Acura NSX Concept at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show

• Looks like: A supercar is finally back on Acura’s drawing board
• Defining characteristics: Staff photographer Ian Merritt summed it up best: “Drooooool.”
• Ridiculous features: A hybrid, mid-engine exotic car? 
• Chance of being mass-produced: It will happen, but not for about three years

Will a supercar return to Acura dealerships? For years we’ve heard rumors about the NSX’s eventual return to the U.S. market, and it looks like Honda’s luxury arm is finally planning to revive the nameplate after a near-decade-long hiatus. The NSX was last produced for the U.S. market in 2005.

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As with the previous production version, the concept is a mid-engine coupe. But rather than having rear-wheel drive, the NSX concept uses all-wheel drive. Acura is using the concept to showcase a new hybrid all-wheel-drive system, called Sport Hybrid Super Handling All Wheel Drive. It uses a pair of electric motors to generate torque and apply it to the front wheels for better cornering control and improved handling.

Acura ILX Concept at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show

• Looks like: Acura isn't giving up on the “shield” grille  
• Defining characteristics: A Civic-based Acura featuring the brand's first hybrid option 
• Ridiculous features: Its Civic foundation could prove to be a credibility issue  
• Chance of being mass-produced: 100%

In its heyday, Acura effectively straddled the line between entry-level luxury (a la Infiniti or Lexus) and premium (a la Volvo or Buick). It's a fine line, but when the carmaker ditched its Honda Civic-based RSX for the (unique to America) TSX in the middle of the last decade, you can argue that the brand finally landed solely in the entry-luxury category. It may be just coincidence, but since the changeover, Acura sales have dwindled steadily, now down about 60% from their peak in 2005.

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In that respect, think of the Acura ILX Concept as an admission that the company's previous marketing direction had led the brand astray. Instead of reaching for the luxury mantle, the ILX compact, a Civic-based model, marks the return of premium (not luxury) car making to at least part of the Acura stable. The compact will be priced “well below $30,000,” according to Acura, and it will augment, not replace, the TSX, which currently starts just south of $30,000. The ILX's likeliest competitors include the Volvo C30, Audi A3 and, most directly, the new Buick Verano.

2013 Acura RDX at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show

• Competes with: Infiniti EX35, Land Rover LR2, Volvo XC60
• Looks like: A sleeker, more wagon-like RDX with a longer hood and more raked windshield 
• Drivetrain: 273-horsepower, 3.5-liter V-6; six-speed automatic 
• Hits dealerships: Spring 2012  

The RDX grows up for model-year 2013, trading its sporty exterior styling cues and turbo four-cylinder for a more polished profile and a new V-6 engine.

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The second generation of the automaker’s compact SUV rides on a longer wheelbase than the previous version. At 183.5 inches long and 64.2 inches high, it’s about 1 inch longer than the previous version, but loses an inch in height. It also gets a sleeker look outside and more leather inside.

2012 Acura TL Video

Acura took the 2012 model year to address a lot of the issues dragging the TL's sales and image down. There's now less offensive styling and a more fuel-efficient automatic transmission to consider. Also, the automaker has added a voice-activated music search functionality. Too bad Acura couldn’t fix the TL's confusing climate controls, according to Cars.com editor Joe Bruzek.

Acura ILX to Be Built in Indiana

Acura’s recently announced entry-level luxury sedan, the Acura ILX, will be built in America, the company said. The move marks the fifth vehicle from Acura — joining the MDX, RDX, ZDX and TL — that will be built in North America. The Acura RL and Acura’s current entry-level car, the TSX, are built in Japan.

The ILX will be offered in three powertrains, and one will include a hybrid system. The hybrid model will also be built in America, and it will be parent company Honda’s first hybrid model assembled in the U.S. The Honda Insight and Honda Civic Hybrid are built in Japan.

The ILX will be built at Honda’s relatively new Greensburg, Ind., plant, which currently builds the Honda Civic. The ILX will be based off the Civic platform but will look nothing like the current Civic or the Canadian-marketed Acura CSX (which is essentially a Civic clone), Vicki Poponi, American Honda assistant vice president for product planning, told Automotive News.

