Honda, in attempts to warm their brands back up to their drivers and retain a competitive edge has been hard at work refreshing, updating and redesigning their vehicles, and that includes the Acura product line as well. It looks as if the new design for some of the Acura models is going to have some very distinctive styling indeed. While the Acura ILX and Acura NSX concept cars originally had a more conservative approach, they have been recipients of the predatory bird, beak like look for their front end styling. It looks futuristic and no one can say it will not get attention. The critics are not warming up to it at this point though, although Honda seems intent on keeping the design regardless of the critics.
Toshinobu Minami is the new head of global design for Acura and had some comments about the over the top styling initiatives. He was brought on board last September and was charged by President Takanobu to add more visual interest into the Acura’s conservative styling. Minami said, “We concede that we went a little overboard at some points. We actually had pretty bad feedback on this initially from different directions. But we are not going to buckle under that pressure. There hasn’t been that great of a change, but maybe people have gotten used to it. There may be small evolutions here or there in details.”
The v-shaped grille for the Acura models, which is being called “The Beak” is being tested out on the new Acura ILX entry level sedan that went on sale this spring. It has also made its appearance on the redesigned Acura TL. The TL debuted last fall. It’s also on the Acura NSX concept sports car that was recently shown at the Detroit Auto Show. While critics may still be up in the air about this beak, we’ll have to wait a little longer to see if Honda has achieved its goal of recreating interest for the Acura brand.
Source: Automotive News