Acura to Tweak ILX Compact Sedan to Improve Mediocre Sales

Much to the dismay of Acura, the ILX hasn't exactly been the success Honda's near-luxury brand expected it to be selling a little over 12,000 units in 2012, or less than half than the 30,000 originally targeted. That's something Acura freely admits.

"The ILX is not hitting our sales expectations," American Honda President John Mendel told reported at November’s Los Angeles Auto Show, according to Wards Auto. "Consumers have told us they like the 2.4L and they wish they had an automatic, but they say the midrange vehicle is underpowered and they don’t see the value in it."

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Acura's Supercharged ILX Street Build Concept and ILX Endurance Racer

Making their world premiere today at the 2012 SEMA Show are two new Acura ILX compact sedan builds, one for the street and the other for the racetrack, marking the return of the Japanese brand to the Las Vegas aftermarket show after a six-year hiatus.

The 2013 ILX "Street Build" project car was made to demonstrate the customization possibilities for enthusiasts.

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Fisker Karma Once Again Lambasted by Consumer Reports in its Latest Tests

With over 8 million subscribers and more than 50 labs, Consumer Reports claims to be the world’s largest independent product-testing organization. As far as the automotive industry is concerned, falling short of CR’s standards could spell bad news or at least bad publicity for any new model.

In its latest issue, the publication tested the Ford Escape Titanium and SE compact SUVs and the Infiniti JX, while also conducting two comparison tests: one in the compact upmarket segment, where the Acura ILX faced the Buick Verano, and the other in the luxury sedan category with the Fisker Karma placed against the Porsche Panamera S.

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2013 Acura ILX and 2012 Honda CR-V Recalled Because Doors May Open "Unexpectedly"

An issue with the front door latches of the new 2012 Honda CR-V crossover and 2013 Acura ILX compact sedan is forcing Honda to voluntarily recall more than 170,000 vehicles in the United States over 20,000 in Canada.

The Japanese carmaker said that simultaneous operation of the driver's or passenger's inner door handle and either the manual or power door lock may lead to a problem that causes the door to not latch properly and possibly open unexpectedly.

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Acura Preparing Mild Facelift for 2013 ZDX Crossover

Some three years after the ZDX's world premiere at the 2009 New York Auto Show and a little less since it went on sale in the U.S. towards the end of the same year, Acura's attempt to replicate BMW's success with the X6 has proved to be a sales flop delivering a mere 1,564 units in 2011.

It’s even worse this year as Acura has sold only 416 examples of the ZDX crossover during the first six months of 2012, down 56.21 percent over the same period in 2011.

Nevertheless, Acura will try to improve the ZDX's position in the market with a mid-cycle refresh for the 2013 model year that will bring a light exterior makeover along with new technology features.

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Acura Promotes 2013 ILX Compact Sedan in New Equal Parts Ads

Here's a sneak preview of Acura's new TV spots for the 2013 ILX compact sedan before they air on TV and cinemas across the country on June 4.

The Japanese automaker's marketing campaign is named "Equal Parts" and it targets the so-called Gen Y Audience, also known as the Millennial Generation or Millennials, which includes those in their 20s and 30s.

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New 2013 Acura ILX Starts at $25,900*, $10,000 More than the Base Civic Sedan [91 Photos]

In about a month's time, on May 22, to be precise, the new 2013 Acura ILX compact sedan will arrive in U.S. showrooms with prices starting at $25,900 and rising to $34,400, not including a destination charge of $895 (*).

Being based on the latest Civic, we can't help but note that the Honda model starts at $15,995, or $9,995 less, though in all fairness, the ILX is better equipped and comes with a 150hp 2.0-liter engine instead of a 140hp 1.8-liter unit.

On the top end of the range, the ILX with the 201HP 2.4-liter engine at $29,200 and the 111HP 1.5-liter Hybrid model at $34,400, approach larger German offerings like the 240hp BMW 328i ($34,900) and 201hp Mercedes C250 ($34,800), with the Hybrid being more expensive than the 211hp Audi A4 ($32,500).

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First Official Photos of 2013 Acura ILX Sedan and RDX Crossover

We don't have to wait until Wednesday for the 2012 Chicago Auto Show to open its doors to the press to see what the production versions of Acura's 2013 ILX compact sedan and RDX crossover look like as the Japanese carmaker has just released the first official photos.

As we expected, the transition from concept to production didn't bring many changes on either model, just some minor tweaks to the bumper trims and the placing of smaller and less extravagant alloy wheels.

Starting with the ILX, while based on the current Civic, Acura has made considerable efforts to differentiate the compact model from its Honda sibling, both inside and out. Acura says that the primary target customers for the ILX are "Generation Y- successful 20 and 30-somethings moving into the luxury car ranks but looking for high-value propositions in their purchases."

