Acura Insights for 2012 (and a little beyond)
Monday, July 11, 2011 at 11:34AM 
As Acura continues to recover from the production setbacks caused by the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, it's becoming a little clearer what the future holds. As it stands, North American production should be fully up to speed in August 2011 and Japanese production should return to normal shortly thereafter.
The following is a rough outline of what we are going to see in the showrooms in the near term and a little further down the line.
The 2012 TL: The refreshed and revised 2012 TL arrived earlier this year and other than some color changes, this car will continue as is. Discontinued are Mayan Bronze Metallic and Forged Silver Metallic. Mayan Bronze never really caught on and Forged Silver (which was really a light blue) has been replaced by a proper Silver.
The 2012 RDX: Once production starts to ramp up we should receive 2012 cars. In this, the last model year for this body style no changes are expected and I expect to see them start hitting the store in September or October.
The 2012 ZDX: The "redheaded stepchild" of the lineup enters 2012 with no real changes. It's really too bad. This "Coupe-UV" breaks a lot of new ground and hopefully things like the "monolithic dashboard", "deep draw" body panels, and leather wrapped dashboard find their way into our other product.
The 2012 TSX: our most popular sedan enters 2012 with a new trim level. The TSX Special Edition (SE) will offer a dressed up interior, including; black suede/leather seats with red stitching, red interior lighting, aluminum pedals, and an all-black headliner. The existing rims will have a darker finish, probably similar to what we see on the top trim levels of our other cars. Acura also describes 'sporty exterior styling' but it's not clear if this just their 'normal' descriptor for this vehicle or if there is a body kit or different side skirts planned. Edited 8/31: The SE will feature a deeper chin spoiler, new side skirts and a deep rear diffuser - CS
At launch, the only way to get the six speed manual transmission in the TSX will be to go with the new Special Edition. At this point it is not known whether non-SE trim levels will get the manual transmission later or if Navi will be added to the SE order list later in the year. This means that if you want navigation and a six speed manual, a 2011 could be the way to go. The new TSX SE will be available in white, black, a true silver (no longer Forged Silver), and for the first time in many years, a true red.
The 2012 MDX: No changes are expected for Acura's most popular model for 2012. As a carryover, expect the new models to arrive in November or December.
The Sub-TSX: This will be an all-new model in the Acura lineup. The prototype will be shown to Acura dealer principals in December and the sedan should hit showrooms in April. Acura has been very tight lipped about this vehicle, but we expect a compact sedan powered by a four-cylinder engine with a hybrid option available.
The 2013 RDX: I would expect this to follow about six months after the launch of the new sub TSX sedan so look for a fall 2012 release. If so, it would make it almost exactly 12 months after the launch of the 2012 RDX. At this point, it's far too early to speculate on what we will see, but the "worst kept secret" seems to be that the turbocharged four-cylinder in the current car will be replaced by a V-6.
From here on, you need to understand that things are too far out to predict with any certainty. The only thing I can offer is that these things will happen, but they may not come out in the following order.
The 2013 MDX: The first generation MDX went for 6 model years. If this one follows suit, it it would make sense for it to be all new for 2013. However, Acura would have to introduce three all new cars in calender year 2012, something I don't recall them doing since I've been here. Still, I would be surprised to see them try to stretch this till a 2013 release considering how important this model is to the brand.
The 2014 RL: The current car was all new in 2005, but the first generation 3.5 RL lasted 9 years so the replacement could come out in 2014 and it would still be 'right' for this model. What does Acura have planned? The current V-6 engine family will be 15 years old in 2012, so it is likely the new car could introduce an all new design to take us to 2030. We know that they have shown a prototype of an all-new Two Motor Hybrid system and it seems that this will be the perfect showcase for this new technology. If the new MDX is out in calender year 2012, I'd hope we'll see the new RL in early 2013 as a 2014 model.
The 2014 TSX and 2014 TL: The current cars were released within 6 months of eachother in 2009 so they're on schedule for replacement in 2014. It would make sense to see them in calender year 2013, but this would mean 3 all new product (again) in one year.
Also there are rumors about a mid-priced Sport Coupe, and a possible return of a NSX variant. As you can see, once things get up and running, we’re going to have new product dropping fast and furious.
Reader Comments (8)
The RDX turbo engine is gone for sure... Bad mileage, so so power.
I'm not sure about the 2014 RL will feature the new large hybrid engine. It's an Atkinson cycle, power delivery will be minimal even with the electric motor helping the acceleration. How does Toyota version of the Lexus hybrids? Do they use larger Prius Atkinson cycle engine mated to the electric motor? Or they use regular Otto cycle V6 engine mated to the electric motor? IMHO, first tier class cars need to have luxurious creature comfort, advanced driving dynamics and for lack of better term, butt load of power.
ZDX have proven Acura management is okay with wild idea that resulted in unique interior, and SH-AWD helps in the driving dynamics department. Now in terms of power, I'm just lost if Honda decided to stick an Atkinson cycle engine in the RL, let the dedicated hybrids take the mileage crown and make Acura division a bit more wild with the hybrids.
I'm expecting Honda to debut A-VTEC in the next Acura refresh... I hope... It's been tested since 2006, so 5 years later now the engineers should have gather real world data that's sufficient for mass production.
Regarding the RL: I know that the current implementation of the new dual IMA is with a 4 cylinder Atkinson, however, nothing stated has suggested that the new system incompatible with a V-6. Also, assuming that they're not looking to add power to the V-6 with turbocharging, IMA starts to make a lot of sense. Obviously, fingers crossed.
I do hope Honda have something up their sleeve. All the Acura full model change are either going to be awesome with all the new tech and what not or just disappointing using the old J series for another 5-6 years.
Personally, I think the J series is right on schedule. Engines are 'capital investments' and not changed as frequently as car chassis' or styling. Consider that the manufacturer is designing an engine to last 15 years, but the whims of US politics are changing the emissions and fuel economy targets with every 4 year election cycle. In any case, it's very likely we'll see a new engine family sooner than 5-6 years. Most likely 1-2 years.
*lol* How come when I read the title I assumed it was about an Acura-fied Insight?
OMFG, that must be some kind of Freudian slip on my part! Good one!
Self-fulfilling prophecy... found this via acuraconnected.com!
Yeah, the owner of that site contacted me to see if it was ok to link back to my page. He was a really cool guy, and I'm pleased he asked - many people wouldn't.