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Acura ILX headed for Civic-like early upgrades

The not-yet-ready-for-primetime 2012 Honda Civic saw it quickly returned to sender for refurbishment, now the Acura ILX is headed in the same direction in its very first year. Automotive News reports that the small, Civic-based sedan from Honda's luxury brand isn't meeting sales expectations, with an annualized rate of 22,000 to 24,000 sales instead of the 30,000 the company is after. More telling is that the ILX "is being outsold by the Buick Verano, Volkswagen CC and Audi A4," and, except for two months since it launched, it has also been outdone by the Acura TSX it is meant to replace.
Part of the cause has been the 2.0-liter, four-cylinder engine: its 150 horsepower to motivate a sedan that can weigh up to 2,970 pounds doesn't offer the kind of performance or value experience that buyers in the segment respond to. Another big issue is that the top-level 2.4-liter engine is only offered with a six-speed manual even though most buyers of the highest trim don't really want to shift their own gears. Lastly, the ILX might not put enough space between it and its frugal underpinnings - our first drive review pegged it as "the world's nicest Honda Civic."
An automatic transmission is on the way for the 2.4-liter, but it isn't clear when. And while Honda admits that the 2.0-liter is underpowered and Automotive News says it's on the way out, the company hasn't yet said how that situation will be corrected.

2024 Acura Integra Type S is official, looks like a luxurious Civic Type R

Rumors have flown about an Acura Integra Type S since the Integra Prototype was revealed last year, and today, Acura confirms those rumors. The Integra Type S is real. It’s under development, and itÂ’s coming in summer 2023. Photos of a camouflaged test car are what we get for visuals right now, and it looks decidedly more aggressive than a regular Integra. The front end is completely different. Camo is hiding a hood bulge of sorts. On the side, much wider fenders play host to massive tires. Visually, it looks like itÂ’s rocking the same size wheel and tire setup as the new Civic Type R with its big 265-section-width tires. In the rear, the Type R wing is replaced by a subtle lip spoiler. Plus, the Integra gets an entirely different rear bumper with some diffuser vanes on either side. Framed by this lower valence is a tri-tip center-exit exhaust. YouÂ’ll notice that all three tips are the same size, unlike the Type R that has two smaller tips and one extra-large one. This suggests the Type S will get a unique exhaust system, similar to how the regular Integra has a unique exhaust versus the Civic Si. Details from Acura are thin, but suggest the Integra Type S will essentially be a Civic Type R thatÂ’s been given a dose of luxury in a new body. ItÂ’ll be powered by a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder that makes “over 300 horsepower.” This is surely the Type RÂ’s engine. A six-speed manual transmission is the exclusive shifting option, and just like the Type R, the Integra Type S is fitted with a limited-slip differential. Acura says it will provide “ultimate street performance and driver engagement.”  More details beyond the above will have to wait until a later date. Acura says the Type S is coming for the 2024 model year and set to go on sale in the summer of 2023. Related video:

2019 Acura NSX inner workings revealed in Shin Yoshikawa cutaway drawing

Artist Shin Yoshikawa is known for his intricate drawings of cars, which show every little detail under the metal skin in a cutaway fashion. The hand-drawn, pointillist pencil work re-creates the cars in immense detail, and Yoshikawa's work has been celebrated for years. Some time ago, Yoshikawa was featured on "Jay Leno's Garage," talking about his art and just how much work it is to draw the cars like he does. Now, Yoshikawa has been asked to draw the Acura NSX, and the result is fantastically good, showing everything that makes a new NSX tick — including its SH-AWD power unit. Yoshikawa says the powertrain made the NSX a real challenge to re-create on paper. "The NSX's innovative power unit was extremely challenging to draw, making the second-generation NSX the most difficult vehicle I have sketched," Yoshikawa said. "Everything comes down to the details. If you don't understand the technology that goes into building vehicles, you won't be able to build them, and you certainly can't draw them." It took Yoshikawa months of work and background research to be able to draw the final result. The amazing thing is that the car was "largely" drawn from notes and memory, showing how deeply Yoshikawa gets into his work. The NSX was also updated for 2019, after two model years. For next year it gets a new exterior color, Thermal Orange, and some structural improvements to make it stiffer and more responsive, says Acura.Related Video: Driving Iron Man's Favorite Supercar, The Acura NSX | Translogic 215