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Acura built just 91 examples of the ILX last month, here's why

The short life of the Acura ILX has been vexed by one glaringly odd standard equipment choice, mediocre reviews, getting outsold by its competition as it posted slower-than-projected sales and a pledge by Honda to upgrade its supposedly upgraded offering. Therefore, when Automotive News reports that just 91 of the Civic-based Acura sedans were manufactured last month - after a string of production months in double-digits - it would be easy to press the button for the alarm bells.
But that would be hasty, because it is actually the 2013 Honda Civic that is crimping the production pipeline of the ILX. The vastly higher sales numbers of the Honda meant that all three North American plants that produce it needed to crank up output to satisfy dealer inventory needs, including the Greenburg, Indiana plant that makes both the Civic and the ILX. As the classic guns-vs-butter Economy 101 lesson taught us - in which making more of one necessarily means making less of the other - well, the Civic is the gun.
Honda prepared for this eventuality by cranking out the Acuras while it got ready for Civic production. The ILX has held steady at about 500 units shy of company projections every month, and the current inventory represents about 90 days worth of sales. That makes Greenburg's ostensibly low numbers in line with the realities of the ILX, and the situation probably won't change much as Acura gets ready for the improved 2014 ILX.

1997 Acura SLX gets 350 actual Acura horsepower for Radwood

For the Radwood Orange County, Calif., car show, a show themed around 1980s and 1990s cars, Acura is bringing a variety of its original models including a 1991 NSX and a 1986 Integra. The company is also bringing something obscure, a 1997 Acura SLX, the brand's first SUV, offered from model years 1996 to 1999. In some ways, it's something Acura might not want to highlight, since it's really a rebadged Isuzu Trooper, just as the original Honda Passport was a rebadged Isuzu Rodeo. But this SLX is special; it has real Acura power under the hood. The project was led by Acura engineers and Pikes Peak racing drivers James Robinson, Paul Hubers and Jordan Guitar, and the frame and body restoration as well as the powertrain swap was done entirely in-house at Honda R&D in Ohio, according to Acura rep Andrew Quillin. The team pulled out the original naturally aspirated 3.2-liter V6 that made just 190 horsepower and 188 pound-feet of torque, and dropped in a turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four from a new Acura RDX. That engine also received a new intake, exhaust, turbo and ECU tune, which brought power up to an estimated 350 horsepower and 340 pound-feet of torque, similar to the Graham Rahal Performance RDX. Not only that, but the old-school four-wheel-drive system and live rear axle were dropped in favor of the RDX's indpendent suspension and torque vectoring "Super Handling All-Wheel Drive." "Dropped in" is a mischaracterization, though, as Acura had to weld new subframes front and rear to the existing frame to get the transverse engine and modern suspension to fit. Acura was careful to keep the SLX looking as close to the original as possible. On the outside, Acura repainted the SLX in a modern red paint available on the RDX, but retained the champagne lower moldings. The stock wheels were replaced with 17-inch Fifteen52 wheels, but they have a very similar design and finish to the original wheels. A hard-shell spare tire cover was added, and a simple "SH-AWD" badge on the back is the only hint at what's under the body. The interior was restored at the company's L.A. design studio, where the upholstery was redone in a gray "gathered" leather like you would have seen when it was new. A bit of gray wood trim updates the interior slightly. The RDX's push-button starter and shifter buttons have been added to the center console, shift paddles behind the original steering wheel, and an aftermarket instrument cluster mounted to the steering column.

Honda to lead Rose Parade with hybrid tech

What are you doing New Year's Day? We're probably going to watch Urban Meyer's retirement bash the Rose Bowl, but we love a nice parade, too. To kick the day off, Honda will be leading the 130th Rose Parade with its own float, an Insight hybrid and an Acura RDX crossover. Not only will Honda be celebrating the new year, it'll also celebrate its 60th anniversary in the U.S. As such, the main float will be shaped like a 25-foot-tall birthday cake. And 60 band members from the historically black colleges and universities' marching bands — which recently took part in a battle of the bands sponsored by Honda — will represent the candles on the cake. It'll also be decorated to re-create the look of the automaker's first storefront in Los Angeles. The float will be called "Celebration of Dreams," a fitting title for a company whose founder Soichiro Honda famously said, "The day I stop dreaming is the day I die." (The first thing you see when entering the amazing Honda Collection Hall at Twin Ring Motegi is a large, circular glass sculpture with the word "Dream" and Soichiro Honda's signature). For the parade, the Honda Insight will serve as the official pace car, while the Acura RDX will play the role of sound car. The float itself will be propelled by a modified Honda hybrid powertrain. The main float will be flanked by five "satellite" floats, each representing facets of the company. These will include a Honda Super Cub motorbike; a floral representation of a 1975 Civic CVCC; a float with crash test dummies and an arch with five stars to represent safety; a Honda Accord, which is built in the U.S.; and a float incorporating elements from the HondaJet to represent the future. The Rose Parade broadcast begins bright and early at 8 a.m. Pacific on Jan. 1. Check out the rendering at the top of the page to get a sense of what to expect. Related Video: