Are we finally going to get a replacement for the Acura Integra/RSX? You could see that Acura chief designer Dave Marek wanted to spill the beans here at the SEMA show about the plans for Honda’s long-floundering luxury brand, but he was prevented by the watchful presence of a company PR rep. All he was able to say was this: “A performance brand needs a flagship and it needs an accessible sport car. Not a sports car, but a sport car.”
As a hint, Acura used its SEMA stage to show a TLX sedan modified by Los Angeles–based Galpin Auto Sports with a body kit, lowered suspension, 19-inch wheels, and Wilwood six-piston-front/four-piston-rear brakes on 14-inch discs. The TLX is painted Andaro Blue, a vibrant hue that will be available on future production cars; the mid-size sedan, however, is not likely to set tuners on fire as did the Integra and the RSX.
“There are changes coming, and then there are more changes coming,” said Marek. The refreshed Acura ILX, which will debut at the L.A. auto show in mid-November, will hint at the sportier direction Acura wants to take its entry-level offerings. “It’s not what our direction is going to be, but it’s a step in that direction,” he said. Eventually Acura will expand its model portfolio from the current collection of sedans and crossovers. “There are lots of resources and activity going into making Acura back into what it was.”
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