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Buy a new NSX and you can put the badges on as it rolls off the line in Ohio

Acura announced today that new NSX owners now have an opportunity to see their cars being built at the Performance Manufacturing Center (PMC) in Marysville, Ohio. At the starting price of $2,700, owners can participate in the "NSX Insider Experience" in which they'll tour the factory, as well as the Honda Heritage Center. The latter of which houses a HondaJet, an iteration of ASIMO, Honda's famous humanoid robot, and other pieces of Honda history. Owners on the tour also have the chance to talk with people on the assembly line about how it all comes together, and can even install the badges on their very own cars. If that's not enough, Honda offers a few other optional extras to make the trip special. They can add a tour of the factory in Anna, Ohio, where the NSX engines are made, as well as sign up for a performance driving experience in a new NSX. The driving portion is available in two- and four-hour sessions, and it takes place at the Transportation Research Center, which doubles as Acura's NSX proving grounds. Of course these extras will add to the cost, as will bringing guests. Honda even offers help with travel planning through Acura Concierge. The service can book your flight and other travel arrangements. It will also allow you to stay at the special NSX suite at the Joseph Hotel in Columbus, Ohio. Acura didn't go into detail as to what makes the suite specific to the NSX, but we're sure it's a nice place nonetheless. NSX owners interested in the program should check out the program's website, here. For people without the means to buy an NSX, you can still get a look into the factory by checking out our visit to the facility. Related Video: Featured Gallery Acura NSX Insider Experience Image Credit: Acura Green Plants/Manufacturing Acura Coupe Hybrid Supercars

Second-generation Acura TLX could inaugurate a turbocharged V6

The second-generation TLX will inaugurate a turbocharged V6 engine developed specifically for the Acura brand, according to a recent report. The six will power a range-topping, performance-oriented variant of the sedan. Honda's luxury division gave us a thinly-veiled preview of the next TLX when it introduced the Type S concept (pictured) at The Quail in 2019. While technical details were left out of the announcement, Car and Driver learned from sources familiar with the company's plans that the sedan will receive a new V6 whose displacement will likely check in at 3.0 liters. It will reportedly make over 300 horsepower thanks to at least one turbocharger. The 3.0-liter will replace the 290-horsepower 3.5-liter V6 available in the current-generation TLX. Several members of the Honda range also use the bigger six, it's notably found in the Ridgeline pickup, but none will receive its replacement; it's Acura-specific. Transmission options remain unconfirmed. C/D added the TLX will receive a turbocharged, 2.0-liter four-cylinder as its entry-level engine. It's related to the four that powers the Honda Accord, and it will spin the front wheels via a 10-speed automatic transmission. All-wheel drive will be offered at an extra cost. The sedan will ride on a new platform, and it will drive better than its predecessor regardless of cylinder count thanks in part to a comprehensively redesigned front suspension. Earlier spy shots depicting heavily-camouflaged test mules suggest the next TLX will look a lot like the Type S concept. It will take Acura's design language in a more evocative direction that will permeate the rest of the range in the coming years. Inside, motorists will find a touchpad-controlled infotainment system like the RDX's. Acura resorted to automotive omerta when asked to confirm or deny the rumors. The company simply told Autoblog it will introduce two new vehicles in the next 12 or so months and unveil a brand-exclusive turbocharged V6, which adds credibility to the report. We'll need to muster a little bit more patience to learn more. Related Video:     Featured Gallery Acura Type S Concept photos View 16 Photos Rumormill Acura Sedan

Acura Integra's racing hopes hinge on Honda

The 2023 Integra has mostly failed to create the stir from long-time enthusiasts that Acura had hoped it would. However, all is not lost; Acura could perhaps regain some street cred if they took the Integra racing, like they did with the Integras of the 80s and 90s. Brand head Jon Ikeda wants to take the 'Teg to the track, but it all depends on whether the leadership at the American Honda mothership permits it. "We want to race this thing, but maybe the Honda PR and marketing guys might have different ideas," Ikeda told Road & Track. That's because the Integra is largely a 2022 Civic Si with a hatchback form factor and new sheetmetal. Honda already sells a Civic Type R race car in several tunes for various classes in the TC America touring car series. That was based on previous-generation Civic, but in all likelihood will continue the program with the latest gen. A racing Integra, then, would seem redundant. On the other hand, Acura has been highly active in motorsports, from 24 Hours of Daytona-winning IMSA DPi prototypes to NSX GT3 race cars to Pikes Peak hill-climbers. Even Honda's F1 cars were re-branded with Acura livery at last month's U.S. Grand Prix in Austin. And it's not like the Integra doesn't have a long history in motorsports. The nameplate as competed in various North American series from SCCA Pro Rally to IMSA sedan to the Import Drag Racing Championships. Perhaps the most well-known Acura Integras to race, though, were Peter Cunningham's white and neon orange RealTime Racing Type Rs that dominated the SpeedVision World Challenge championships around Y2K. Ikeda has said before that he wants Acura to be the performance brand of Honda, and a rumored Integra Type S is in the works with a more potent engine, possibly a version of the upcoming Civic Type R's mill. "We're the performance division of Honda," Ikeda emphasized to R&T, "So we're not going to shy away from Honda, you know? We're going to just have a little bit more fun." While an admirable goal, the brand will struggle if it's merely the performance arm of Honda. It has to be about performance cars, period. That was part of Acura's magic in the 90s; it offered products that, while sharing components with Honda, were distinct and had their own personalities. The Integra was Civic-based, but it had noticeably better handling, more power, and unique design.