logo
A Car Guy Makes a Left Turn

A Car Guy Makes a Left Turn

Bloomberg23-04-2025
Matt Farah wanted to tell me about his ride.
'This is a final-year car,' he said of his 2005 Acura NSX, a mid-engined supercar he was steering through Los Angeles traffic. 'By the time they got to the very end, Acura wasn't selling very many. There were only 248 NSXs built in 2005, and this is one of 30 they built in silver.'
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

This Iconic Japanese Sports Car Just Got a Big Tech Upgrade
This Iconic Japanese Sports Car Just Got a Big Tech Upgrade

Yahoo

time4 days ago

  • Yahoo

This Iconic Japanese Sports Car Just Got a Big Tech Upgrade

Acura treats its best-selling compact sports sedan to fresh aero, a new display and a refined interior. Every product is carefully selected by our editors. If you buy from a link, we may earn a commission. Learn more After Acura shelved the Integra in 2002, it would be another 21 years before the nameplate would see the market again. Suffice to say, then, that when the Integra did finally reappear in 2023, the release provided Japanese sports car enthusiasts with plenty of cause for celebration. It may have only been two years since the revival of the Integra, but Acura is already prepared to observe yet another significant milestone. Believe it or not, 2026 will mark the 40th anniversary of the first generation's 1986 debut. To ring in the occasion, Acura has announced a slew of updates for the upcoming model year. Along with improved tech, the 2026 Integra will also introduce sportier styling, new colors and premium interior options. Smarter and faster Per Acura, the Integra currently commands over 40 percent of premium compact sedan sales, so it's clear that the model's nostalgia is helping its success — even despite the presence of two additional doors. For 2026, Acura hopes to capitalize on that success by giving its iconic sports car a big tech upgrade in the form of a new 9-inch color touchscreen. Along with being two inches larger than the outgoing display, Acura says it brings 'a faster processor for lag-free performance.' As part of the new infotainment interface, the Integra will also benefit from wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility. Moreover, Acura has fitted the center console with a wireless phone charger to provide for a cleaner cockpit experience. Updated aero looks Though the Integra's styling remains largely unchanged compared to the 2025 model year, Acura hasn't forgotten about the exterior. As part of the update, the upcoming model will introduce several key visual tweaks. For starters, the Integra A-Spec gains a fresh aero body kit. Between the gloss black side spoilers, some sleek new side sills and a set of gloss black 18-inch wheels, it makes for a much more aggressive look that Acura calls both 'premium' and 'aspirational.' What's more, the Integra gains new color options in the form of Solar Silver Metallic, Urban Gray Pearl and Double Apex Blue Pearl, and cars optioned in either Double Apex Blue Pearl or Performance Red Pearl will come with a paint-matched grille as standard. If you're a fan of the look, the feature will be available as an add-on for other colors, too, though buyers will also be able to specify a gloss-black grille for something a little subtler. And that's not all; as part of the overhauled interior, Acura is treating the Integra A-Spec to a new trim pattern on the dash as well as some extended ambient lighting. Complemented by some new suede inserts and stitching options, it makes for a refresh that's subtle in execution but impactful in result. Familiar fan favorite Under the hood, the 2026 Integra will retain the same 1.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder as is found in the current model. Though Acura equips a CVT automatic transmission as standard, buyers will again have the option of a six-speed manual. In practice, this means that output is a consistent 200 horsepower and 192 lb-ft of torque for the base and A-Spec models. At this stage, Acura has yet to announce full specifications for the 2026 Integra lineup. Most notably, there's no mention of what MSRP is set to look like, and the 320-horsepower Integra Type S is conspicuously absent from the announcement Whether that means Acura has something bigger waiting in the wings remains to be seen. However, given that the 2026 Integra is slated to arrive in showrooms next month, pricing and further details should be available soon. 2026 Acura Integra Learn More

After Nearly 20 Years, a Legendary Japanese Sports Car Returns with an Unexpected Twist
After Nearly 20 Years, a Legendary Japanese Sports Car Returns with an Unexpected Twist

Yahoo

time4 days ago

  • Yahoo

After Nearly 20 Years, a Legendary Japanese Sports Car Returns with an Unexpected Twist

