2010 Acura Sh-awd W/ Navi & Rearcam on 2040-cars

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Acura Integra to capstone combustion era as EV transition begins

The recent launch of the resurrected Integra nameplate is just part of a larger shift in mission at Acura. Its leaders have repeatedly said they want Acura to be the performance brand of Honda, where driving fun and dynamics come first. However, in a new report, Acura says it plans to go big on fully electric vehicles, at even greater speed than its parent company, by skipping the hybrid step altogether. According to Acura assistant VP of sales Emile Korkor, the Integra was a capstone to the internal combustion era at Acura. It marked a sort of homecoming to the marque's performance pedigree, and once Integra is launched, the brand will move forward with electrifying its lineup. The company's plans were revealed in an Automotive News interview, where Korkor said, "We're going to bypass hybrids altogether. So our shift is going very rapidly into BEV. That's our main focus." At first blush, that seems to be at odds with brand boss Jon Ikeda's public statements about Acura. As recently as a couple of weeks ago, Ikeda was saying that he wanted to take the Integra racing, as something of a mascot for the "fun" brand at Honda. Perhaps we've been desensitized to automakers making big proclamations about EV transitions a la Jaguar, Land Rover, Bentley, and Infiniti, but typically the green messaging has not been about performance in the traditional sense. Says Korkor, "We're not just dipping our toe in the water with electric at Acura, we are jumping all in. And that's not just because we need to. It's because we want to. Acura is really focused on performance, and electrification is one of the greatest ways we can augment that performance." While electrification and performance are not mutually exclusive, we have yet to drive an EV that connects to the road as beautifully as a 1990s Integra or NSX did. Acuras have never been about power and torque. Yet they were still compelling performance cars thanks to brilliant steering and driving dynamics. Then there's the issue of what Acura represents. Back in February, Ikeda said that Acura was purposefully holding off on an EV strategy because it needed to re-establish its performance bona fides. Now, Korkor says, "The benefit of returning to the Integra right now is that it's going to help shepherd a new generation of customers and build loyalty as we move into a new era." The problem is, the Integra alone isn't enough to establish that performance cred.

eBay Find of the Day: Ayrton Senna's 1993 Honda NSX

It's not often that things owned by the late Ayrton Senna come up for sale, but the seller of this black-on-black 1993 Honda NSX (aka, Acura NSX) eBay find claims it was once owned by the Formula One legend, and that he left a footprint on the factory carpet that can still be seen today. (Footprint, or vacuum lines?...)
NSX no. T000999 was given to Senna as a gift from his mentor and sponsor, Antonio de Almeida Braga, the seller claims, and it was stored at a palace near the Estoril F1 circuit in Portugal. He also was known to drive two other NSXs, a black one and a red one - the latter in which he was seen often.
The seller claims to have owned T000999, which is still in Portugal, for 17 years, and the 31,000-mile odometer indicates it was driven about 1,500 miles per year on average. Thankfully the car has been kept stock, so whoever buys it can enjoy driving it just as Senna did - that is, if the car actually is what it's claimed to be. If the story checks out, then this is one valuable NSX, which is reflected in the high minimum starting bid of 47,500 pounds ($73,620). There have been no bids at time of writing, but with nine days left in the auction, we'll be keeping our eyes on this one.

Acura will let you reserve a 2023 Integra starting next month

For anybody who is trying to get their hands on the 2023 Acura Integra right when it comes out, this one’s for you. Instead of a normal launch, Acura is launching the Integra with a reservation list.  YouÂ’ll be able to reserve and pre-order an Integra online starting March 10. Of course, the reservation process still fully involves dealerships, as Acura states, “reservations handled by participating dealers” at the bottom of its press release. Acura hasnÂ’t revealed production details or even shown us photos of the IntegraÂ’s interior yet, but since itÂ’s going to ask folks to reserve a car to buy, we suspect those details and photos will be coming soon. If you want a sneak peek, we got some photos of the partially-covered interior of the Integra Prototype. Pricing is just as vague as before, too, as Acura simply states that it “will start around $30,000.” The actual website where Acura directs you says “supply will be limited” of the Integra. In todayÂ’s market, that very well may be true. However, the base Integra has never been, nor do we expect it to be, a limited-availability model. ItÂ’s an entry-level, sporty hatchback that will eventually be widely available, even if a certain level of hype makes them thin on the ground upon initially launching. Basically, donÂ’t be fooled by the messaging. If you do want to reserve one, Acura has a sign-up on its website that will put you on a list to be notified the second the reservation site goes live. ThereÂ’s no suggestion that any deposit will be required to reserve a spot for now, but weÂ’ll be looking out for details on that closer to the launch of reservations on March 10. Related video: