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Acura eyes emerging markets

Honda's Acura Division has mostly been a North American entity during its 28 years of existence, but Honda plans to take its upscale brand onto the global stage.
Honda has announced plans to introduce Acura in Russia and the Ukraine in 2014 and move into Brazil and the Middle East in 2015. There is now a fledgling Acura sales operation in China that Honda aims to expand.
Still, the ambitions for Acura are more modest than Nissan's global aspirations for Infiniti. Nissan Motor CEO Carlos Ghosn expects Infiniti sales to grow from 170,000 to 500,000 by 2017.
In 2012, Honda sold about 176,000 Acura vehicles globally, with the United States accounting for 156,216 and Canada 17,154. The remaining few were sold in China and Mexico.
"Little by little, we have taken a bigger global footprint," Jeff Conrad, Acura's U.S. general manager, said at the introduction of the MDX cross-over here. "Our plans are not grandiose in scale, but they are rolling out."
Conrad declined to give a global volume estimate, but Honda Motor executives have said they want Acura's U.S. volumes to climb to 200,000 sales in the near term.
In markets such as Russia and China, larger vehicles such as the MDX, TL and RLX are expected to perform well. The MDX has been a gray-market favorite in Russia for several years.
One thing to be decided is how Acura products will be badged in markets where the brand is not present -- notably in the case of the NSX, which arrives in late 2014. The first-generation NSX was badged a Honda outside of the United States.
"That the NSX is being developed and built in America as an Acura product is a statement of how significant Acura is for American Honda and for Honda overall," said Honda spokesman Sage Marie. "Global distribution of the NSX will happen from here."
For now, Acura does not plan to expand into Western Europe, mostly because of Europe's continuing economic doldrums, Conrad said.
Moving Acura into Eastern Europe, South America and the Middle East may be the best next step, said TrueCar analyst Jesse Toprak. The newly wealthy in those emerging countries may aspire to newer luxury brands. "New unknown brands can become a status symbol in those markets," he said. "No one has an Acura in Istanbul."

Source: AutoNews

Behind the Scenes at Acura's NY Auto Show 'Road to the Future'

Spring Driving Tips

Keep these driving tips in mind this spring as you travel:

• Hitting potholes can throw your car's front end out of alignment. If you feel your car "pulling" during driving, that's a clue that you could have a problem. Check the tread on your tires: uneven tread wear can be a sign of misalignment. If you hit a severe pothole, have us check your vehicle's alignment and tire balance.
  
• When you hit a pothole you can damage your tire and/or the metal wheel of your vehicle. Keeping your tires properly inflated will help reduce damage from potholes and other road hazards.
   
• The impact of potholes on tires increases dramatically with speed and can cause hidden, internal damage that could lead to tire failure weeks, or even months, later. It is best to avoid potholes entirely, but if that's not possible, don't brake during pothole impact. Instead, apply brakes before hitting a pothole and release them just prior to impact. Braking during the impact sets up the tire and wheel assembly for a "solid hit" against the edge of the hole. Less severe damage occurs when a tire is rolling than when it is skidding over a hole during braking.

It's the perfect vehicle for a Summer road trip!

Check out the all new 2014 Acura RDX. Spacious and luxurious at the same time! Stop in today and take a look at this beauty!

