Acura could skip V8s, introduce V10s

Honda's Acura division has long been criticized for not offering V8 powertrains on any of its luxury or sports cars. But rather than producing a V8 to rival Lexus and BMW, Acura is considering skipping V8s all together and opting for V10 power instead.



John Watts, product planning manager for Acura America told Automotive News his company will test the waters with a V10 in the next NSX. If that goes well, there's a good chance V10s will end up in other Acuras, too.

"That's the plan," Watts said. "We'll see how people react to a 10 in the sports car and maybe move from there. Maybe instead of using V8s, we'll take the next step up and go to V10s," he said.

V10s are usually reserved for ultra-expensive sports cars, with the BMW M5 and M6 being the least expensive mainstream vehicles to feature V10 motors. But Acura could conceivably use less powerful ten-cylinder engines in its more premium models, including front-engine coupes and sedans.