Honda has revived a long-discontinued nameplate in a way that's sure to ruffle some feathers. Every product is carefully selected by our editors. If you buy from a link, we may earn a commission. Learn more Between the Integra and the Prelude, Honda has recently revived some iconic nameplates from its back catalog. Thankfully, in each case, it stayed pretty faithful to the original concept. But the brand isn't finished. Having teased that it was working on a new Acura RSX (as in, the early 2000s Integra successor) earlier this year, Honda is back with a pre-production prototype as part of Monterey Car Week. Acura's RSX revival True to Honda's word, the RSX is, unfortunately, no longer destined to be a sporty tuner coupe like it was in the oughts; instead, it will be making its return as an all-electric crossover. Before you roll your eyes, however, Acura already has a car like the former in the Integra, and it just got an update. In any case, an RSX EV promises thrilling performance in its own right. According to Acura, the model will feature dual-motor all-wheel drive, sport-tuned double-wishbone front suspension and Brembo brakes all as standard. And remember — even though the prototype takes the form of a high-riding crossover, careful battery placement can result in a lower center of gravity than you'd expect. As such, Acura does claim it will deliver a 'fun to drive and engaging driving experience.' In that sense, it'll take on driver-friendly EVs like the Mustang Mach-E and the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N. An in-house EV As significant as it is that Honda is reviving the Acura RSX nameplate, the car itself is notable for its own reasons. That's because, unlike the Honda Prologue or the Acura ZDX, Honda engineered this EV completely in-house. It'll be among the first models built on the brand's proprietary platform, and it'll be the first assembled at the Honda EV Hub in Marysville, Ohio. Accordingly, Honda has some big aspirations for the RSX. In running the ASIMO OS operating system, the car will bring automated driving, advanced driver assistance systems, machine learning and over-the-air updates, among many other forward-thinking features. As if that wasn't enough, the RSX will support vehicle-to-load charging. In practice, this means that it will effectively be able to function as a portable generator, capable of powering both homes and devices. More to come While the vehicle you see before you is only a prototype, it's likely that the production version will be a close match. Moreover, Honda has stated that the revived Acura RSX will be coming in the second half of 2026. In the meantime, you can head to Acura's website to stay updated. Acura RSX Prototype Learn More

Acura Confirms Pivot From Full EV Lineup, Expect More ICE and Hybrids
Acura Confirms Pivot From Full EV Lineup, Expect More ICE and Hybrids

The Drive

time5 days ago

  • The Drive

Acura Confirms Pivot From Full EV Lineup, Expect More ICE and Hybrids

Get The Drive's daily newsletter Email address Sign Up Thank you! Terms of Service & Privacy Policy. Back in 2021, Acura's people proclaimed that the luxury Honda brand would skip investing in new hybrid cars and leap straight into an all-EV strategy, kicked off by what's now known as the ZDX. Those plans have now officially shifted, as confirmed today. Expect new hybrid developments and longer-running internal combustion models from Acura for the near-term, after all. 'We're not just dipping our toe in the water with electric at Acura, we are jumping all in. And that's not just because we need to. It's because we want to. Acura is really focused on performance, and electrification is one of the greatest ways we can augment that performance,' said Emile Korkor, Assistant VP of Acura National Sales, in a December 2021 interview with Automotive News. Today, the story's a little different. At a Honda executive roundtable in Monterey, American Honda CEO Kazuhiro Takizawa said, 'We will max production of ICE and hybrid models to meet the needs of our customers in North America. This means extending key ICE models and adding hybrid products. Our strategy to invest in flexible production in our EV hub in Ohio is proving very smart. This will enable us to make ICE, hybrid, and EV models on the same production lines, and adjust production fluidly based on customer demands.' Takizawa-san acknowledged that the brand had previously committed to a complete EV pivot, and said what everybody's been realizing in the current state of the American electric car infrastructure: '…looking at the customer demand, it's not realistic.' He also expressed frustration at policy, which, of course, has made compliance a moving target for automakers, especially in the last year. The company's not planning to abandon EV initiatives altogether. After all, it just revealed its brand new battery-electric RSX this very week. Takizawa-san elaborated on that too: 'We are also participating in Ionna [an EV infrastructure initiative]. Without charging, we cannot sell BEVs. Without BEVs, charging stations cannot be profitable enough. But I'm sure gradually these pain points will be solved and the customer will have a much better experience in EV life. We're also participating in making our effort to solve the pain points of the customer on that side of the infrastructure.' Our Editor-In-Chief, Kyle Cheromcha, who was at the meeting, asked: '… from a consumer standpoint, you see something like the Civic Hybrid as a huge seller, and I think people wonder, what's so hard about putting that powertrain in the Integra? So what is the actual blocker there?' Takizawa-san replied: 'It's not that easy. When you change the powertrain, with crash tests and all those things we have to start from scratch. [Our engineers] say it's quite difficult [Laughs]. But of course, it's not impossible, and we have that technology, so it's just a matter of lead time and development of the models. To have a new vehicle, we usually need four years or more. [With] this lead time, we need to wait. Once we made our decision, it still takes several years. So it's just a matter of time.' Regarding collaborations on near-future hybrid tech, like how Honda linked up with GM to create the Chevy Blazer and Honda Prologue, Takizawa was confident that his company would not pursue such relationships and go it alone. 'In terms of hybrids, we believe that we have the expertise more than anybody,' he said. I can't say I'm surprised that Acura's pivoting away from an all-EV-everything plan. But today's comments were the first definitive confirmation we've heard that hybrids and ICE cars will continue to be important pieces of Honda and Acura's strategy for the next few years at least. Got a tip? Send us a note at tips@

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store