The ILX will go into production in the spring. The model will accompany a totally redesigned RDX based off the restyled 2013 Honda CR-V, which will also arrive at dealerships around the same times as the ILX.

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Acura Bringing Three New Vehicles to 2012 Detroit Auto Show

Acura Bringing Three New Vehicles to 2012 Detroit Auto Show

A redesigned Acura RDX. A new compact sports sedan. A concept for an all-new NSX supercar.

That's all Acura is bringing to Detroit come Jan. 9 on the first media day of the 2012 North American International Auto Show.

The three reveals are a significant statement for the brand.

The biggest will be the ILX Concept. It will be a "styling study" of the smallest Acura sedan in the lineup and will be offered with a gas-powered engine and a hybrid.

Acura doesn't come out and say it, but we're expecting/praying that the ILX will feature new design language to replace the "shield"-focused designs of the past few years.

The company says the ILX will be launched in spring 2012, so this concept follows in the tradition of past Honda and Acura showcars that look nearly identical to their production versions.

2012 Acura TL: Car Seat Check

In a bid to regain its best-seller status, Acura has softened the look of the 2012 TL's polarizing shield grille. Whether it's enough to appeal to consumers remains to be seen. On the inside, the midsize sedan's dimensions remain the same, with seating for five.

Recall Alert: 876,000 Honda and Acura Vehicles

Honda is expanding earlier recalls to replace the driver-side airbag inflator to include an additional 273,000 Honda and Acura vehicles, the automaker announced. The recall now includes certain 2001-02 Honda Accords, 2001-03 Honda Civics and Odysseys, 2002-03 Honda CR-Vs and Acura 3.2 TLs, and 2003 Honda Pilots and Acura 3.2 CLs. This serious defect has resulted in one fatality since the recall was first announced in 2008. The recall has been expanded in July 2009, February 2010 and May.

The automaker also has determined that 640 recalled driver’s airbag parts, which were used for repairs, have been installed in cars. Honda cannot determine the vehicles that received the parts, so it’s recalling about 603,000 vehicles to inspect the airbag parts and replace the parts if necessary.

In the affected vehicles, the airbag inflators can deploy with too much force, causing the inflator casing to rupture. This could result in injury or death.

Affected owners will receive a recall notification from Honda later this month. Honda owners can determine if their vehicle is affected by this recall at www.recalls.honda.com or call 800-999-1009 and select option 4; Acura owners can go to www.recalls.acura.com or call 800-382-2238 and select option 4.

Honda To Build Two High-Tech Hybrid Systems, More Fuel-Efficient Standard Engines

Honda’s powertrain lineup is starting to look stale tech-wise compared to the competition. Despite the fuel-economy increases, the recently redesigned Honda Civic and CR-V essentially have carryover technology underneath their hoods. Under Honda’s just-announced three-year powertrain plan, that landscape is about to change … quickly.

In real-world testing, the Civic has outperformed 40 mpg cars from Ford and Hyundai. Honda’s updates will help reposition it as the most fuel-efficient automaker, overtaking Hyundai, according to the carmaker’s plans.

Ford Drops; Lexus, Mazda and Jeep Improve in Latest Consumer Reports Survey

Ford's dashboard doldrums persist. The automaker's buggy MyFord Touch multimedia system, rolled out in summer 2010, contributed toward a steep decline in J.D. Power and Associates' 2011 Initial Quality Study. Now it has become a sore spot for Ford owners responding to Consumer Reports' latest reliability surveys.

Problems with the dual-clutch automatic transmission in the Fiesta and Focus also tarnished the brand, which tumbled 10 spots in overall reliability to 20th among 28 major carmakers. Ford's Lincoln division, whose MKX SUV uses a variant of MyFord Touch, improved one spot to 14th place. Other movers included Lexus (up seven spots to second place), Mazda (up eight spots to third) and Jeep (up seven spots to 13th).

The survey, based on responses from the magazine's 1.3 million subscribers, covered cars from the 2002 to 2011 model years, from which Consumer Reports predicts reliability for 2012 models. Consumer Reports says other Ford models, most notably the Fusion Hybrid sedan, remain as reliable as ever. And Ford appears committed to MyFord Touch, with plans to introduce it in the 2013 Taurus.