Acura DN-X Concept

Thursday, March 25. 2004
Acura DN-X
Uh oh, when someone talks about Hybrid Power, it conjures up visions of fuel sipping “econocars” like the Honda Insight and Toyota Prius. Very cool technology and highly efficient, but hardly exciting. However, as Acura engineers are quick to point out, adding an electric motor to a conventional gasoline powerplant can be used to boost fuel economy, or it can be used to boost performance! Now you have my attention.

Last spring at the New York Auto show, Acura unveiled to North America the DN-X concept car. This dramatic concept car has a potent 3.5 liter i-VTEC V-6 producing 300 horsepower driving the rear wheels and a 100 horsepower electric motor driving the front wheels. Thus combined, the powertrain makes 400 hp, and can still manage 42 mpg on the highway! Since this car uses the electric motor as a generator to recapture energy under braking, it never needs recharging.

It should be noted that the car Acura actually brings to market will not likely have the DN-Xs styling, but it will have as much of the technology as possible and will make this new vehicle unlike anything on the market. I am expecting some of this technology to debut in our next RL sedan which is due out in 2004 as a 2005 model.