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Acura Type S Concept looks even better in the Monterey sun

A few days ago, Acura showed its Type S Concept in an album of dramatically lit press photos. It is our extreme pleasure to report that the Acura Type S Concept on display at The Quail, with no shadows nor Photoshop to hide in, is even more pleasing to the eye than it was in those photographs. This is the sedan the brand said "sets the stage for re-introducing Type S performance variants to the Acura line-up after a decade hiatus, and will heavily influence the character of the upcoming, second-generation TLX Type S." Our hope is that the phrase "heavily influence the character of" is code for the word "be," and Acura's simply not ready to admit it yet. From the new rectangular "Jewel Eye" LED headlights to the front fascia that could double as an Orc weapon, the flanks with a pentathlete's balance of muscle and leanness, those Halo beam rifle taillights, and the mortar-launcher quad-pipes, this concept is the bee's knees. Acura calls the design language "Chicane," and this expression of it is everything a fan wants to see from the brand. The Double Apex Blue Pearl paint, forged carbon accents, and functional vents only make the sculpture better. We're promised two new Type S offerings in the next two years, an RDX Type S presumed to follow the TLX version. They can't come soon enough. We encourage you to check out the gallery and enjoy every angle of the preview for Acura's coming attractions.

2023 Acura TLX adds a couple of service amenities, price increases

The Acura TLX busted out an all-new second generation for the 2021 model year, one-upping that with a TLX Type S, and ringing the bell with the TLX Type S PMC Edition for the 2023 model year. With the fireworks still echoing from all that, 2023 will be an otherwise quiet year for the sedan range. The upgrades are service oriented, the automaker throwing in three years of AcuraLink and the Security and Remote packages free. The Remote Package can speak directly to the car with commands like remote start and stop or lock and unlock, or owners can give the car commands through Amazon Alexa Auto. Alerts like Find My Car and Stolen Vehicle Locator can keep tabs on the car's location, worried parents can keep tabs on teens with features like Geofence Alert and Speed Alert. The Security Package handles matters like crash notifications, calls to emergency services, and roadside assistance. Acura's also added its Maintenance Package to the stock offering. This gets two years or 24,000 miles of scheduled maintenance like oil changes and tire rotations. Any remaining balance can be transferred to a new owner if the car is sold before the time or mileage limits are reached. Finally, it's not mentioned in the press release, but the 2.0T in base spec with SH-AWD and the 2.0T with the Technology Pack and SH-AWD are missing from the 2023 price list. That leaves eight models in the range thanks to the addition of the PMC Edition.  Prices for the holdovers are up, surprise, surprise. MSRPs for the 2023 TLX range, including the $1,095 destination charge for the standard sedans and the $1,995 destination charge for the PMC Edition, and the changes from 2022, are: TLX 2.0T: $40,745 ($750) TLX 2.0T Technology Pack: $44,745 ($750) TLX 2.0T A-Spec Pack: $47,495 ($750) TLX 2.0T A-Spec Pack SH-AWD: $49,695 ($750) TLX 2.0T Advanced Pack SH-AWD: $51,945 ($950) TLX 3.0T Type S SH-AWD: $56,445 ($1,650) TLX 3.0T Type S SH-AWD with Performance Wheels and Tires: $57,245 ($1,650) TLX 3.0T Type S SH-AWD PMC Edition: $63,995

Acura files for Integra Type S trademark

It's only been a couple of weeks since Acura dropped the news bomb that it was bringing back the Integra. In that time, though, the company has quickly applied to trademark the name "Integra Type S" with the US Patent and Trademark Office. The filing, discovered by CarBuzz, was submitted on Aug. 20, a little less than a week after the Integra revival was announced. Curiously, it's under the category of "Apparel and headwear, namely, caps, hats, T-shirts, shirts, sweatshirts, knit shirts, polo shirts, jackets and vests," rather than automobiles.   It seems unlikely, though, that Acura would trademark Integra Type S for shirts and hats if it didn't plan on building a car to go along with it. So the Integra may come in standard and hotted up versions. The last time Acura offered an Type S in North America, it wasn't officially called that. During Acura's switch to an alphanumeric naming convention, the Integra name was dropped in favor of RSX, built from 2002-06. There, the Type S moniker, while not as hard-core as the previous-generation Integra Type R, still meant a considerable bump in performance. Regular RSX models had 160 horsepower, but the RSX Type S cranked out 200 to 210, depending on the year. The Type S was also available exclusively with a manual transmission, and had improved suspension and brakes. While a similar improvement in hardware would be more than welcome on an Integra Type S, we don't want to get too excited over what could just be a logo on a T-shirt. The wouldn't be the first time in recent memory a carmaker trademarked a familiar name for swag. Earlier this year Nissan trademarked Fairlady Z — the original name for the Nissan Z-car — for usage on anything from cuff links to wall clocks. Meanwhile, Ford stepped in and trademarked the name Skyline for the category of cars and trucks. So Acura should probably just go ahead and get the trademark for cars, even if it doesn't plan on offering it at all.