profitable. They boost images and highlight strengths. With that in mind, here are five significant performance-oriented reveals to watch for when the show kicks off in less than two weeks. 2016 Acura NSX Acura's reborn NSX is a strong bet to earn plenty of votes for our Editors' Choice awards. It's one of the most anticipated – and strung-out – reveals of the year. Think back: we actually saw an NSX concept at the 2012 Detroit show, and Acura has spent the last three years teasing the car in a variety of ways. The slow burn, however, means we know a lot about the NSX. It's will use a mid-mounted twin-turbo hybrid powertrain and run with all-wheel drive. It will also wear an innovative zirconium e-coat paint, a new paint process that Honda says is more environmentally friendly. Honda has also said it will build the new NSX in Ohio, where a large part of the car's development work has been done. The original NSX was produced from 1990-2005 and helped establish Acura's performance credentials in the United States. It was a landmark car and a shot across the bow of Ferrari, Lamborghini and others.

2014 Acura RLX gets trick hybrid all-wheel drive system for LA

Acura has endured a year of mixed reviews and middling sales for its new RLX flagship. Meanwhile, the Japanese automaker has been readying what may be the very best version of the car for its debut. Now the wait is almost over, as Acura will show its 2014 RLX Sport Hybrid SH-AWD at this year's LA Auto Show.
When it comes to dealerships in the spring of 2014, the RLX Hybrid will be the most powerful production car Acura has ever sold. The combination of a 3.5-liter V6 and three electric motors - a 35-kilowatt motor pushing torque to the front wheels and two 27-kW units feeding the rears - creates a total system output of 377 horsepower.
Those rear-end electric motors do more than just add power, they also drive the rear wheels without a traditional rear drive shaft and differential. This newest iteration of the Super Handling-All Wheel Drive calls upon the two rear motors to both drive and brake the rear wheels, vectoring torque in cornering situations for additional grip. All three electric motors make use of regenerative braking to feed electricity back into the system's 260-volt lithium-ion battery pack.

Acura spotted testing high-performance TLX sedan

Back in January at the Detroit Auto Show, Acura promised to dust off the old Type-S moniker to inject some much-needed performance credibility into its current line of sedans and crossovers. At the time, the Japanese luxury brand co-announced a new turbocharged V6 engine and said it would be paired with its Super Handling All-Wheel Drive (SH-AWD). Now, a new set of spy shots has us wondering if an Acura TLX Type-S is right around the corner. It's obvious that the TLX seen in these photos has been blessed with some performance goodies. Large-diameter wheels are shod with low-profile tires, and there's a good chance the suspension has been lowered to match. Most of the camouflage is focused on keeping the fascia and hood covered, which means there are probably some air intakes and bodywork bulges to keep hidden away from prying eyes. Below this prototype's grille is what very well could be an intercooler, which bolsters the notion that there's a turbocharged engine sitting under the hood. And at the rear, we get a very clear look at the car's dual exhaust system. What kind of performance should enthusiasts expect from the Acura TLX Type-S? We'll have to wait and see, but the vehicles accompanying this prototype on its testing runs might offer up some clues. An Audi S4 (354 horsepower) and a Mercedes-AMG C43 (362 hp) were along for the ride. Since that's the case, we'd expect more than 350 ponies if the TLX Type-S is going to compete on at least equal footing. Related Video: