Prepare to See a Lot More Acura Type S Models
The 2021 TLX may be a preview into Acura’s future in more ways than one. Beyond the styling, the 2021 Acura TLX Type S is gearing up to be a legitimately sporty luxury sedan. But the TLX, it seems, won’t be the only car benefiting from the welcome return to the brand’s roots. New rumors are saying more Acura Type S models are on the horizon.
How Acura plans on adding Type S models
The information, Motor Trend reports, comes courtesy of an Acura dealership webinar, initially detailed on fansite AcuraZine. The webinar video has since been taken down, but not before fansite forum users managed to grab some screenshots.
In addition to showing the Acura TLX Type S, the screenshots also detail a few upcoming models. One of these is an MDX Type S crossover. The other is an unnamed ‘New Compact Sedan,’ which is also getting the Type S treatment. This will likely be the ILX’s replacement, Roadshow reports.
Besides just the Type S trim, the Acura MDX is also getting a refresh for 2021. Despite being the brand’s strongest seller, Automobile reports, consumers have dinged the crossover for lacking certain features. Although what new features, Type S or otherwise, will be available, we do have some idea of the 2021 model’s design.
Another AcuraZine user, Motor1 reports, managed to uncover a rendering of the 2021 Acura MDX in their RDX’s UI. A rendering that closely matches a screenshot captured by another AcuraZine user during a TLX commercial.
However, Acura doesn’t just offer sedans and crossovers. It also has the NSX supercar, which seems like a perfect Type S candidate. Or even, like the Civic, Type R—after all, the first-gen NSX was also the first Type R product.
Will the Acura NSX get a Type S?
The Acura NSX will still be a part of the brand’s lineup, MT reports, at least for a few more years. The dealership webinar showed the supercar surviving until the 2022 model year, which was the limit of the video’s forecast. It’s worth noting Acura updated the NSX for the 2019 model year. However, the webinar didn’t show the Acura NSX getting any Type S or R trims.
An Acura NSX Type R, though, was never going to happen. In a Motor1 interview, Civic Type R project leader Hideki Kakinuma explained the ‘Type R’ trim was reserved for Honda-badged cars with a racing connection. If an even sportier NSX were to debut, it would be badged ‘Type S,’ instead.
That’s not to say that an Acura NSX Type S couldn’t still happen.
What we still don’t know
As of this writing, Acura hasn’t officially confirmed the timeline shown in the webinar. In a statement to MT, a brand spokesperson said, “While this presentation is intended for Acura dealers and is not all-encompassing or definitive, it does demonstrate that we intend to deliver on that brand promise, step-by-step, starting with the 2021 TLX.” In short, there are more Type S models coming, but the exact timeline’s not set in stone.
It is worth noting that Acura doesn’t appear to be going BMW M Performance with the ‘Type S’ moniker. Although, like BMW, there will be a Type S crossover, not all Acura crossovers will offer the trim. The compact RDX, for example, isn’t listed amongst the planned Type S models. There also doesn’t appear to be a direct replacement for the RLX sedan, Type S, or otherwise.
We also don’t know what will power the Type S models. Though Autoblog suspects the MDX would likely receive the TLX’s 3.0-liter turbocharged V6. And it’s possible the ILX replacement would borrow the Civic Type R’s engine and drivetrain. Considering some believe the ‘new compact sedan’ will be badged ‘Integra,’ that would truly bring history back full-circle.
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