1993 Acura Nsx on 2040-cars

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2013 Acura ILX 2.4

Going Mainstream Has Its Privileges
Acura's experiment with niche models has failed. Competing in the luxury car business by filling white space with product just didn't work for the Japanese automaker. In place of slow-selling models like its ZDX and quirky first-gen RDX, the mindset at Acura has recently switched to more conventional products with vastly improved volume potential. The redesigned 2013 RDX, for example, sold almost as many units in 2012 as it did in 2010 and 2011 combined, and the all-new 2013 ILX has sold more units each month - since going on sale in May - than Acura sold in ZDXs and RLs in all of last year.
While the redesigned RDX is a crucial product to compete with luxury compact crossovers, the ILX might be the most important new product for Acura, as a growing number of premium makes are starting to realize the importance of upscale entry-level compact cars. Ironically, this segment was a pivotal part of the brand's success in the 1980s and '90s thanks to the Integra, but Acura completely abandoned the genre when it killed off the RSX coupe in 2006. The addition of the ILX not only gives Acura a competitive small car again, it also drops the brand's entry price by almost $5,000.

10 automakers sued over keyless ignitions

Keyless ignition has rapidly proliferated throughout the auto industry to become a fairly normal feature on new cars. It's supposed to offer the convenience of keeping the fob in your pocket and just pressing a button to drive away. However, ten major automakers are now being sued in US District Court over claims that the system is dangerous, Reuters reports. The suit alleges that people are forgetting to shut off the engine, and the lack of an idle timer is the cause for 13 deaths by carbon monoxide poisoning and multiple injuries. The suit currently includes 28 plaintiffs, according to Reuters, but the lawyers are asking for class-action status to potentially add many more. The case goes after a major swath of the industry, including BMW, Daimler, FCA, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Nissan, Toyota, and Volkswagen, plus their related brands like Acura, Infiniti, Mini, and Lexus. In all, over five million vehicles are affected. The assertion here is that people walk away from their vehicle without shutting it off because they believe the engine shuts off automatically. If parked in a garage, carbon monoxide can build up, leading to poisoning. The lawyers claim automakers know this is a problem and also cite 27 complaints to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration about the issue, according to Reuters. The plaintiffs are asking for an automatic shut-off and damages from the companies. These concerns have come up before, though. Toyota previously faced a lawsuit over a carbon monoxide death after a woman accidentally left her Lexus running. Also earlier this year, GM recalled 64,186 examples of the 2011-2013 Chevrolet Volt because owners weren't shutting them off. The problem resulted in two injuries, and the company released a software update to limit the idling time.

Acura NSX GT3 non-hybrid racecar on sale soon

Just over a year ago, Acura debuted the NSX GT3, the FIA GT3-spec racecar based on the automaker's latest and greatest. While it took years for the road car to hit the streets, the NSX GT3 was developed in a relatively short amount of time. This year, the car competed in several races under the factory banner, racking up 50,000 miles and two race victories. Today, Honda and Acura announced the NSX GT3 will go on sale for private teams. Think of the NSX GT3 as a stripped out version of the standard NSX sans hybrid system. The 3.5-liter twin-turbo remains, but, since there are no electric motors up front, all the power is sent to the rear wheels through a XTRAC semi-automatic 6-speed sequential transmission. The chassis is built in Ohio right alongside the regular NSX. The same goes for the engines. The block, heads, valve train, crankshaft, pistons, and dry-sump lubrication system are the same specification as the production car. Final assembly is completed in Italy. This past year, the NSX GT3 competed under the Acura banner in the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTD class and the Pirelli World Challenge GT category. In addition to those series, the car is built to compete in the Blancpain GT Series and 24 Hours Nurburgring in Europe, the Super GT GT300 class in Japan, as well as other GT3-spec race series. Different divisions of Honda will be handling global sales, with HPD responsible for the North American market. US pricing hasn't been announced, but converting the European models start at about $545,000. Now we just want to see a lightened, non-hybrid version of the NSX on the street. Related Video: Featured Gallery Acura NSX GT3 View 11 Photos Image Credit: Honda Motorsports Acura Honda Coupe Racing Vehicles Performance honda nsx acura nsx gt3