W/tech Pkg 3.5l Nav Cd Awd Traction Control Stability Control Aluminum Wheels on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Performance cars overpower the Detroit Auto Show

At precisely the stroke of noon on Monday, the 2016 Acura NSX rolled on stage at the Detroit Auto Show amid plumes of smoke and dancing lights. The sounds of the powerful engine revving soared to the rafters. It was the second coming of Acura's iconic sports car, and the reveal had all of the expected trappings. Afterwards, champagne corks popped and the bubbly flowed. It was noon in Detroit, but for the green-car movement, it seemed like the clock had struck midnight. That's an exaggeration, but performance was the overwhelming theme of North America's most important show. Ford – which has helped lead the way in smaller displacement engines and early adoption of hybrid powertrains – had more than 1,500 horsepower on stage one point after it revealed the GT concept, the new F-150 Raptor and the Shelby Mustang GT350R. The NSX is technically a hybrid (it has three electric motors), but with 550-plus hp, there's no doubt this Acura was bred on the track. The theme continued throughout the show at nearly every stand. Alfa Romeo showed off the 4C Spider, which is the open-air version of a car that purports to be the spiritual successor of the high-performance 33 Stradale from 1967. On Tuesday, Cadillac is scheduled to reveal the 640-hp CTS-V with the V8 transplanted from the Corvette Z06, and the Lexus was expected to roll out its own V8-powered beast, the 467-hp GS F. For enthusiasts – especially enthusiasts with money – these are halcyon days. But make no mistake, all of this power has a purpose. Ford product chief Raj Nair said the Blue Oval uses high performance cars to develop technologies, like aerodynamics and materials, which are then shared across its lineup. "It's another proof point about how serious we are in developing innovation through performance," he said. Ford, which is rolling out at least 12 performance cars by 2020, said the sporty cars attract younger and more influential buyers to its fold, which can help burnish its image beyond adding sales volume. Toyota is taking a similar approach, senior vice president Bob Carter said, noting the Lexus RC coupe draws people into showrooms and gets them excited about the brand, even if they don't end up buying one. "They provide an aspiration and a halo that provides the attention that gets you noticed in a cluttered market," he said.

2022 Acura MDX spy photos show more athletic, TLX-inspired body

Acura's first in-house crossover/SUV is finally ready for another full redesign, and these latest spy photos give us our best look yet. This 2022 Acura MDX was caught by one of our spy photographers with bare minimum vinyl wrap camouflage. As such, we can tell that the new model will be quite a bit more athletic and share many styling cues with the recently revealed TLX sedan. Starting from the front, the MDX features the pentagonal grille from the TLX. While the outgoing version has a similar grille, this one is wider and flatter. It also has headlights that fit with the grille better, adopting a more angular, slimmer shape compared to the old MDX. The grille and headlights sit higher in the front fascia, too. Combined with what looks like a longer nose, the new MDX has a more proud, upright look versus the slumped, slightly minivan-esque design of the current model. Moving around the MDX, we can make out beefier fenders that give the new crossover a wide, sporty stance. The roofline looks a bit lower than the current MDX, furthering the sportier appearance. The rear quarter window also sweeps upward now. This echoes the window line of the TLX. The rear of the MDX is the least interesting, but it still borrows from the TLX. The taillights and the squared-off exhaust tips look just like those of the sedan. Otherwise, the MDX has a fairly generic hatch. Considering how close to production this prototype is, and a leaked Acura product road map, we're expecting the MDX to be fully revealed during this year's auto show season (whatever that may be), so sometime in the fall or winter. We suspect its powertrain lineup will mirror that of the TLX with a 272-horsepower turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder as the base engine, and a Type S version (confirmed by the aforementioned road map) will get a turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 making 355 horsepower. A hybrid model will probably be available eventually, too, but possibly not at launch. Versions powering the front or all four wheels will certainly be available, with the latter using the SH-AWD system Acura has become known for. Related Video:

Honda CEO says we shouldn't expect any new sports cars

It wasn't so long ago that Honda was known for its sporty two-door models, with models ranging from the Civic del Sol to the Prelude and from the Acura Integra and RSX to the Honda S2000. But look at its range today and all you'll see are the Civic and Accord coupes. Honda has essentially let competitors like the Scion FR-S/Subaru BRZ and Nissan 370Z take the place it once claimed as its own. But if you were hoping Honda would fight back with a new coupe or convertible of its own, we're afraid you're going to have to downgrade those hopes to pipe dreams.
While in Japan ahead of the Tokyo Motor Show, Autoblog had a chance to sit down with American Honda CEO Tetsuo Iwamura (pictured at right). When we asked about the potential for a new sports coupe or convertible in the Honda or Acura lineup, he pointed to the current Civic and Accord coupes - not to mention the upcoming new NSX - but said that Honda has no replacement for any of the aforementioned models (or a rival for the FR-S or 370Z) in the pipeline, saying only that the company is monitoring potential demand.
What Iwamura-san did note was that he's a personal fan of the new S660 roadster (pictured above) set to be unveiled tomorrow, and he is pushing (or at least hoping) that it will come to North America. Given that he's head of both Honda's American office and its global automobile operations, one might think that the only person he would have to persuade is himself (well... himself, and potential buyers), but the sporty droptop looks to be about kei-sized, which sadly suggests that it may be too small for American tastes and perhaps not designed with US crash-test standards in mind anyway.