Honda Allegedly Cutting More Future Sport and Luxury Models, Including S2000 and RWD Acuras

British car magazine Autocar is reporting that Honda’s new restructuring plan will lead to the death of more models than initially thought as the company strides to cope with slowing demand worldwide. Aside from the NSX, the Brits support that Honda has also canned the development of a range of rear-wheel drive models for the Acura range; a new V8 engine that would equip Honda’s and Acura’s top-of-the-line models; the convertible version of the CR-Z hybrid coupe that was previewed in concept form at last year’s London Show and finally, the successor to the 10-year old Honda S2000 sports car.

It is also said in the article that Honda might also replace the North American / Australian and European / Japanese market Accords with a single model to cut down on development costs. However, that doesn’t make any sense at all as Honda sells the European / Japanese-spec Accord in the States as the Acura TSX. So unless the Japanese automaker decides to drop the TSX from Acura’s range, we doubt that this will happen.

Via: Autocar

Acura 2+1 Coupe Concept Study: Design Proposal for an Affordable NSX

Honda Officially Cancels Development of V10-Powered NSX Successor

To the bitter disappointment of sports car fans, the latest victim of the global economic recession is the next-generation Honda / Acura NSX supercar which has been canned. The announcement was made today by Honda CEO Takeo Fukui at his end-of-year speech. “The development of the NSX successor model equipped with V10 engine will be cancelled,” said Takeo Fukui. The much anticipated NSX supercar that was previewed in concept form through the Acura Advance Sports Car Concept at the 2007 Detroit Auto Show was nearing its final stages of development. If it were to have been produced, the V10 supercar would have been the Japanese firm’s most powerful production model ever according to company sources.

Aside from the cancellation of the NSX successor, the financial crisis that has hit the automobile industry has also forced Honda to withdraw from all Formula One activities, making 2008 the last season of participation for the Japanese company.

Though not as near as significant, Takeo Fukui revealed that Honda has also abandoned its prior plan to introduce the Acura brand in the Japanese market around 2010. On the bright side, Fukui confirmed once again that Honda’s all-new sporty hybrid vehicle based on the CR-Z will go on sale by the end of 2010.

New Acura TL Gets 6-Speed Manual Gearbox in 2009

It looks like Acura’s trying to reach out to those that actually enjoy driving a car. Starting from next fall, the Japanese automaker will offer a new 6-speed manual gearbox on the 2010 TL SH-AWD model. Aside from the fact that it’s the first time that Acura has ever paired its all-wheel-drive system with a stick-shift, the new close-ratio 6-speed manual is approximately 110 lbs lighter than the Sequential SportShift 5-speed automatic transmission currently offered in the top-spec TL. -Continued

Furthermore, the 2010 TL SH-AWD 6MT models also benefit from suspension upgrades that include special coil spring and shock absorber rates tuned for flatter cornering with reduced pitching motions under acceleration and braking. The manual models also employ firmer engine and transmission bushings along with a sportier tuning for the steering wheel system.

According to Acura, the addition of a manual transmission, an all-new clutch system and suspension changes yield an 88 lb. reduction in overall vehicle weight and at the same time, improves weight distribution by 1-percent compared to the automatic model generating a 58/42 ratio versus the 5AT’s 59/41 ratio.

Honda Legend: Euro market Acura RL says no to front-shield

Ever wonder how the North American market 2009 RL (see here) would look like without that gaudy ‘armor shield’ that Acura likes to call a front grille? Then check out the European market Honda Legend facelift that was unveiled at the Moscow International Auto Show. The new grille fits nicely to the revised front-end giving the luxury sedan a more classy appearance. Other than that, the Legend is nothing more than a rebadged 2009 Acura RL. On the outside, the most noticeable changes of the facelifted version are the new lights, bonnet, front wings, boot lid, bumpers and the adoption of standard 18″ wheels. -Continued

Mechanical changes include the new 3.7-liter V6 VTEC engine that replaces the previous 3.5-liter V6 unit and is coupled to an all-new 5-speed gearbox with revised steering wheel mounted paddle-shifters and new gearbox software. According to Honda, the new Legend can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 7.1 seconds, 0.2 seconds quicker than before. Fuel economy and CO2 figures have also been improved over the previous model. In terms of chassis upgrades, while the Legend’s SH-AWD system remains unchanged, the settings for the suspension have been altered to improve the ride and handling.

Honda also refined the Legend’s cabin by equipping it with a suite of NVH reducing technologies, the most advanced of which is the Active Noise Cancellation system (ANC), which cancels out low frequency noise by playing the opposite wave form through the Bose sound system. The 2009 Legend also gets new Active Head Restraints and heated rear seats while the Bose Audio system now has a USB socket enabling the connection of an iPod.

Acura TL Sedan: Official Images Leaked on the Net!

A full set of photos along with preliminary specifications of the 2009 Acura TL were leaked into the internet today, a whole week ahead of the planned debut. The new images reveal among other things, the 2009 TL’s puffed arse in all its glory while we also have the first pictures of the interior.

According to the guys that leaked the pictures, the new TL will be offered in two flavors, a front wheel drive version powered by a 280HP 3.5-liter V6 engine and the first ever AWD TL that’s equipped with Acura’s Super Handling All-Wheel Drive with power coming from a 305 HP 3.7-liter V6 unit. Both versions of the TL will be matted to a sequential sportshift five-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters. The 2009 TL will go on sale across the U.S. this fall. Follow the jump to check out the full image gallery and as always, feel free to drop us a comment with your thoughts on the new TL. -Continued

Video: Prototype Honda / Acura NSX at the Ring

This amateur video of a prototype Honda / Acura NSX running around the Nurburgring race track in Germany might not be of the best visual quality, but boy does that i-VTEC sound nice! From what we’ve heard, the new NSX will feature a front-mounted V10 engine and a new high-performance, rear-wheel-drive based version of Acura’s Super Handling All-Wheel Drive (SH-AWD) system. -Video after the jump

2010 Honda / Acura NSX: Spied Again