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Weekly Recap: Automakers rethink the definition of luxury

Variety is the spice of life, but it's becoming a prerequisite for luxury carmakers in the ultra-competitive US market. The Detroit Auto Show was strong evidence of this reality. It's not enough to offer attractive and well-appointed cars and SUVs anymore. Luxury brands that want to be competitive need to invest in everything from high-powered supercars to clever hybrids. To be relevant, you need to be green and mean – and everything in between. As General Motors product chief Mark Reuss said after the reveal of the 640-horsepower Cadillac CTS-V: "We are not leaving anything on the table." He was speaking for Cadillac, but he might as well have been speaking for the luxury car market. The CTS-V debuted in Detroit about an hour after Lexus surprised showgoers with the reveal of the RC F GT3 race car and then announced ambitious plans to return to competitive racing. That almost overshadowed the fact Lexus had just revealed another potent addition to its growing F line, the 467-hp GS F. View 20 Photos But for luxury brands, it's not just about maximum horsepower for well-heeled enthusiasts or decadent amenities for the Grey Poupon set. Strong competition from all corners has forced automakers to refine and expand their lineups in ways unforeseen even a few years ago. Case in point: Mercedes-Benz finally has an answer to the BMW X6, rolling out the GLE coupe in Detroit. The X6, which blends coupe-like styling cues with some of the functionality of an SUV, debuted in 2008. Back then it was a punchline, but seven years and more than 260,000 sales later, the X6's success has compelled Benz to respond. Mercedes – one of the strongest proponents of diesel technology – also debuted the C350 plug-in hybrid sedan, which promises a range of 20 miles on electricity, though fuel economy figures were not announced. The car pairs Mercedes' well-received 208-hp turbocharged four-cylinder with an electric motor for total output of 275 hp and 443 pound-feet of torque. Meanwhile, Infiniti will add the Q30 hatchback to its lineup by the end of the year, new president Roland Kruger reiterated in Detroit. It's expected to be joined by a crossover variant, and the additions will help strengthen Infiniti in the United States and abroad. "While we're expanding our product line, we're also expanding our market reach," he said. That's something echoed by Jaguar executives, who are preparing to launch the brand's first crossover, the F-Pace, in 2016.

Acura's GM-based electric crossover may be called ADX

Acura's version of Honda's General Motors-based electric crossover will inaugurate the ADX nameplate, according to a recent report. While nothing is official, the United States Patent and Trademark Office recently granted the Japanese company the rights to the name. Spotted by Car & Driver, the trademark application was filed by Honda on December 22, 2021, and approved three days later. Nothing suggests it's for a Honda, but a model called ADX would slot neatly into the Acura range, which also includes the MDX and the RDX. The filing asks more questions than it answers. What's an Acura ADX? One possibility is that the nameplate might appear on Acura's version of the Honda Prologue, which is due out for the 2024 model year. It will be based on a GM-designed platform, and it will be powered by the same Ultium battery technology found under the Cadillac Lyriq, among other EVs. We know it will spawn an Acura, too. It's important to note that nothing in the filing mentions an electric powertrain. Acura's range only includes two crossovers, which is far below the industry average (Lexus has five crossovers and SUVs; even Lincoln has four) so the ADX name could end up on a non-electric addition to the range. The line-up could grow in a number of directions and many of its dealers are asking for bigger and small people-movers. As we've said before, a patent or a trademark filing is not a guarantee that a feature or a nameplate will see the light that awaits at the end of a production line. Carmakers routinely protect their intellectual property to ensure that it doesn't end up in the hands of a rival. Although there's no such thing as an Acura ADX — at least not yet — the name falls in line with the company's naming system. Imagine the confusion that would ensue if, say, Lexus released a crossover called ADX that was aimed directly at the 355-horsepower Acura MDX Type S. Acura hasn't commented on the report, and it hasn't revealed what its Honda and General Motors-derived model will be called. Related video:

2025 Acura MDX Type S First Drive Review: Loss of a deal breaker is a game changer

MALIBU, Calif. – One of two things usually happens when testing a three-row SUV on a twisting mountain road. First, I wonder why I thought doing so was a good idea in the first place. Or, I end up saying, “Well, I guess that wasnÂ’t so bad.” Neither happened with the 2025 Acura MDX Type S, a three-row SUV that somehow feels perfectly happy and at home on the sort of roads that make competitors feel like elephants in a horse race. Placed into Sport or Sport+ modes, the latter of which is exclusive to the Type S, the air suspension lowers 15 mm, and the adaptive dampers tighten to the extent that body motions are just about as level as you could get without making the ride chattering. If anything, certain choppier bits of pavement made the suspensionÂ’s reduction of suppression and rebound too jostling and queasy, but selecting a softer ride setting in the Individual drive mode option corrected that. The steering displayed a spot-on amount of extra heft in the Sport modes, being pleasantly firm on center and through initial turn-in, but seeming to loosen ever-so-slightly up in slower, tighter corners and hairpins. ItÂ’s pleasurable driving the MDX Type S, but not a workout. The real star, as has been the case for nearly two decades of sporting Acuras, is the Super-Handling All-Wheel Drive system, now in its fourth generation. This torque-vectoring system can send up to 70% of available power to the rear axle, and then 100% of that to the outside rear wheel while turning. The result canÂ’t be missed. Brake hard with the fat Brembo brakes (they measure 14.3 inches up front and benefit from an electric servo that effectively makes them adaptive to the amount of effort applied to the pedal), turn in with the beautifully contoured sport steering wheel, feel the front end bite, and the rear end not only comes around, but does so with authority. Thanks to the more aggressive power distribution in Sport and Sport+, thereÂ’s even a whiff of oversteer at a few moments. Tremendous. “Makes it shrink around you” is a tired cliche, but it applies here. The MDX feels about 700 pounds lighter than its 4,776-pound curb weight would suggest. The engine is actually the least impressive element of the Type S, a 3.0-liter V6 with a single twin-scroll turbo good for 355 horsepower and 354 pound-feet of torque.