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Acura may go all AWD in bid to mimic Subaru's success

Acura's struggles have been well publicized. The Honda-owned luxury brand doesn't seem sure of where it's going or what it's trying to accomplish, with its cars and marketing lacking a coherent theme. Now, a new report from Automotive News claims that the brand could follow the success of Subaru and (to a lesser extent) Audi, and adopt all-wheel-drive as standard across its model range.
"I think that's the way we should go," Acura boss Koichi Fukuo told Automotive News.
Acura already offers some form of all-wheel drive on every vehicle in its line aside from the lamentable ILX sedan. That could change as Acura begins rolling out next-generation versions of its still relatively new stable of sedans and crossovers.

2021 Acura TLX to revive Type S, get turbocharged V6

The 2021 Acura TLX will revive the sporty Type S model after a 10-year moratorium, and this time around, it's getting a turbocharged V6, further setting it apart from other sedans in the Honda corporate family.  Acura says the new TLX will draw heavily upon the styling shown on two of its recent concepts: the Precision, which was shown in 2016, and the Type S, which was shown last year. The evolution of the styling is obvious even from Acura's darkened teaser image, which depicts a slightly more curvaceous take on 2019's Type S while retaining most of the same key design elements, including the quad-outlet exhaust and pronounced underbody diffuser. Acura's announcement was otherwise very light on details, saying only that the 2021 TLX will be "...the quickest, best-handling and most well-appointed sport sedan in Acura history, with the Type S being the model’s performance pinnacle." Apart from the displacement (3.0 liters), we don't yet know anything about the turbocharged V6 that will be utilized in the Type S. It will be unique to this model at launch, however Acura's announcement describes this as the "first" implementation of this engine, implying that it will likely make its way under the hood of other Acura models down the line.  Autoblog reached out to inquire as to whether a manual transmission is under consideration for the Type S model; an Acura representative said only that the company is not yet ready to get into specifics on the 2021 TLX's features.  Acura will debut the new TLX online at its dedicated microsite on May 28 at 10 a.m. PDT (1 p.m. EDT). 

Acura organizes new business division to confront falling sedan sales

Honda and Acura North America have announced a major restructuring of operations in hopes of turning around Acura's flagging business. For 2013, sales for Acura's sedans dropped 10.4 percent, while its CUV sales grew by 21 percent. The newly formed Acura Business Planning Office will attempt to right the ship.
As part of the restructuring, Acura is promoting Erik Berkman from President of Honda R&D Americas to lead a new division called the Acura Business Planning Office. Berkman has been with Honda since 1982 and led development of the 2006 Accord. He was also the first US engineer to head North American research and development and has been head of Honda Performance Development since 2008. "Erik's appointment to the new Acura Business Planning Office is a clear indication of the high priority we place on Acura," said Honda spokesperson Jeffrey Smith to Automotive News.
American Honda Motor President and CEO Tetsuo Iwamura is also going to be working to improve the business. He has been elected chairman of American Honda's board, and has simultaneously taken the new position of Corporate Brand Officer to improve the management of the company's brands.