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Acura to debut RLX sedan and ARX-05 racecar at Monterey

It's Monterey Car Week, culminating in the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, and Acura plans to stay busy throughout, with debuts of its redesigned RLX flagship sedan and ARX-5 prototype racecar at several venues. In advance of those two reveals, Acura released two teaser videos (shown above and below), for those of us who can't make it to Pebble Beach. We told you quite a lot about the RLX last week and about the ARX-5 just before that. Sales of the previous generation have been slow, but this redesign, from its new diamond pentagon grille on back, could rectify that. Acura kicks off the week Tuesday as exclusive automotive sponsor of the Carmel-By-The Sea Concours on the Avenue, in Carmel's Devendorf Park. That's where it will debut the 377-horsepower 2018 Acura RLX Sport Hybrid. The NSX, NXS GT3 racecar, MDX Sport Hybrid and redesigned 2018 TLX A-Spec sedan will also be on display. On Friday at The Quail, Acura will unveil the ARX-05 prototype and will again show off the rest of the lineup. On Saturday, the ARX-05 will join a display of historic Acura racecars at this year's Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion. And on Sunday, the ARX-05 will be featured on the lawn at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. Dave Marek, Acura's global creative director, will serve as a Pebble Beach guest judge. Related Video: Related Gallery 2018 Acura RLX View 11 Photos Image Credit: Acura Design/Style Motorsports Acura Coupe Luxury Racing Vehicles Sedan

Acura bringing near-production-ready concept sedan to Pebble Beach

Three years ago Acura turned many heads with the Precision concept. Said to be the future of Acura design language, the latest RDX crossover is the most full-bodied expression of the Precision Crafted Performance design language. The rest of the range has only gone as far as the Diamond Pentagon grille. That looks to change later this year, when Acura brings a near-production-ready four-door to Pebble Beach that's inspired by the Precision. Car and Driver, which got a peek into Acura's Southern California design studio, says the tea leaves "point to a new production Acura sedan in the Precision concept's gorgeous 'four-door coupe' form." Believing the Pebble display will be "a tribute to the best of Acura's past" and could presage a flagship to replace the RLX, C/D wonders if the carmaker won't reach into its deep past and resurrect the Legend name. That's seems a bit much, but we have only six months to wait. After that, the next-generation TLX sedan and MDX crossover will arrive, and are expected to wear Precision cues. Both are scheduled to make landfall at the end of this year or beginning of next year. Based on shapes bulging under taut covers, C/D says both will receive stretched front intakes and "hook-shaped, extruded taillights." A juiced TLX Type S with a ducktail spoiler appears to lurk in the near future, too. Eventually, the second coming of the ZDX crossover might get the nod as well. Acura sold the severely rakish crossover coupe from 2009 to 2013, well before crossover coupes had established themselves. Looking at what's happened in the past 10 years, the ZDX was either ahead of its time, or consumers only want diminished rear headroom from German crossovers; no Japanese luxury maker has yet put a sloped roof on one of its crossovers. That means if a new ZDX does come, it could be just as novel the second time as it was the first.Related Video:

Acura RLX gets chassis upgrades, AcuraWatch for 2016

As Acura's flagship sedan, it makes sense for the RLX be available with the brand's premiere technology. So for the 2016 model year, two trims of the luxury vehicle are getting the latest version of the AcuraWatch suite of safety tech. While the 310-horsepower, 3.5-liter V6 carries over, all trims of the 2016 RLX get an updated suspension tune with decreased spring rates and a less stiff rear stabilizer bar. The changes should provide a more plush, quieter ride inside. There's also a new color available called Acura Silver Metallic. When equipped with either Technology Package or the Advance Package, the 2016 RLX also gets a mix of cameras and radar to provide several safety luxuries that the brand wraps together as AcuraWatch. The system includes things like adaptive cruise control, collision mitigating braking and blind spot information. This improved version adds a Cross Traffic Monitor and Road Departure Mitigation. The latter aid watches the lines on the road to help keep the sedan in its lane. If RDM detects a possible accident, it can even provide steering and braking assistance. Furthermore, the Advance Package now receives Acura's Surround View Camera that places four cameras on the sedan to provide a 360-degree view when needed. The RLX's pricing remains the same from last year with the base version starting at $50,590, plus a $920 destination charge on all models. The Technology Package takes the price up to $54,450, and models with the Advance Package will run $60,450. 2016 Acura RLX Adds AcuraWatch™ and Other Enhancements to Elevate Premium Sophistication and Value AcuraWatch™ expands scope and content of safety and driver assistive technologies Chassis tuning enhances ride quality; 19-inch wheels with new bright finish standard on all trims Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) unchanged With the most comprehensive suite of safety and driver assistive technologies yet available on an Acura, the 2016 RLX luxury sedan goes on sale March 3 with manufacturer's suggested retail prices (MSRP) unchanged from the previous model year. This price hold represents a significant value, especially for the Technology package due to the addition of AcuraWatch™ and Advance package that includes the first U.S. application of Acura's Surround View Camera system3. Both RLX packages will also adopt the application of Road Departure Mitigation (RDM) and Cross Traffic Monitor.