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Patent Images Show the 2013 Acura ILX Sedan in Production Form

We're only a day away from the official presentation of the production version of the 2013 Acura ILX compact sedan at the Chicago motor show but we've managed to get our hands on the patent images providing us with our first look at what has changed and not over the concept model we saw in Detroit last month.

Acura had already told us that the Detroit show car was very close to the production model that will follow so it's overall styling don't come as a surprise.

Like all production models, the 2013 ILX stands a little bit higher and rides on smaller wheels, while Acura also simplified the design of the front bumper openings and replaced the concept's LED strips with regular fog lights.

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Acura to Debut Production Versions of New ILX Sedan and RDX at the Chicago Auto Show

Next week's 2012 Chicago Auto Show will play host to the world premiere of the final production versions of Acura's all-new ILX compact sedan and the redesigned RDX crossover, both of which we're displayed in showcar form in Detroit last month.

The changes on the production models are expected to be limited to some subtle design details such as the bumpers and the alloy wheels.

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Honda's Cumulative Worldwide Hybrid Sales Surpass 800,000 Units Since 1999

While not as near as successful as its native rival Toyota when it comes to hybrid models, Honda remains a major player in the category having recently topped the 800,000 sales mark.

As we learned today, the milestone came at the end of December 2011 and was achieved 12 years and 2 months after Honda launched the first generation of its Insight hybrids in Japan in November 1999. For the record, last April Toyota sold its 1 millionth Prius in the States.

The first Insight delivered a fuel economy of 35km/liter (equal to 82.3mpg US or 2.9lt/100km) on the Japanese driving cycle, lending it the title of the most fuel-efficient gasoline-powered model of its time - according to Honda.

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Acura Dresses Up the Civic as the New ILX Compact Sedan, goes on Sale this Spring [Video]

While the NSX Concept is the undisputed star of Acura's booth at the 2012 Detroit Motor Show, the Japanese automaker also brought along a more down-to-earth study that is the precursor to the new ILX luxury compact sedan.

With the exception of a few minor cosmetic details such as the bumper trims and the flashy alloy wheels, the ILX is pretty much production ready, which shouldn't surprise anyone given that it's scheduled for launch in North America this spring.

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New Acura ILX will Likely Replace the TSX, gets 2.0L, 2.4L and Hybrid Powerplants

Honda is planning a major overhaul for its Acura brand, which hasn't been performing well lately. Total U.S. sales for Acura in November were 9,909 units, down 11.2 percent, while year-to-date sales totaled 110,170 vehicles, a 7.1 percent drop from the same period last year.

At a recent media briefing in Las Vegas, Acura told reporters that with the exception of the next generation of the NSX, which will be shown in concept form at the Detroit auto show, the company will focus on offering "mid-level premium vehicles that favor fuel economy over performance".

The company's plans include the introduction of a new RL, a mid-life facelift for the RDX crossover and the brand-new ILX compact sedan that is scheduled to reach dealerships next spring.

On its article about the 2013 RL, C&D reported that Honda wants to reduce its sedan lineup to three models, which means that one of the TL or TSX may eventually receive the axe.

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Acura CSX: Canada's Posh Honda Civic Sedan

As some of you readers rightly pointed out in our post on the upcoming 2013 Acura ILX compact sedan, the TSX is not Acura's cheapest offering in North America. This dazzling title goes to the Canadian market CSX.

It doesn't take much to see that the CSX and the previous, eighth generation of the Honda Civic sedan are one and alike minus some discreet styling changes at the front and at the rear, and a more posh interior with all the extras ticked.

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New Acura ILX Compact Sedan to be Built at Honda's Plant in Indiana, will Start Well Under $30,000

[Honda Indiana Plant pictured above]

While Acura is still holding back on the photos of its newly announced ILX concept study that will be displayed at the Detroit Show in January, Honda's premium division revealed that the production version of the compact sedan that will follow would be built at the firm's Manufacturing of Indiana LLC (HMIN).

"Building this all-new Acura vehicle as the exclusive global source is a big responsibility for our associates," said HMIN President Jun Nishimoto. "I am very proud of what our Indiana team has accomplished in such a short time, and we have great confidence in our ability to produce a world-class luxury vehicle that exceeds the expectations of Acura customers."

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Acura Confirms NSX Concept, an All-New ILX Compact Sports Sedan and 2013 RDX Crossover for Detroit Show

[1st Gen Acura NSX Pacecar pictured above]

There's a lot of news coming out from Honda's headquarters today. Following the announcement on the Accord Concept study that will preview the ninth-generation of Honda's mid-size model series, the Japanese automaker's luxury division Acura also confirmed its plans for the rapidly approaching 2012 Detroit Motor Show.

The star of Acura's lineup will be a concept version of the next generation NSX super car which in the company's own words, "represents the styling direction for the next generation of Acura's super sports car".

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