Honda President Takanobu Ito Talks Acura

Honda AC-X Concept

Honda/Acura Supercar Confirmed?

It has certainly been an interesting and exciting past few days for Honda and Acura fans as we got a glimpse of what the future has in store.

Earlier this week at the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show, Honda previewed their outline for next generation engine models and technology through a plan called “Earth Dreams Technology”. The phrase is used to describe Honda’s pursuit to advance and utilize environment friendly technology while still satisfying the passion of driving. Some key features include the implementation of direct injection, CVT, and an electric SH-AWD hybrid system.

Making a big presence at the show was Honda CEO and President Takanobu Ito who made time to answer questions and interact with the North American media. Motor Trend’s Frank Markus put together a solid post about the session with Ito, revealing a bit more about what’s coming up for Acura:

“Ito-san is not satisfied with the current performance of the brand in the U.S., though sales are strong in China and the Middle-East. He intends to make new products more unique and sporting. Look for the hybrid-electric Super-Handling AWD to figure in this renaissance, along with the supercar.

A new RDX and small sedan are on the immediate horizon next spring. Acura’s mission is to provide smart luxury that meets social needs, not just personal needs. The small sedan will share some platform architecture with the Civic but feature unique powertrains. The forthcoming supercar is a core element of Honda/Acura’s history and DNA, and will be sold as an Acura in North America. We will also hear news about the RL flagship sedan quite soon too.”Frank Markus, Motor Trend

The post is full of great questions and answers regarding Honda, so head over to motortrend.com for the rest.

We all knew the next generation RDX was coming as well as a “sub-TSX” model which looks to be a hybrid. However rumors of the Honda/Acura Supercar seems to have grown to the point where we should just consider it confirmed.

On the design front, Jeff from TOV mentioned the Honda AC-X Concept(pictured above) may influence Acura’s future styling and corporate theme. I think it would be a welcomed direction as it looks to me like a futuristic evolution or expansion of the “shield” grille.

2012 looks to be a busy year for Acura, hopefully we will get to learn a little more about the upcoming supercar in the next few weeks.

[Source: MotorTrend, Temple of VTEC]

3 comments on “Honda President Takanobu Ito Talks Acura

  1. Chris

    @hedorah

    I have no idea about middle east, I wonder if it was a typo or lost in translation. Acura is sold in Mexico, China, Puerto Rico for sure, and I think is privately brought in to Russia but I’ve never heard of the Middle East.

    Reply

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