2014 Acura ILX: Leather, Active Noise Now Included

The Acura ILX sedan enters its second model year with a few more features—and a price hike of $1,000.
Leather upholstery is now standard on all 2014 ILX models, with leatherette door liners. An eight-way power driver's seat, heated front seats, and a Multi-Angle Rearview Camera system have also all been added to the standard-features list.
There's also a new subwoofer included with the standard audio system, but one new standard feature with significant impact may prove to be Active Noise Cancellation (ANC), a feature that can actively 'mop up' smaller but bothersome noises from the powertrain or road, using the sound system's speakers, a cabin microphone, and a sophisticated processing algorithm.
The ILX continues to be, essentially, a sporty luxury sedan that shares some of its underpinnings with the Honda Civic. Amplitude Reactive Dampers improve the ride while keeping handling precise, and a Motion Adaptive Electric Power Steering system does contribute to its more confident driving manners.
Powertrains haven't changed for 2014. A base 2.0-liter in-line four-cylinder engine makes 150 horsepower, while you can step up to a 201-hp, 2.4-liter four for more performance. The 2.0-liter engine comes only with a five-speed automatic transmission (with SportShift), while the 2.4-liter comes with a six-speed manual gearbox. Fuel economy ratings range up to 24 mpg city, 35 highway (with the 2.0), or 22/31 with the 2.4-liter.
A hybrid model will also again join the lineup and offer the best fuel economy, although it hasn't yet been specified for 2013; we're assuming that its Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) mild-hybrid system, with a 1.5-liter gasoline engine, will carry over, earning EPA ratings of 39 mpg city, 38 highway.
As for that price? The 2014 ILX starts at $27,795, including destination, and ranges up (for non-hybrid models) to $30,095 for the six-speed manual model—and that's prior to any options, in both cases.
Head over to The Car Connection and see the latest full review, covering the 2014 Acura ILX, for pictures, specs, and pricing details.

Acura RDX ride gets even smoother

Actually, the Acura RDX doesn't fill prescriptions or offer ibuprofen on a buy-one-get-one-free basis.
That's because it's not really a drugstore. It's an automobile, a compact crossover SUV, to be exact.
But while it doesn't dispense drugs, it is, like all its vehicular brethren, the recipient of a marketing prescription. And that prescription has changed dramatically, resulting in a very different RDX for the 2013 model year.
The RDX, which debuted as a 2007 model, was originally aimed at a 30ish male yuppie who prized driving fun. It featured a turbocharged four-banger, a sophisticated, performance-minded all-wheel-drive system and a firm, sporty suspension.

But, as it turned out, the yuppadoo wasn't very interested in a sporty Acura crossover. The people who were interested, and buying the upmarket crossover, were DINKs (double income, no kids) and empty nesters. And these folks really didn't give a meadow muffin about performance. They just wanted an attractive, practical, and comfy crossover that would get them to the office and Lowe's.
Roger that, said the Acura product operatives. Consequently, the high-revving turbo four was replaced with a smoother, normally aspirated V-6. The five-speed automatic gearbox was deep-sixed in favor of a more economical six-speed. A simpler, less performance-oriented all-wheel-drive system like the one in the Honda CR-V was substituted for the previous box. Finally, the suspension was softened up in the interests of a better ride.
While the changes didn't do performance any favors, they helped in several other areas. The new RDX is more comfortable than the previous car, for openers. Engine performance is sort of a wash: The 2.3-liter turbo has less horsepower than the 3.5-liter V-6 but more torque. The V-6 is smoother and quieter than the four and probably more appropriate for an upmarket SUV.
And thanks to the efficient gearbox, better aerodynamics, the switch to electric power steering, and a new set of Michelin tires, the V-6-powered RDX also gets better gas mileage. The front-drive model has EPA mileage ratings of 20 city and 28 highway. The AWD car I drove was 19 and 27.
Personally, I much prefer the V-6 to the old four. It's quieter, its 273 horses get it out of the chute in a hurry, and the engine note that accompanies its full-throttle march through the gears is delightfully stirring.
The new RDX is quieter than its predecessor, and more comfortable. It is also quite roomy for a compact. The front seat offers plenty of room for two big people. The rear seat offers enough head, leg, and shoulder room for two bigs or three mediums. Cargo space is among the best in class: more than 26 cubic feet with the backseat up and more than 61 when folded down.
The RDX's interior design, like its body styling, is pretty conservative. The dash and door-panel design is rather busy, with a somewhat off-putting glitch in the doors. There are big, sweeping door pulls on all but the driver's panel, where the pull was left off to allow access to the window and door controls on the armrest. The aesthetic result is akin to having female triplets and an adopted son.
Storage abounds in the RDX. There are enough cubbies in the door panels to evoke a Pueblo cliffside community.
There is also a strange warning in the cargo area concerning the cup holders in the armrest that folds down from the rear seat back: "Remove drinks from cup holders before folding the seat back down to prevent spilling contents."
Duh.
The warning is repeated in Spanish. What about French for the Canadian market?

