ll_22

LLN is reporting that this will probably show up in the TSX first and later TL. Wonder if it will be an IMA-type setup as current Honda's vs. true Hybrid setups like Toyota/Lexus??

djtanveer

do they say when?

ll_22

Later this year as 2011 TSX reportedly

LessisBestmakingendsmeet

https://acurazine.com/forums/showthr...385112&page=20

http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dl...M04/301189931#

DETROIT -- Acura dealers grieving over the cancellation of plans for V-8s and rear-wheel-drive vehicles may be heartened by the addition of hybrids to their lineup.

Honda Motor Co. CEO Takanobu Ito confirmed that the luxury brand will get hybrid variants. The company declined to give a time frame or say which models will get the technology.

An Acura dealer who spoke on condition of anonymity said a hybrid version of the TSX sedan is planned for the 2011 model year and two other hybrid models will follow soon after.

During an interview at the Detroit auto show, Ito said Honda has yet to complete development of a hybrid system for large vehicles.

John Mendel, American Honda Motor Co. executive vice president for auto sales, said the plan for Acura hybrids "has been around for a while." He said it was "not a quid pro quo" for losing V-8 and rear-drive vehicles that had been promised to dealers at a national meeting two years ago.

Honda executives in Japan had agreed to challenge top-tier luxury brands with V-8 and rear-drive models. But the company scuttled those plans after the economic crisis that began in the fall of 2008.

Mendel declined to give technical details or to say which vehicles would have hybrid variants, but he did say, "There will be more than one."

Using hybrids is appealing to Acura, spokesman Gary Robinson said.

"The idea of the big, bad luxury sedan with the shiniest grille has become a little uncouth," Robinson said. He noted that the Lexus RX 400h has sold well and that luxury customers are lining up for the $87,900 Fisker Karma hybrid sedan and $109,000 Tesla electric Roadster.

Robinson said Acura hasn't decided whether to use hybrid technology only to improve fuel economy or also to use electric motors to boost performance.

"Luxury is not about making compromises," he said. "The key component with the Honda [brand] hybrid has been cost, but with a luxury car we have more options."

Read more: http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dl...#ixzz0dHItGMaH

KeithL

Well if their enture with Accords was an indication the power path failed for the Accord, it need to be a compromise of decent MPG and s slight performance boost. 6 cyl. MPG with 8 cyl perfromance would be good. I'm surprised they have not put VCM into the new TL or the V6 TSX.

prepreludesh

I doubt they'd put VCM in it because it took Honda Accord owners a couple months before somebody put a V6 Accord with VCM on a dyno and found it made only 220whp. Then, with more customers recording their results, it is known that the VCM V6 puts out anywhere from 200whp to 230whp which is way low for a FWD (normally rated at 11% drivetrain loss).

Acura probably relates that their customs are willing to spend extra on their cars over honda and therefore, might not be as concerned with fuel mileage. One thing is for certain, Acura is slightly behind the "power curve" (pun intended) with other manufacturers offerings and know that every last HP that they can extract from their engines will at least keep them in the race. So we're not likely to see VCM until it can be paired with VTEC at least.

One final reason the TL probably doesn't have VCM is because, according to consumerguide.com, the TL already has "above class average" fuel economy. Take a look here:

http://consumerguideauto.howstuffwor...0-acura-tl.htm

The TL's fuel economy is a "5" while the class average is "4.7"

KeithL

I think eventually we are all (excpet those with tons of extra cash) going to be more concerned about MPG to a point. When this economy picks back up I think we're all going to start seeing $3.50 to $4 Regular gas as the norm and I would not be surpirised over time it may go higher. I for one while I enjoy driving and my car see a point where at $60+ a fill up (already close to $50 now) and literally 50%+ of my car expenses a month going to fuel will force me to be more economical in my choice. It is funny Lexus is ha been testing the market for some time and the new HS250 only out a few months yet I have seen several on the road already. Granted it is by no means a TL competetor or performance car, but the point is that there is a market for luxury economical cars and as gas $$ climb that market will grow.

ll_22

Really? Haven't seen any HS250 yet, thought it was due to the Toyota accelerator issue

ggesq

iTrader: (1)

please continue this discussion in the thread linked in post #4. thanks.