The recent launch of the resurrected Integra nameplate is just one part of a larger shift in mission at Acura. Its leaders have repeatedly said that they want Acura to be the performance brand of Honda’s motobike, where the fun and dynamism of driving is a top priority. However, in a new report, Acura says it has a comprehensive development plan tram, at an even greater rate than its parent company, by omitting mixture step completely.
According to Acura Assistant Sales Manager Emile Korkor, the Integra marks the beginning of the internal combustion era at Acura. It marks a return to the brand’s performance lineup, and once the Integra is launched, the brand will move forward with the electrification of its lineup. The company’s plans were revealed in a Automotive News In the interview, Korkor said, “We’re going to completely ignore hybrids. So our transition is happening very quickly to BEVs. That’s our main focus.”
At first, that might seem counterintuitive to brand boss Jon Ikeda’s public statements about Acura. Most recently a few weeks ago, Ikeda said that he want to join the Integra . race, as a mascot for the “fun” brand at Honda. Perhaps we’ve been too sensitive to automakers making big claims about the EV transition. Jaguar, Land Rover, Bentley, and Infiniti, but the green message is often not about performance in the traditional sense.
“We’re not just dipping our toes in the water with electricity at Acura, we’re all jumping in,” said Korkor. And that’s not just because we need to. It’s because we want to. Acura is really focused. into performance, and electrification is one of the most amazing ways we can enhance that performance.”
While electrification and performance are not mutually exclusive, we’ve yet to drive a connected EV as pretty as a 1990s Integra or NSX do. Acuras has never been about power and torque. However, they are still attractive performance cars thanks to their excellent steering and dynamics.
Then there’s the matter of what Acura stands for. Back in February, Ikeda said that Acura was purposefully retaining the EV . strategy because it needs to reset its performance gains. Now, Korkor says, “The benefit of returning to Integra now is that it will help attract a new generation of customers and build loyalty as we move into a new era.”
The problem is, Integration alone is not enough to establish that performance credit. Given the nonchalant response that hardened Acura enthusiasts have given what on paper – a manual-shift sports sedan – should have been a foothold on the shore against a intersection tsunami, Acura still has a long way to go before it can touch its 1990s glory. Something tells us these Integration customers won’t be so loyal once they’re offered. tram built on the GM . platform.
We could be wrong. Maybe Acura will build a cannon sports sedan that is loved around the world GM’s chassis. Right now, it looks like Acura is moving into the next phase of its big EV plans with the first part, performance legitimacy, only half-finished.