---

Excellent

2013 Acura RDX
(AWD, Tech Package)
Base price: $39,420.
As tested: $40,315 (including shipping).
Standard equipment: 3.5-liter engine, six-speed automatic transmission, all-wheel-drive and a luxury litany ranging from leather and power, heated front seats to a navigation system, premium sound,
and a power liftgate.
Options: None.
Fuel economy: 19 city and 27 highway (premium gas).
Engine performance: Lively.
Styling: Calm, conservative.
Handling: Good.
Ride quality: Excellent.
Warranty: four years/50,000 miles bumper to bumper.
The Ben key: Four Bens, excellent; three Bens, good; two Bens, fair; one Ben, poor.

How to Change your Windshield Wipers

Although we swear to ourselves not to wait until the next hurricane, rain storm, or blizzard to realize we need new wipers, we usually do. Inevitably, we're just trying to get home from a long day at the office when a sudden downpour starts; we fire up the wipers and they can't clear the water.
There we are squinting through the blurry windshield trying to make out the radar blip of distant taillights, cursing ourselves for not changing the wipers the last time we said we were going to.
If you get your oil changed regularly, you're probably in good shape. Service stations check the wipers for you.
But, if you're a do-it-yourselfer, then you just might let the wipers deteriorate to rubber bits until the day you need them.
To prevent this frustration, the next time you're at a gas station or auto parts store, pick up a couple of replacements to have on hand. Depending on what part of the county you are in, the rubber wiper portions generally only last six months to one year.
And just because you live in a region country where it barely drips rain, do not be misled into thinking your wipers are immortal. They aren't. The sun is bakes and cracks them into oblivion. Plus, if you use your wipers to constantly clear road gunk from the windshield, those bits of debris that are seeming tossed to the wayside slowly eat away at the wipers.
If you do have a pair of wipers handy, they are easy to change. You can opt to switch out only the rubber portion of the blade that squeegees the windshield, but in most cases you'll change the whole blade. The entire gadget consists of an arm and a blade. The blade directly attaches to the arm, and is comprised of a mount and the metal-covered-by-rubber slab.
Before you purchase refill blades or replacement rubber strips, either check the length with a tape measure or look in the manual for the proper size (usually they range from 16-21 inches). Also, your local auto parts store should have manuals that match up every car ever manufactured with a correct replacement.

Signs You Need to Replace Your Wipers

• Windshield streaking

• Windshield smearing

• Wiper screeching

• Wiper is brittle with rubber flaking off at the touch

• Wiper is frayed

Tools for the Change

• Screwdriver

• Tape measure

• Needle-nose pliers

Three Types of Wiper-Arm Mounts

Hook Slot Connector―This type of blade is the easiest to change. Bring the arm to a right angle and search out the flap that attaches the wiper in the slot. Either push it in or unlatch it. One way or the other will release the blade and allow you to pull it out. If it poses any difficulty, tug it with pliers. Insert the new wiper and slide it along the slot until you feel or hear it snap into place.
Pin Type Arm― Basically uses the same concept of the hook-slot arm, except you will see a pin rather than a tab. Press on the pin from behind the blade or lift the pin out (most likely will entail the use of a screwdriver). Jiggle the blade until it fully releases. Lock the new blade into the pins.
Straight-End Connector―Changing this type can be a drag, because it tends to be more difficult. If there is a notch or tab that secures the blade, you only need to release it using your screwdriver. Pull the blade out and install the new one by sliding it in and locking it.
This is the simplified version. The other involves having to deal with screws the size of ants that hold the blade in. Take out the screws to remove the old blade and install the new one. Note that the screws are fragile so take it easy when securing them.
Now that your new wiper blades are in place, you should be able to have a clear view of the road ahead―regardless of the weather.

May Day! May Day! Where will you be taking your Acura this month?