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2021 Acura TLX Type-S to be powered by 355-horsepower V6

The 2021 Acura TLX Type-S is on track to deliver 355 horsepower, Honda's luxury subsidiary said Thursday, floating the power figure in an announcement that a prototype of its new sport sedan will serve as the pace car for the 2020 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb on August 30. The 3.0-liter V6 will also boast 354 pound-feet of torque, Acura said. These figures put it in the heart of the midsize performance sedan category, alongside the likes of the Cadillac CT5-V (360 horsepower) and Audi S4 (349 horsepower); BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Infiniti all offer more. The 2021 TLX sits on a new, stiffer platform and marks the return of a double-wishbone front suspension.  2021 Acura TLX to Make Racing Debut at Pikes Peak International Hill Climb "Racing is a key expression of Acura’s Precision Crafted Performance DNA. For the past nine years, Acura has utilized the grueling Pikes Peak hill climb as an opportunity to grow the skills of the companyÂ’s young engineers and as a test bed for future performance technologies in Acura production vehicles. The Acura Pikes Peak race team is comprised of a group of volunteer R&D engineers and is responsible for all aspects of the competition, including the development of vehicles, race prep, crew support and navigating race cars to the finish line," Acura's announcement said.  Acura will field two TLX race cars in the Exhibition class at Pikes Peak. Both will be powered by the base, 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder. Based on the company's announcement, it appears that one will be front-wheel drive and the other equipped with Acura's Super Handling All-Wheel Drive (SH-AWD), which is standard on the Type S. This engine makes 272 hp in street tune, but the race cars have received upgrades. The SH-AWD model boasts a larger turbocharger and intercooler for additional power, while the front-wheel-drive model received a milder tune and some suspension tweaks. A Time Attack NSX piloted by James Robinson will accompany the sedans. The Type-S will serve only as a pace vehicle, not a competitive entry.  Related Video:

Acura preps ILX for endurance racing challenge

Acura has used the occasion of this year's SEMA show to unveil a 2013 ILX that is remarkably different from the road-going car that we are familiar with. A far distance from the rather mildly performing street car, this ILX Endurance Racer is actually prepped to race at the grueling 25 Hours of Thunderhill in Willows, California.
The ILX racers (Team Honda Research has prepped two of them for the race) have actually each been constructed using two donor ILX sedans: one body-in-white chassis and one full production-spec car that donates powertrain, interior and electronic components. Overall, increasing the performance of the car was done mostly through extensive weight reduction rather than bumps in power. No figures have been given for the output of the ILX's K24Z7 engine, though we are told that a custom intake and exhaust have been fitted, as well as a racing flywheel.
A prominent LED lighting system dominates the front fascia of the ILX, along with a huge front splitter, while a massive wing speaks to the intentions of the car.

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.