At this year’s North American International Auto Show, Honda CEO Takeo Fukui announced that the Japanese automaker would launch its first U.S. clean diesel in an Acura model next year. However, Fukui failed to mention which model would receive diesel-power. But Honda officials announced today that the next-generation TSX will have a diesel option, slated to hit our shores in 2009.
The TSX seemed like a likely candidate for diesel power as it is basically the Euro-spec Honda Accord — a vehicle that will hit European showrooms this summer with a diesel option. Honda’s new 2.2L i-DETC four-cylinder will power both vehicles.
Honda will also launch a V6 clean diesel in 2010, which will likely see duty in the Acura TL and MDX. The Honda Pilot could also use a version of the engine.
“All along, we’ve said there would be a diesel in Acura ,” Dick Colliver, executive vice president of American Honda Motor told Automotive News.
Acura heads upmarket
The diesel announcement is part of a broader effort to move Acura upmarket.
Colliver said the aim is to “separate Acura and Honda more.” He estimated in six years, Acura will be a “tier 1″ luxury automaker like BMW or Mercedes.
An Acura designer claimed last year the company plans to rival Bentley and Maybach.
Despite a down year for Acura in 2007 — sales slipped 10.5 percent to just 180,104 units — Collier is optimistic about the future of the brand. “We get the TSX in the spring and the new TL in the fall,” he said. He made it clear Acura expected 2007 to be tough, since much of the model line was aging.
To compete with BMW, Acura needs to redesign models, add more crossovers, and launch an “image car,” Collier said.The NSX will presumably be the brand’s image car, but its launch has been delayed and it remains unclear when the supercar will make its official debut.
Collier also addressed the weak sales of Acura’s range-topping RL sedan, saying that it was the “wrong car” for the segment. A new RL is slated to bow in 2010, and Collier revealed that the car’s overall direction will change.
