Acura May Unleash New Integra As Early As 2017

Cameron Aubernon
by Cameron Aubernon

The last time one could buy an Acura Integra/RSX new off the showroom floor was in the mid-2000s. That time could come again soon to help the upcoming NSX, and the brand overall.

Car & Driver reports Acura’s chief designer, Dave Marek, said a performance brand such as his employer “needs a flagship and… an accessible sport car. Not a sports car, but a sport car.” While the flagship — the NSX — is set to leave Ohio beginning next year, the reincarnated Integra/RSX would likely begin its return to the showroom floor in 2017 at the earliest.

Though Marek couldn’t be more specific regarding the supporting actor, he did acknowledge that Honda went the wrong way in making Acura too upscale, not at all helped by the Great Recession that turned what would have been the next NSX into a non-homologated Super GT combatant.

Meanwhile, Acura will debut a refreshed ILX next week at the 2014 Los Angeles Auto Show, which he says is a harbinger of things to come:

There are changes coming, and then there are more changes coming. It’s not what our direction is going to be, but it’s a step in that direction. There are lots of resources and activity going into making Acura back into what it was.

Cameron Aubernon
Cameron Aubernon

Seattle-based writer, blogger, and photographer for many a publication. Born in Louisville. Raised in Kansas. Where I lay my head is home.

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  • Kmars2009 Kmars2009 on Nov 10, 2014

    My point was exactly that...the Legend name had a certain appeal. When they started the letter nomenclature, some consumers got confused and simply walked away. Im sure the RLX is a fine car, I just think it might sell better with the Legend name attached.

  • Chan Chan on Nov 10, 2014

    I'll bet the 'I' in 'ILX' is a quiet pointer to the Integra. A hot ILX would be an interesting car.

  • Kmars2009 Kmars2009 on Nov 10, 2014

    They should also consider losing the toothy grill/front end. It was an interesting look for about 10 minutes ...now lets see something better. Again, another reason people walked away...it's a look that has stayed around past it's expiration date.

  • Spartan Spartan on Nov 11, 2014

    Those who remember the Integra from years past have since graduated from such cars. We drive midsize sedans and crossovers now because we have families and much different priorities. We aren’t teenagers or college students any longer. We’re all in our late 20s and early 30s these days. Of course an Integra doesn’t excite us! I had a Honda Prelude during my teenage through college years (2001 – 2006). If Honda said, “In 2016, the Prelude will return.”, I wouldn’t care. I have a wife and kid on the way. A 2 door sport coupe couldn’t be further from my mind. Now, if you told me Acura was building a longitudinal FWD/AWD layout and the Legend name was revived, you’d have my attention. Maybe not a sale, but that would at least interest me. Sometimes it pays for a brand to revisit its roots. However, at the root of it all for Acura, the Integra may as well have been a dressed up Honda Civic. It was a lightweight FWD sporty car with a high revving 4 cylinder motor. There’s far more exciting cars on the market than that.

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