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Acura TSX Sport Wagon on the way out?

With Acura widely expected to consolidate its TSX and TL sedans into one model line in the near future, the fate of the TSX Sport Wagon is unsurprisingly in doubt. The long-rumored one-for-two sedan replacement is said to be dubbed TLX, and will sit above the Honda Civic-derived ILX, a model that already encroaches on the TSX's pricing and size. According to Ward's Auto, Acura officials are refusing to confirm that today's TSX wagon - effectively a re-schnozzed European-market Accord estate - is facing extinction. Reading the tea leaves, however, things certainly don't look good - the European Accord itself is said to be on the bubble and may not be replaced.
The TSX Sport Wagon was brought to the US as a niche play for the 2011 model year, with Acura of Canada taking a pass on the bodystyle. Officials said at the time that it hoped to shift 4,000 units per annum, roughly a 10-percent sliver of US TSX sales. And while Acura doesn't normally break out the wagon in its sales reports, Autoblog was able to obtain the model's totals for the last two years: the company sold 3,210 Sport Wagons in 2011, improving to 4,234 units last year. The current 2013 model began trickling into showrooms in December, but some dealers are still looking to clear out remaining 2012 models at handsome discounts.

Acura Precision EV Concept teased ahead of Monterey reveal

Acura is getting ready to to unveil a new all-electric concept to showcase the brand's design language as it enters the age of electrification. A brief teaser video providing a glimpse of the car was released today accompanied by precious little information, but we can still glean a few tidbits. The name, Acura Precision EV Concept, offers the first clue. Acura has applied the name "Precision" to flagship concepts in the past. The stunning 2016 Precision Concept was also said to define a new design language for the brand. It became a template for cars like the RDX and MDX, but it most resembled the sharp-looking TLX sedan that debuted in 2020 for the 2021 model year. In the intervening years, luxury marques have become far more likely to introduce an electrified crossover as a flagship than an internal combustion sedan. The Precision EV concept seems to fit that mold. From the video, we can see that the vehicle will have a rather tall section of black cladding below the "grille" area, as well as some contouring above the wheel wells. This suggests it's quite likely an SUV rather than a low-slung sedan.  The would-be grille area now projects an illuminated Acura logo. The formerly high relief diamond shapes converging on the central emblem are now distinct lighting elements, with the same pattern repeated in a lower fog lamp areas on either side of the nose. Acura's signature jewel-eye headlights with chicane DRLs are now slimmer and wider, meeting the grille area at the inner points. So, what is it? Quite likely, we'll soon see a preview of Acura's upscale version of the Honda Prologue, an EV collab with General Motors. Riding on GM's Ultium battery platform that will underpin Cadillac Lyriq, Honda has announced that the Prologue will spawn an Acura as well. Finally, thanks to unearthed trademark filings, we are led to believe that it will be named the Acura ADX. Whatever it's called, it's not expected to hit the roads until the 2024 model year. That fits with the Precision EV Concept's August 18 unveiling at this month's Monterey Car Week festivities. Related video:

Acura ILX headed for Civic-like early upgrades

The not-yet-ready-for-primetime 2012 Honda Civic saw it quickly returned to sender for refurbishment, now the Acura ILX is headed in the same direction in its very first year. Automotive News reports that the small, Civic-based sedan from Honda's luxury brand isn't meeting sales expectations, with an annualized rate of 22,000 to 24,000 sales instead of the 30,000 the company is after. More telling is that the ILX "is being outsold by the Buick Verano, Volkswagen CC and Audi A4," and, except for two months since it launched, it has also been outdone by the Acura TSX it is meant to replace.
Part of the cause has been the 2.0-liter, four-cylinder engine: its 150 horsepower to motivate a sedan that can weigh up to 2,970 pounds doesn't offer the kind of performance or value experience that buyers in the segment respond to. Another big issue is that the top-level 2.4-liter engine is only offered with a six-speed manual even though most buyers of the highest trim don't really want to shift their own gears. Lastly, the ILX might not put enough space between it and its frugal underpinnings - our first drive review pegged it as "the world's nicest Honda Civic."
An automatic transmission is on the way for the 2.4-liter, but it isn't clear when. And while Honda admits that the 2.0-liter is underpowered and Automotive News says it's on the way out, the company hasn't yet said how that situation will be corrected.