By Drew Johnson Thursday, Aug 11th, 2011 @ 9:30 am

Acura’s sales have been trending in the wrong direction as of late – which many attribute to the company’s “keen edge” styling – but Honda’s luxury division will look to get things back on track with a new crop of vehicles over the next three years.


Honda’s product freshening will begin with a new version of the RDX crossover in mid-2012. The RDX will continue to offer front- and all-wheel drive, but Honda will replace its turbocharged four-banger with a naturally-aspirated 2.5L four-cylinder. A hybrid option will also be available but no V6 is planned.

A new MDX will follow closely behind the RDX, launching in the fall of 2012. The MDX will retain its more restrained styling, but the CUV’s 300 horsepower 3.7L engine is expected to be replaced by a 270 horsepower 3.5L V6. A hybrid option will also join the MDX lineup.

A new version of Acura’s RL flagship will bow in late 2012 as a 2013 model. Although there has been much talk about canning the slow-selling RL altogether – the Saab 9-5 is outselling the RL by a wide margin this year – Acura will be keeping its flagship as a matter of pride. We know that rear-drive and V8-power aren’t in the RL’s future, but no word on exact changes to the range-topper.

In early 2013 Acura will revive its RSX nameplate as an entry-level sedan. The RSX is intended to compete with vehicles like the Lexus CT 200h and BMW’s forthcoming front-wheel drive models and will ride on the Honda Civic’s architecture. Despite those rather lowly roots for a luxury car, Acura has learned its lesson from the Canadian-market CSX and will differentiate the two models by size and looks.

Acura is planning a coupe version of the RSX, but that model isn’t expected to arrive until the sedan’s mid-cycle refresh in 2015. Acura dealers have also asked for a convertible hardtop version of the car.

Given the planned launch of the new RSX in 2013, Acura could pull the plug on the TSX at the end of its lifecycle in 2013. Acura is concerned that there won’t be a big enough size difference between the RSX, TSX and TL.

Acura also has sizing issues on the upper-end of the scale as the TL is essentially the same size as the “larger” RL. In order to better separate the two, Acura will shrink the Accord-based TL when it is launched in late 2013.

Acura will also use the 2013 updated to swap out the car’s 3.7L V6 for a new 3.5L V6. The new mill will feature fuel saving technology like cylinder deactivation and automatic stop/start, and a hybrid option will also be available.

The Acura NSX was thought the be left for dead, but Honda Motor President Takanobu Ito says a new version of the high-end sports car is still in the works. However, the next NSX is still a ways off with a market launch not expected until at least 2014.