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Acura ILX Type S could get 300-hp turbo four

There's good news and bad news when it comes to the new Honda Civic Type R. The good news is that after more than a year of prototypes and concepts, the Japanese automaker's new hot hatch is about to make its production debut next month. The bad news is that it's not coming here, but there is a silver lining in even that dark rain cloud – namely, that Honda plans on slotting its 2.0-liter VTEC turbo four into something that it will actually offer Stateside. Earlier rumors suggested the US donor vehicle would also be a Civic, but the latest intel indicates it could be something different, albeit related. According to Car and Driver, which spoke recently with Acura product planning manager Gary Robinson, Honda's luxury division could be gearing up to shoehorn the engine into the recently updated ILX – which itself is based on the Civic. "Acura is always going to get the best engines Honda makes," said Robinson. "Obviously a 2.0-liter turbo is more of a must-have in the luxury world than it is in the mainstream" market, suggesting that an ILX Type S could be in the works with upwards of 300 horsepower. Getting it to fit, though, could prove a rather large challenge – and could mean the engine swap would have to wait until the next-generation model comes around. Considering that the ILX was just updated for 2016, C/D doesn't expect the full redesign to come until 2018 at the earliest. Here's hoping that if it takes that long, Honda will slot the engine into something else for US showrooms in the meantime. The revival of the Type S badge in and of itself, however, makes for an enticing prospect. The last time we saw it used was on the larger TL sedan, which upgraded the 3.2-liter V6 from the 225 horsepower to 260. Before that, the RSX jumped from 160 horsepower in the base model to 200 in the first Type S, 210 in the second and 217 in the ultimate Type R. As it stands, the new ILX (after dropping the hybrid and base 2.0 models, is powered exclusively by a 2.4-liter inline four with 201 hp on tap.

Acura NSX hybrid wins Time Attack 2 division at Pikes Peak

Acura sent three NSX supercars up the PIkes Peak Hill Climb and one of them - the TA2 that was a standard NSX with some additional safety equipment - beat out its competition in the Time Attack 2 class by over 11 seconds with a time of 10:28.820. Nick Robinson was the driver. This was not his first time atop the podium, as he won the PP250 motorcycle class last year. The EV concept NSX came in second in the Electric Modified class with a time of 9:06.015. That's good enough for third place overall. Acura says that the TA1 NSX - which had a lighter chassis and a modified racing exhaust – "also campaigned." Both the TA1 and TA2 NSX vehicles used the car's standard three-motor hybrid powertrain. Related Video: 2017 Acura NSX Supercar Claims Class Victory in North American Racing Debut at Pikes Peak International Hill Climb Jun 26, 2016 - PIKES PEAK, Colo. Acura NSX wins its North American racing debut by more than 11 seconds American-built NSX wins Time Attack 2 class at 100th running of the Broadmoor Pikes Peak International Hill Climb NSX-inspired Acura 4-Motor EV Concept finishes second in the Electric Modified Class The recently-launched 2017 Acura NSX claimed victory today in its North American racing competition debut, climbing the 14,115-foot pinnacle of Pikes Peak and clinching first place in the Time Attack 2 class at the 2016 Broadmoor Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, the 100th anniversary of the running of America's second oldest race. The production-based Acura NSX is powered by Acura's revolutionary three-motor Sport Hybrid Super-Handling All-Wheel Drive™ powertrain (Sport Hybrid SH-AWD®), the first electrified torque vectoring powertrain in the world of exotic sports cars. With added required safety equipment for competition, the NSX negotiated the 12.42-mile course in a time of 10:28.820 to win the Time Attack 2 class of the Broadmoor Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. Nick Robinson, North American R&D team member and engineer in charge of the next-generation supercar's dynamic performance, drove the production-based Acura NSX to victory. Nick is also the reigning PP250 winner from the 2015 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. "I'm incredibly happy to have won the Production Class with the new NSX!" Robinson reported.

Honda slowing US production due to ports dispute

The labor dispute that idled 29 ports on the West Coast last the weekend, including Los Angeles and Long Beach, CA, is about to make its effects felt on the showroom floor, according to Reuters. Honda, Toyota and Subaru have been trying to work around the labor disagreement, cutting overtime and airlifting parts to factories, but Honda says parts shortages at plants in Indiana, Ohio and Ontario, Canada, are now severe enough to impede production. The lack of transmissions and some electronic components will slow output of the Honda Accord, Civic, and CR-V – as well as unnamed Acuras. The three affected factories will rework their production schedules from Feb. 16-23. The ports have reopened this week, and US Labor Secretary Tom Perez has flown to San Francisco to mediate a new agreement between the 20,000 dockworkers represented by the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and the Pacific Maritime Association, which represents the terminals and shipping companies. Talks have been going on for almost nine months and the issues aren't settled; meanwhile, the West Coast ports that handle half the nation's maritime cargo and 70 percent of cargo from Asia are putting all kinds of industries on the ropes, and it's estimated to cost the economy $2 billion a day. Related Video: News Source: ReutersImage Credit: MARK RALSTON/AFP/Getty Images Government/Legal Plants/Manufacturing UAW/Unions Acura Honda Crossover Sedan