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2019 Acura RDX compact crossover goes into production in Ohio

Acura has kicked off production of the all-new 2019 RDX, capping a $54 million investment in new technologies and processes at its plant in East Liberty, Ohio, where the compact crossover will be built. It goes on sale starting in June, though prices are yet to be announced. The RDX is Acura's best-selling model, and the 2019 model was designed and developed in the U.S. for the first time. Acura says it's the first in a new generation of vehicles based on its Precision Crafted Performance brand direction, which is based on the Precision Concept and Precision Cockpit concepts from 2016. Honda's investment in its East Liberty Auto Plant brought two firsts for a mass-produced Acura: a new roller hemming process for the crossover's large panoramic sliding moonroof and the use of high-performance structural adhesives to increase body rigidity. It also gets a new multi-layer paint system to handle the new premium exterior color options. The RDX is powered by a 2.0-liter four-cylinder VTEC Turbo engine built in nearby Anna, Ohio. It makes 272 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque and is paired with Acura's 10-speed automatic, made at the company's transmission plant in Tallapoosa, Ga. Also notable is the "Super Handling All-Wheel Drive" system, which shifts more power to the rear axle to improve handling. It also gets a new, lightweight Acura-only platform that stiffens the body and adds more interior room and cargo space. Acura is also debuting a new True Touchpad Interface in the RDX that offers a unique one-to-one position with the 10.2-inch center display screen that works a little differently than a traditional cursor interface. You can read our review of it here. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2019 Acura RDX production Image Credit: Acura Plants/Manufacturing Acura Crossover acura rdx

Acura NSX GT3 data 'will inform future iterations' of the street car

Motorsports programs exist to drive innovation in road vehicles, and that's precisely what's happening at Honda. Acura NSX development boss Nick Robinson told Autocar that the company's work on the GT3 racing variant is directly informing future development on the road car. "In North America, we've just unveiled the GT3 version of the car, and the development team of the street car has had some involvement in its development," Robinson said. "What works well on the track will inform future iterations and updates of the street car and vice versa." But Honda is a big company that does more than build cars. Robinson paid tribute to the impact his employer's well-known motorcycle program had on the NSX. Apparently, building stuff like the CBR helped Honda with the NSX's complicated packaging. "For many years our motorcycle development teams have strived to ensure the optimum centralization of mass, ensuring the lowest possible center of gravity," Robinson told Autocar. "This leads to the best possible yaw response." Is this all a sign that a long-rumored lighter, faster NSX, potentially wearing the vaunted Type R badge, will be especially track-focused? Maybe. Robinson's comments indicate that the company is doing something with the mountains of data it collects running a GT3 program. While a pure road-focused NSX-R successor seems like it'd be a waste of that data, an NSX-based rival to the Porsche 911 GT3 RS might make a lot more sense. Related Video: News Source: AutocarImage Credit: Brendan McDermid / Reuters Motorsports Rumormill Acura Honda Coupe Racing Vehicles Performance gt3

Acura NSX production delayed

Listeners of the Autoblog Podcast will be familiar with my opinions on the Acura NSX. While I love the idea of Acura building a halo car again, I've routinely joked on-air that the car will never, ever reach production and will continue being teased and previewed ad nauseam. So I'm chuckling at this news: the NSX is being delayed again. To be fair, while it sounds like a big deal – pushing the NSX back from model year 2016 to 2017 – this is a fairly minor delay in the grand scheme. Instead of starting production this fall, as previously announced, the new supercar will start rolling down the line at Honda's Marysville, OH factory in the spring. "Trial production" has already started, Honda says, while briefly acknowledging the delay in the attached press release. While Honda offered no reason for the delay in volume production, Automobile claims it's the fault of the move to fit two turbochargers to the V6, which was made midway through development. Fitting the two iron lungs meant rearranging the six-pot into a longitudinal layout. Here's hoping there are no further delays. Scroll on for a look at Honda's press release, which does its best to gloss over the NSX delay while talking about the company's new Performance Manufacturing Center in Marysville. Related Video: Performance Manufacturing Center: Precision Craftsmanship Aug 14, 2015 - CARMEL-BY-THE-SEA, Calif. The next-generation Acura NSX is produced at the new, dedicated Performance Manufacturing Center (PMC) in Marysville, Ohio, using domestic and globally sourced parts. With trial production already underway and production start-up scheduled for spring 2016, this world-class manufacturing facility employs groundbreaking techniques in weld, body construction, body painting, final assembly and quality confirmation to ensure the highest levels of precision and craftsmanship. More details on the unique and innovative manufacturing processes at the PMC will be rolled out over the months leading up to the start of production, but the following highlights of the new facility were shared during the 2015 Monterey Automotive Week: Innovative blend of people and technology: throughout the PMC, NSX production is centered around the skills of approximately 100 experienced engineers and technicians building the NSX to precise levels of quality and craftsmanship.