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2024 Acura ZDX getting Google in its infotainment

Acura is joining a number of automakers (such as Polestar, Chevrolet and others) in integrating Google apps directly in its infotainment system, first on the 2024 ZDX electric SUV. The integration includes Google Maps, Google Assistant and other Google apps. Additionally, the infotainment will continue to support phone mirroring apps such as Apple CarPlay and Google's own Android Auto. Among those apps, perhaps the most useful will be Google Maps. The reason being that it will be able to plan routes that include charging stops and charging time estimates. In addition to the routing, Google Maps will be able to tell the car to start preconditioning the battery for the fastest possible charge times when going to a DC fast charger. Of course, other Google apps will let you sign in with your account so that you have access to them without connecting your phone. But fortunately, you can connect and mirror your phone. This is notable as the ZDX will be on the GM Ultium platform, like the Honda Prologue. And GM is removing Apple CarPlay and Android Auto support from its upcoming Ultium models. So if you do like those features and are interested in the Ultium electrics, you may want to consider the Acura and Honda models. Another interesting tidbit from the Acura infotainment announcement is the fact that the ZDX will feature a touchscreen for the infotainment system. Almost all of Acura's current gas-powered vehicles use an infotainment system built around a touchpad, which is the only way to interact with the system. The one exception so far has been the Integra, which simply lifted the Civic system wholesale. Acura didn't say if the touchpad would also be included in the ZDX, though the screenshot of the system seems touchscreen-focused. The ZDX is going on sale early next year, with a reveal presumably happening between now and then. As previously mentioned, it will be Ultium-based, and we're expecting it to be similar in size and performance to the Chevy Blazer EV. A high-performance Type S version will be offered, and we wouldn't be surprised if it gets something similar to the 557 horsepower of the Blazer EV SS. Related Video: Chevy Blazer EV SS makes 557 horsepower

The new Acura Integra was never meant to be a retro car

The new Acura Integra Prototype was never supposed to be a retro or nostalgic design process. It would be easy to assume it was, as Acura’s messaging leading up to the big reveal leaned heavily on the Integra nameplate's heritage. From the model name embossed in the bumpers, to videos of shifting the older modelÂ’s manual transmissions, Acura yanked fairly hard on our heartstrings. And then the cover came off last week, and while there are very subtle cues hinting at old Integras here and there, the new car doesnÂ’t look much like the old ones at all. Unlike designers of the new retro-tastic Nissan Z and Ford Bronco, Acura decided to create something altogether new and different. “So, admittedly, when we started planning this car, it was never to create a retro Integra,” Acura product planner, Jonathan Rivers, told Autoblog. “We actually looked at it from the viewpoint of say, if the Integra had never left the lineup, how would it have evolved? How would it have changed over the years? We think this is the result of that.” There was never going to be a two-door coupe model, because as Rivers points out to us, coupes just don't sell these days. However, sportbacks are popular — just look at the sheer number of them coming from Germany these days — and it suits the customers Acura is trying to capture with the Integra. “The target customer is a millennial with an active lifestyle, so they need space for their gear but they also want to have a great car to hit the canyon roads with every now and then,” Rivers says. “Once again, over the generations, the Integra is just that.” For any naysayers throwing their hands up about the Integra seemingly being a fancy Civic, we possess two points of refutation. One, thatÂ’s exactly what the Integra has always been. It was literally badged and sold as a Honda in many other countries, and its bones have always been Civic-based. ThatÂ’s the IntegraÂ’s history, and while Acura doesnÂ’t officially come out and say so, itÂ’s most certainly the same today. On the design front, maybe you think the photos make it look a little too close to the new 11th-gen Civic Hatchback? Well, pictures on the internet donÂ’t always tell the full story of a car design. “None of the sheetmetal is shared with either the four-door or the five-door Civic,” Rivers explains.

Acura recalls 7,387 new RLX sedans over suspension bolts

Acura has announced a recall for the 2014 RLX due to improperly tightened rear suspension bolts that could come loose and increase the risk of a crash. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has yet to formally issue a recall notice for the RLX, but Acura says that a total of 7,387 RLX sedans are affected, which seems to include markets outside of the US as there have only been 4,456 of the sedans sold through November.
While there isn't an official NHTSA statement, there is one complaint on the government agency's site for a similar incident that caused a driver to almost lose control of the vehicle. Recall notices will be mailed out to customers starting next month, but in the meantime, Acura has issued a press release, which is posted below, and includes contact information that will be useful for affected RLX owners.