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Honda and Acura electric crossovers will be built by General Motors

General Motors will partially offset the cost of developing electric technology by manufacturing battery-powered cars for Honda and Acura, according to an unverified report. Ultium battery technology is at the center of the deal. Without citing sources, industry trade journal Automotive News wrote that Honda has agreed to enlist rival-turned-partner General Motors as one of its EV suppliers during the first half of the 2020s. The factory that currently builds Chevrolet's Blazer and Equinox in Ramos Arizpe, Mexico, will begin manufacturing a Honda crossover in 2023, meaning it likely won't arrive until the 2024 model year. On the other side of the border, the former Saturn plant in Spring Hill, Tennessee, will churn out an Acura crossover beginning in 2024, about two years after it starts making the Cadillac Lyriq. Neither model has been revealed, and Honda hasn't commented on the report. Insiders familiar with the contents of the firm's product pipeline told Automotive News that both crossovers will be about as big as the Lyriq (pictured), which will be close in size to the 190-inch long XT5. Power for the two models will come from the Ultium battery technology that General Motors is developing for over a dozen electric cars, including the GMC Hummer and a Chevrolet-badged pickup we might discover next week during CES 2021. Both EVs will be built by General Motors, and they'll be powered by General Motors-developed technology (some will even receive OnStar and the hands-free Super Cruise driver assistance system), but everything motorists see and touch will be Honda- or Acura-specific. We're not expecting that the tie-up will spawn a pair of blandly badge-engineered crossovers; stylists will likely give each one its own design identity inside and out. Honda had previously confirmed plans to build at least two electric models on General Motors bones, and it announced that its American partner would also handle manufacturing, but this is the first time executives are throwing Acura onto the stage. What remains to be seen — assuming the report is accurate — is whether the Lyriq will compete directly against its Acura-branded sister model, or if they'll be positioned in different segments. Related video: Featured Gallery Cadillac Lyriq show car Green Acura Honda Electric

Acura NSX production car headed for Detroit debut?

Auto Express is reporting that Honda is set to unveil the production version of its upcoming Acura NSX at the 2013 Detroit Auto Show. The news comes courtesy of an unnamed "top exec" for Honda Brazil speaking at the Sao Paulo Motor Show. The concept version of the Japanese supercar is currently on display there. Interestingly enough, the same unnamed source claims the production iteration will remain aesthetically identical to the show car. You won't hear any qualms from us on that front.
Of course, the timing of the production debut is a little confusing. For starters, when Acura unveiled the concept last year, the company told the world it would be at least three years before production began. That would give the street-worthy model a 2014 or 2015 designation, the latter being cited more often in media accounts. Thus, we'll keep an eye out for the hybrid supercar in Motown, but we're going to stop short of holding our breath... it might be a while.

Honda sending two NSX racers and new EV concept to Pikes Peak

Honda is always good for a few interesting Pikes Peak entries. In 2015, Acura supplied a 2017 NSX prototype for pace-car duty. This time around, two NSXes will compete alongside a reconfigured version of the company's four-motor electric racecar. Those aren't the 2016 entries above. The one on the right is last year's pace car and the one on the left is a first-gen NSX that did the hillclimb the past few years. The 2016 cars haven't been unveiled yet, but we know that one will be in the Time Attack 2 Production class, which is mostly stock with the addition of items like a roll cage, and the other will be in Time Attack 1. TA 1 allows modifications to the powertrain, additional aero aids, suspension changes, and other tweaks, so expect to see a lot more power and a big wing on the back. The cars will be driven by James and Nick Robinson, brothers who work for Honda R&D in Ohio. Honda will use a version of the four-motor electric powertrain from its 2015 CR-Z Exhibition class entry in a new EV. (We got to drive a non-race tune of this setup in Japan last year.) The 2016 version, which will wear a different body, moves to the Electric - Electric Modified class of last year's frontrunners. We're told this car is aiming for an overall win at the 2016 race; the CR-Z took 11th place overall in 2015. The EV will again be driven by Tetsuya Yamano, a Japanese Super GT driver. Oh, and there will of course be a factory entry or two from Honda's Powersports division. Honda engineer Keith Steidl will ride a 2015 TRX1000 ATV in the Pikes Peak Challenge - Exhibition Powersport class. In the past, Honda has fielded plenty of other neat stuff in the Race to the Clouds. In 2012, it ran an NSX fitted with a twin-turbo V6 from an LMP2 car, and the 2013 race saw the very practical 532-horsepower turbocharged Odyssey minivan join the Exhibition class. The 2016 race marks the Pikes Peak hillclimb's 100th anniversary (but not the 101st running since competition took some breaks back in wartime). We're looking forward to June already. Related Video: Image Credit: Honda Green Motorsports Acura Honda Electric Hybrid Racing Vehicles pikes peak exclusive