Rumormill: Acura planning to take on BMW 1, Audi A3 with new RSX?
Remember back in the day when Honda was all about building two-doors? At various times between its own badge and its premium Acura division, the Japanese automaker had the Prelude, CRX, RSX, NSX, Legend, CL and S2000 – in addition to coupe versions of the Civic and Accord. A few years down the line and the S2000 is on its way out, leaving the Civic and Accord coupes to hold down the fort by themselves until the new NSX arrives in whatever form it takes. According to new reports, however, the Japanese automaker is keen to bridge that gap once again with a successor to the RSX coupe.
Based on the next-gen Civic, due in 2011, the new RSX (or whatever it would be labeled) is rumored to, like the upcoming CT hatchback from arch-rival Lexus, take on the likes of the BMW 1 Series, Audi A3 and Volvo C30 in the premium compact segment. If it happens, expect a front-drive layout with probable four-cylinder propulsion (if not a hybrid setup like the forthcoming CR-Z), but beyond that your guess is as good as ours, so stay tuned.
[Source: eGMCarTech]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
Franz 3:34PM (9/01/2009)
Oh Honda... another FWD coupe? Instead of letting the RWD S2000 platform just fade away, why not build a proper RSX replacement on top of that?
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Paul 5:01PM (9/01/2009)
Nah, FWD is fine given the pricepoint they're aiming for. The original Integra and RSXs were fantastic for 20-somethings with a diploma and a knack for hard-driving. This would be no different.
But the inside word is: "Acura is going away." It's been massively unprofitable in the US and is suffering mightily. The folks at American Honda in Torrance are saying it'll be gone "in five years." That's a quote.
zamafir 5:33PM (9/01/2009)
sounds good, seriously. You can't have a brand in your portfolio suffering double digit declines MTD and YTD every single month/year for half a decade+. Yes they're moving more in pure numbers than other automakers, but for how much longer? And are those volumes enough to satisfy R&D cost? With the changing automotive market it seems brands entirely dependent upon the US to sustain the majority of their business are going to continue to have difficult times, especially the niche ones.
vf34wrx 5:36PM (9/01/2009)
@Paul: I wouldn't be surprised if Torrance HQ made a statement like that publicly. The brand has never had a value proposition strong enough to differentiate itself from the rest of the luxo crowd. The FWD cars were a joke, and the SH AWD is too little & too late. The dynamics and excitement of Acura that was the Legend and Integra is long gone. Unfortunately Honda's OLD and dying Japanese management won't retire & die fast enough, and nobody else in the company is willing to stand up for what Soichiro stood for.
They can keep selling Civics & Accords, but that's probably it.
Robert112 5:45PM (9/01/2009)
"RSXs were fantastic for 20-somethings with a diploma"
Yeah I'm one of those who wanted an RSX type-S bad. After they killed it, a factory riced civic (si) left much to be desired. Now as I'm getting older I don't want the same car all the 16 year olds are parading around.. I want something bigger, manual-shift, and rwd. Honda has pretty much lost all of my interest now days. It's sad to see them go with the Toyota (appliance vehicle) strategy.
fixitfixitstop 8:27PM (9/01/2009)
I seriously do not understand the disdain for FWD. Then again, I don't understand why people drive automatic.
RoadrunnerSTi 3:36PM (9/01/2009)
I loved my RSX Type S.... but i had to problems... it was FWD and slow, but the K20 engine with a turbo would fly and put up better #s per liter per psi then just about any small engine short of a 4g63...
Acura needs to make this car AWD/RWD and bring back an updated(maybe direct injection) K20 and add a gt28 turbo... the car would be perfect
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adam1drift 4:38PM (9/01/2009)
I'm okay with the car being FWD but for #*@& SAKE make it fun to drive!
