The new Acura TLX luxury sports saloon has been unveiled in prototype form at the Detroit motor show.
The car – described by Mike Accavitti, senior vice president of American Honda, as "the next step in our plan to progress the brand" – is a flagship model in its saloon line-up. The production version of the TLX will be available with a choice of two powertrains: a 2.4-litre four-cylinder V-TEC engine mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission or a 3.5-litre V6 paired with a nine-speed automatic transmission.
The V6 engine will be offered with either two-wheel drive or the latest iteration of Acura's Super-Handling All-Wheel Drive system with torque vectoring. The car will also have all-wheel steer technology. No official performance figures were forthcoming during the launch.
"We have never put so much technology into one car before," said Accavitti. "The Acura TLX will deliver an unbelievable dynamic experience. It will combine luxurious comfort, advanced tech and stunning performance."
Acura did not show off the interior of the car during the official reveal, but it is promising class-leading interior space. The production version is expected to arrive in the middle of 2014.
Acura also unveiled a racing version of the TLX that will hit the track before the production variant. The car is powered by a twin-turbo version of the four-cylinder engine. It will be raced by Realtime Racing owner/driver Peter Cunningham in the GT category of the Pirelli World Challenge.
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Abandoned another set of buyers
By the way, the transmission in the 4-cyl is a DCT with a torque converter which locks up after take-off apparently. I assume it will have an auto-shift mode(?) but it's not strictly speaking an automatic transmission.
Numberplate surround - ?
The rear numberplate surround
Previously "European" Accords have been sold as Acuras, basically same car but with Acura badges and US spec sidemarkers etc.
With the current Accord not selling well due to the high price, there are rumours that the Accord is to be axed in Europe.
However, if they could source an Accord from somewhere more cost effective, they might continue on....
So a numberplate recess on an Acura suddenly becomes interesting...
(Compare to the US-shaped US-market Accord bootlid...)
That is a quite remarkable