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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.

Acura Precision Cockpit Concept is much more than a digital gauge cluster

Audi Virtual Cockpit is one of the single best pieces of technology on the market, bar none. It blends beautiful graphics, easy interaction, and loads of information in a way that similar all-digital gauge clusters from brands like Jaguar, Land Rover, and Cadillac can't match. Other brands might not stand even with Audi, but Acura is certainly going to try. The company is demonstrating its efforts at the 2016 Los Angeles Auto Show with the new Precision Cockpit. Like Audi, JLR, and Cadillac, Acura is using a 12.3-inch display in place of a traditional set of gauges that changes color schemes and animations based on the driving mode. A prominent central display joins the digital IP and features what looks like an evolution of the company's current infotainment software. But rather than a knob and dial or physical buttons, Acura is taking a page out of Lexus' book, using a touchpad to control the center display. View 7 Photos But before we lament the touchpad too much, it's worth pointing out how Acura says its arrangement is different. Using something called "absolute positioning," the touchpad behaves more like an actual touchscreen – tap a corner on the pad and whatever's in the same corner of the display responds. In that way, it sounds like Acura is trying to marry a touchscreen with a more ergonomically comfortable interface. Color us curious. Precision Cockpit also stands apart in how Acura optimized it, designing the system with semi-autonomous driving in mind. The company went as far as to use a real-time 3D graphics engine to display what the vehicle's sensors "see" inside the instrument cluster. There's even an advanced vision mode that allegedly shows "cars, pedestrians, cyclists, and other objects – even those obscured from vision – using artificial intelligence to predict future pathways." While Acura is calling Precision Cockpit a concept, the company confirmed in its official release that the Android-based system "will power future production cars." If it comes with all the tech Acura's promoting here, Precision Cockpit stands to be a significant step forward in the digitization of car interiors. Related Video: News Source: AcuraImage Credit: Acura LA Auto Show Acura Technology Emerging Technologies Infotainment Concept Cars Videos Original Video

Weekly Recap: Chrysler forges ahead with new name, same mission

Chrysler is history. Sort of. The 89-year-old automaker was absorbed into the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles conglomerate that officially launched this fall, and now the local operations will no longer use the Chrysler Group name. Instead, it's FCA US LLC. Catchy, eh? Here's what it means: The sign outside Chrysler's Auburn Hills, MI, headquarters says FCA (which it already did) and obviously, all official documents use the new name, rather than Chrysler. That's about it. The executives, brands and location of the headquarters aren't changing. You'll still be able to buy a Chrysler 200. It's just made by FCA US LLC. This reinforces that FCA is one company going forward – the seventh largest automaker in the world – not a Fiat-Chrysler dual kingdom. While the move is symbolic, it is a conflicting moment for Detroiters, though nothing is really changing. Chrysler has been owned by someone else (Daimler, Cerberus) for the better part of two decades, but it still seemed like it was Chrysler in the traditional sense: A Big 3 automaker in Detroit. Now, it's clearly the US division of a multinational industrial empire; that's good thing for its future stability, but bittersweet nonetheless. Undoubtedly, it's an emotion that's also being felt at Fiat's Turin, Italy, headquarters as the company will no longer officially be called Fiat there. Digest that for a moment. What began in 1899 as the Societa Anonima Fabbrica Italiana di Automobili Torino – or FIAT – is now FCA Italy SpA. In a statement, FCA said the move "is intended to emphasize the fact that all group companies worldwide are part of a single organization." The new names are the latest changes orchestrated by CEO Sergio Marchionne, who continues to makeover FCA as an international automaker that has ties to its heritage – but isn't tied down by it. Everything from the planned spinoff of Ferrari, a new FCA headquarters in London and the pending demise of the Dodge Grand Caravan in 2016 has shown that the company is willing to move quickly, even if it's controversial. While renaming the United States and Italian divisions were the moves most likely to spur controversy, FCA said other regions across the globe will undergo similar name changes this year. Despite the mixed emotions, it's worth noting: The name of the merged company that oversees all of these far-flung units is Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. Obviously the Chrysler corporate name isn't completely history.