I loved my old 88 integra, to this day was one of the more fun cars to drive that i've owned! bring back that fun in a new car... and make it look better than the ugly RSX
Clavius 3:39PM (9/01/2009)
Wait.. I thought they dropped the RSX due to the fact it didnt fit in with their brand image or something to that effect not so long ago. And now they are saying they wish to resurect it?! I'll be taking this with a grain of salt.
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PCIV 4:48PM (9/01/2009)
They COULD resurrect it with a bit more style (1 series), less Civic Si.
thomas 7:15PM (9/01/2009)
i dont think they anticipated everyone else joining the segment they were abandoning. least of all that they'd do so successfully.
Acura could have owned this market if they had continued along the path of the 2 and 4dr Integras. oh well.
sfdennis1 3:40PM (9/01/2009)
I'd welcome another sports COUPE in a world gone mad for crossovers, and boring sedans...my only fear is what the poor thing is going to look like with the ridiculous 'Acura Beak' grafted on. God Acura, please stop designing these monstrosities!
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BigMcLargeHuge 3:42PM (9/01/2009)
They may all be a similar size, but the 1-series is more of a sports car, the other 2 are luxury hot hatches.
I agree with the S2000 replacement. The hot hatch market is pretty well covered.
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BoxerFanatic 5:36PM (9/01/2009)
Agreed.
A fancier, slightly bigger Civic, with a longer features list is not automatically the car people want.
Especially if going after BMW 1-series, or an AWD A3, FWD is not good enough.
Frankly, 1-series is too short in length, and narrow, and just small, and A3 is too expensive for a format that is available in a Mazda 3 or 5-door WRX, even if Audi looks better than both.
in the 28-38 rough-estimate market, it seems you can either get small, like those two, or big like G37, and even Mustang GT and Genesis Coupe are a bit too big, too. (genCoupe is about right inside, a bit bulky on the outside, and should have a fastback third door.)
RSX was too much a fancy civic, and not enough successor to Prelude. And being other than FWD will only help in this market. SH-RWD would be pretty decent.
Besides that fact, how would a new RSX that is FWD differentiate itself between the ubiquitous Civic, and the bulky Accord Coupe?
The personal coupe is a market that has some room to be filled out more than it is, but I hope people who do product planning actually figure out how to build GOOD cars, and ATTRACTIVE cars, rather than just adding an option list to an econo-box, and trying to foist it on people.
Agreed that this should be on a slightly extended S2K chassis. Front-mid engined, wishbone suspended, longitudinal driven, I4 and V6 powerplants, and actual refinement and value, for a price that people in this economy can afford, in a car that looks good enough not to pass up.
I can hardly think of cars that aren't mostly "meh" on new car lots right now. Some perhaps decent, but still can be passed by, and my hard earned money go toward maintaining what I have, rather than saving for something newer, and better.
Kumail 4:26PM (9/01/2009)
If they put the shield grill on it, it won't matter if its a RSX or a S2000 replacement.
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JayC 4:27PM (9/01/2009)
Acura needs some serious soul searching, besides the TL, all their vehicles are unmemorable.
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Luis 4:33PM (9/01/2009)
They're all memorable now, c'mon...you go blind when the sun reflects off the front of any of them and you damn sure remember that!
GML 4:31PM (9/01/2009)
The Acura brand is quickly dying when it really doesn't have to. Make all your cars AWD standard, experiment with turbos, and I think you'll have a decent car company again. Otherwise, have Hyundai supply luxury cars to you and sell Genesis and Equus under the Acura symbol.
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adam1drift 4:43PM (9/01/2009)
That’s just a horrible idea… if they are going to go away from FWD why go to AWD? Make it a fun FWD hatch like the euro Focus or a great driving fun RWD coupe like the BMW 1…
We don’t want Acura to be going all Suzuki and Subaru on us…
GML 4:46PM (9/01/2009)
Suzuki or Subaru? Are you forgetting that Acura is supposed to be a luxury brand? I was thinking more in line with Audi. A "fun FWD hatch" would be better positioned as a Honda, not an Acura.