2001 Acura Mdx on 2040-cars

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Acura RDX Prototype to debut at 2018 Detroit Auto Show

Crossovers make money, plain and simple. Nearly every mainstream automaker sells or is planning to sell some sort of SUV. At the 2018 Detroit Auto Show, Acura will debut the third-generation RDX Prototype. This sleek concept isn't the final production version, but it is a good preview of what we'll see coming down the pipe from Honda's premium brand. Acura says this is the most extensive redesign in more than a decade, indicating that this is a ground-up redesign rather than an overhaul of the model that's been on sale since 2013. While the current model uses a 3.5-liter V6, the new RDX will likely use a turbocharged inline-four, just like the first-gen RDX. That 2007 model was a huge oddball in Honda's naturally aspirated lineup, though turbocharging is far more prevalent today. Look for a variant of Honda's 1.5-liter turbo-four under the hood and some variant of Acura's all-wheel drive system. The teaser video gives us a brief glimpse of the car, and there's more than a little TLX buried inside. Gone is the "beak," replace by the soon-to-be ubiquitous shield grille. All of Acura's current design was previewed with the Precision Concept that showed its face nearly two years ago. We don't have many other details, but we won't have to wait too much longer. Related Video: Design/Style Detroit Auto Show Acura Crossover SUV Luxury acura rdx

Honda reports $1.9 billion profit in first quarter despite sales lag at home

Ford, General Motors and Chrysler have been living in a world of sunshine and buttercups after their April-through-June financials hit the newswire, and Toyota is doing pretty good as well. Honda? Not so much.
While Japan's third-largest manufacturer saw $1.9 billion in profits, the 5.1-percent jump was lower than expected thanks to a drop in its home-market sales. US sales also took a sting, as Honda hasn't been able to match the SUV and truck demand that are currently permeating the American market, despite an uptick in Accord sales.
Honda's initial forecasts targeted a take of 209.3 billion yen ($2.1 billion at today's rates), and while a $200 million shortfall is nothing to sniff at, we'd hardly take this as Honda being in trouble. And even with the dip, Honda hasn't adjusted its forecast for the fiscal year, which remains at 780 billion yen ($7.9 billion).

Honda airbags are being stolen

The latest hot target for car thieves might just be the airbag mounted inside your steering wheel. And late-model Honda and Acura vehicles are a particularly hot target right now, for reasons not well understood. USA Today reports that criminals across the country are stealing airbags out of relatively new Honda models for apparent resale online or to black market repair shops. It's a trend that has caught the attention of law enforcement agencies in cities like Miami, New York City and Washington D.C. The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) estimates that around 50,000 airbags are stolen each year. In Miami-Dade County, thieves stole 875 airbags in 2017, up from just 13 in 2013, according to police records obtained by USA Today. In the Virginia suburbs outside Washington D.C., thieves recently smashed the windows of 10 Hondas at an apartment complex to steal the airbags. Second Lt. Jonathan Bryant told the local Fox affiliate that stolen Honda airbags often end up in chop shops and can command between $300 and $500 each. A quick search of eBay listings for Honda steering wheel airbags turns up results being sold for as high as $700, though most are listing for hundreds less than that. New replacement versions purchased from dealerships approach $1,000. Many dishonest repair shops install the stolen airbags as new and charge the owner or their insurer full price for the replacement, a version of insurance fraud. Last year, police in Coral Springs, Fla. published an alert on the neighborhood social networking site Nextdoor urging residents who own a Honda or Acura to park in a garage or well-lit area, "or if you have another vehicle, pull it as close to your driver's side door as possible," they wrote. "We have seen an increase in airbag thefts, primarily in Acura and Honda models," the posting added. "The suspect(s) often disarm the alarm by cutting the battery, punch the driver side door lock or smash the window. It is believed these criminals take approx. 5-10 minutes to steal the airbag." One theory for the apparent rise in airbag thefts is that a spate of airbag recalls in recent years — including the ongoing recall of nearly 50 million potentially explosive Takata airbag inflators that left suppliers scrambling to make new parts — may have boosted demand for replacements. Most of the vehicles involved are late-model Honda Civics and Accords, but it's not clear exactly why Honda is being targeted.