Report: Acura remains as a Tier 2 luxury brand, reports on lineup future
AutomotiveNews reports that Acura is in a major lineup change and that the brand will continue to maintain being a “second-tier” luxury brand. In other words, Acura will stick to competing with Audi, Buick, Infiniti, and Volvo instead of Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Lexus.
So far, AN supposedly confirmed that Acura will be unveiling an all-new RL flagship while updating the MDX crossover and TL sedan for 2013. Acura will also be featuring a new seven-speed dual-clutch automatic to keep up with the times. To add, following Mazda’s SkyActiv marketing approach, Acura will begin adding their new “Earth Dreams” engine family in all future vehicles.
Beginning with the ILX, to curtail any rumors about a potential ILX coupe, AN found that there will be no coupe version. But because the current ILX has been widely noted for being underpowered, Acura may do an engine swap for the ILX’s mid-cycle refresh, which means an “Earth Dreams” engine—a 2.4L four-banger good for 181hp. To substitute the lack of a V6 option in the ILX, Acura may continue selling the TSX in V6 guise online in limited production.
The new 2013 Acura TL is expected to debut in the spring of 2013, sharing a good amount of its underpinnings with the all-new Honda Accord—a continuing tradition. Though expect a shorter wheelbase and overall length than the current TL as Acura plans to make the TL more of a TSX replacement. The TL’s “Earth Dreams” engine will be a 3.5L V6 good for 310hp and 265 lb-ft of torque, 30hp and 11 lb-ft more than the outgoing 3.5L TL. A hybrid version is also expected to come in the lineup as well, boasting around 45 mpg.
The RL is even a bigger piece of news as the redesign debuts this fall, complete with an “Earth Dreams” direct-injected 3.5L V6, supposedly good for 370hp. Expect Acura’s new seven-speed dual-clutch transmission to take duty in the RL, combined with Honda Motor’s new Sport Hybrid All-Wheel Drive system.
Opel Australia targets Volkswagen
Opel has declared Volkswagen its number one target as it bids to emulate its fellow German car maker’s success in Australia.
General Motors’ European arm has launched in Australia this week ahead of Opel showrooms opening their doors locally in September.
Opel Australia, which is based at the headquarters of sister company Holden in Melbourne, will initially offer three models: the Corsa city car, Astra small car and Insignia medium car.
Each Opel model is well equipped with standard features, though entry-level variants of both the Corsa and Astra start noticeably higher than key competitor models.
Opel Australia’s American boss, Bill Mott, admits the company is aiming to position its products as aspirational mainstream cars.
“If you call that [positioning] semi-premium then I guess that’s fine by us,” said Mott. “We are not calling our brand semi premium per se. A premium brand would be, say, an Audi or Mercedes.
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Name That Exhaust Note, Episode 145
July 31, 2012 at 4:10pm by Car and Driver
Hit play for an audio recording of a mystery car’s exhaust note, and then share your guesses or get a few hints from other visitors in the comments below. Be sure to check back on Thursday for the answer!
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MINI Paceman Prototype Revealed
The MINI Paceman – a two-door version of the Countryman MINI refers to as a sport activity coupe – is slowly going through the process of turning into a production model. To stop us from forgetting about it, MINI released a couple of pictures of its production prototype on its Facebook page. It looks basically the same as the concept car, apart from the taillights that appear to be changing slightly.
The Countryman itself is unnecessarily big with not much space inside the cabin and an annoying console thing where the rear middle seat would have been. Who would look at that and think it’s too practical, let’s remove the rear doors! That said, the Paceman would be an alternative for those who want to buy a normal MINI, not for its size, but for the way it looks. It has a high-riding driving position and a tiny bit of off-road capability.
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A Mustang Boss 302 Laguna Seca for Auction
To raise funds for the American Cancer Society, Ford has donated a Mustang Boss 302 Laguna Seca to the 10th Anniversary of the Cattle Baron’s Ball Auction, held on September 29.
The Candy Red Mustang was customized for the event to attract the highest bids from collectors and raise the most money for cancer research.
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| 2013 Ford Mustang Boss 302 Laguna Seca (Photo: Ford) |
“Like many people, my family has been personally affected by the challenges of cancer and I am proud to chair the Cattle Baron’s Ball in Detroit,” said Jim Farley, Ford Motor Company Group Vice-President, Global Marketing. “As a fan of the powerful, historic Mustang, I am especially pleased to provide this American icon for this worthy auction.”
BMW Super Bild Of The Day: Save the BMWs
Something must be done about stopping the auto wrapping craze going around. I don’t mean the matte wraps or even some of the carbon fiber wraps going around – some are done quite tastefully – but the colored chrome stuff has got to stop!
Seems the craze is more predominant in some parts of Eastern Europe, *cough* Russia *cough* where we see the bulk of these chrome wrapped circus cars coming from. I guess all the oil and mining money the nouveau riche have acquired can’t buy enough common sense.
The madness is not only happening with BMWs as we’ve seen a number of Mercedes, Lamborghini and Audi also subjected to such automotive cruelty. Whatever the car may be, this needs to stop before someone gets even more creative with the idea of wrapping automotive gems with the latest gaudy chrome finish du jour.
If you’re reading this, and one such chrome gem happens to reside in your garage, please stop reading this and immediately proceed to peel the bondage currently afflicting your BMW, then immediately come back and leave a comment in this section as to what possessed you to undertake such a crime against automotive societies everywhere.
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KSA Racing Days at Most Circuit
Car News, Europe, Trackdays — By MR on July 31, 2012 at 5:23 pm — No Comments
Our Czech reporter Jakub visited the Racing Days at the Most Circuit in Czech Republic. The event was organized by Klub Sportovnichaut for their members to race in different categories like Porsche 911 GT3, larger than 4.0 liter, 4.0 liter and lightweight cars.
In the gallery below you will a large variety of cars from brands like Porsche, Aston Martin, Nissan and KTM.