New Acura Design Studio Opens

The new $15 million Acura Design Studio officially opened its doors today, assuming a key role in the development of new concepts and designs that will lead directly to future Acura products. With state-of-the-art design technologies and a work layout focused on improving collaboration, the new design studio represents the next step in the advance of the Acura brand.

Designed to achieve a high level of energy efficiency, the studio also is expected to be certified as a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) building by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). A number of measures were adopted in the design and construction of the studio, with the goal of achieving LEED gold certification.

"This Acura Design Studio will help conceive and design the future of Acura," said Toshihiko Nonaka, president of Honda R&D Americas (HRA). "Our goal here is to create emotional designs that create a strong and distinct image for Acura products."

A number of Acura models, including the Acura MDX luxury sport utility vehicle and Acura TL luxury performance sedan, have been designed, developed and engineered by HRA. Moving Acura design activities into a state-of-the-art independent studio provides a more clear focus to advance the unique character of the Acura brand.

"The effort to distinguish Acura in the marketplace begins with design," said Dick Colliver, executive vice president of American Honda Motor Co., Inc. and the Acura Division. "The Acura Design Studio will be critical in our efforts to deliver products at the right times and ahead of the competition."

Key technologies in the Acura Design Studio include a computer-generated virtual simulator that enables design stylists to display virtual vehicles in a one-to-one ratio. Other features in the facility design include the parallel arrangement of the interior and exterior design areas on the styling floor to better enable collaboration of designers involved in a new vehicle.

As the latest expansion of HRA product design and development capabilities in North America, the Acura Design Studio joins the Honda Design Studio in Torrance, Calif. and the Advanced Design Studio in Pasadena, Calif. to further HRA's existing Los Angeles Center for research and design.

A celebratory groundbreaking for the Acura Design Studio was conducted March 27, 2006, marking the 20th anniversary of the creation of the Acura brand. Acura was the world's first Japanese luxury nameplate and the first Japanese luxury automaker to design, develop and manufacturer its vehicles in North America. Today, nearly two-thirds of all Acura vehicles sold in America are researched, designed, developed and assembled exclusively in North America.

In the effort to achieve a Gold rating by the USGBC, the Acura Design Studio includes many energy-saving attributes such as an Energy Star reflective roof to reduce heat gain and lower air conditioning requirements; reclaimed water used for landscaping; and an intelligent lighting system that makes greater use of natural light. Honda has other LEED gold certified facilities in Gresham, Oregon and Raymond, Ohio.

HRA began its operations in California in 1976 with local market research activities and has steadily grown its capabilities over the past 30 years to include all aspects of new vehicle design and development.

With the addition of the Acura Design Studio, the company operates 13 major R&D facilities in North America with more than 1,200 designers, engineers and support personnel engaged in the development of automobiles, motorcycles and power equipment products for North America and global markets. HRA's major centers include the Los Angeles Center (Torrance, CA) responsible for market research, concept development and styling design; the Ohio Center (Raymond, OH) responsible for complete product development, testing and support of North American supplier development; and two dynamic test facilities in California and Ohio; and the North Carolina Center (Swepsonville, NC) responsible for power equipment R&D.

Neverfollow - 5/25/2007 12:40:08 PM

+3 Boost

If anyone needs a new design studio it's Acura.

California and designers in one place conjures up images in my mind of guys that look like surfers passing around medical grade pot saying "check this out dudes, this would be rad!". Judging from some of the concepts they have come up with in recent years, I'm probably not too far off the mark.

Ever heard of a place called Italy? Maybe they should have tapped into some of that talent. They couldn't possibly take as long to come up with a good design as a group of CA pot heads.

truecarlover - 5/25/2007 6:41:31 PM

+2 Boost

I wonder the same thing...but then you have to realize that Acura, like Lexus and Infiniti were brought into being to cater to American luxury car tastes. Obviously Italian designers produce the most stunningly styled cars - but they want progressive - which is exactly California is looked at as. Personally I prefer the European flavor - though I own a Honda myself and drove a TL a whole lot. I love their engineering. Though that 3.2 liter engine didn't have much low rpm grunt. I think Honda makes better 4cylinder engines that 6. That's my opinion.

Neverfollow - 5/26/2007 12:05:35 PM

+2 Boost

Fine, I'd agree with engineering them for US tastes and needs, just design them with some style.

Citrobum - 5/26/2007 2:05:43 PM

+2 Boost

I find myself wonder what a car you designed would look like and I don't mean that offensively but it seems if you believe in cliches like California dopers (as though we have a corner on that market...check out middle america to find the most these day if they can take the time between meth mixes in the bathtub to smoke something without blowing themselves up)
I would say good design only comes from people who see beyond the cliche, and use influences to go beyond what has been even amazingly successful before.
you can't reinvent the wheel but you can, on occasion, make people think why it ever had to LOOK that way before 8-)
The successful companies always have a delimma after creating an image for themselves when they want to shake that image...Italians have to shake the image of bad quality but hardly ever bad styling design.....though some of those early Turino units look awefully "jetson" these days....
In my opinion alone, I would say Acura has tried to acquire the upper middle of the road customers who loved their Honda and wanted to move up....I was underwelmed with my test experiences with Acrua but love the morphing of the Honda logo to the tilted Acura accurate idea.....
I do have t say after having one of the first Hondas in the US....a 1972 600sedan for 7 years and leaving it reluctantly on a street corner in Longvie, France, I just can't go back to Japanese cars after have quite a few
european cars since the Honda......the seats have improved, the handling has improved, the styling has improved and the luxury over all has improve in the Asian cars.....but lets face it.....who have they been chasing all these years and why get a substitute?
One reason only it would seem or well two. Price and quality of Build.
I still feel after all these years and cars that one of the reasons Japanese cars are more durable is they ask less from them and I can feel it.
I had a '97 A8 and a '95 Q 45 .....almost exact same car on paper(coincidence... I think not 8-)....same wheel base same weight...everything....but same league.
hardly....same price NO again but wow, I was surprised at th difference. and 278 or so hp from 4.5 liters on the Q and 310 hp out of 4.2 liters on the A8...
all aluminum body and chassis....hundreds of feature more including solar sun roof to cool the interior without running down the battery while the car sat.
it wasn't a perfect car either in many other ways but at least .5 more car than the Q45......Acura has a long way to go to me to get to were they LOOK like they are at by the styling they have even now.
But that said I hope this gives some of my friends from Art Center in Pasadena
jobs at the design studio 8-)......Erik Vander Palen are you out there 8-)
Gary

Agent63 - 5/25/2007 3:54:23 PM

+2 Boost

This will be a good addition to the Acura brand. I hope the next generations of Acuras to come have been fortified with great finishing and quality levels. Their lineup with the latest MDX has shown that Acura's quality control can be top notch as well.

It's too bad Acura never hired the great marketers like Lexus did to promote the brand. Otherwise I think the Acura brand would be more respected. They are the understated of the understated in my opinion. Not enough respect is given to Acura and what they do.

That's just my opinion.

Dave - 5/25/2007 10:46:03 PM

+4 Boost

It is true that not enough respect is given Acura, but a lot of that is due to their own fault. Advertising is only a small part of the problem. Yes, Acura has superb build quality and reliability, but many times that is not enough to get people who buy luxury cars into showrooms.
While every luxury car maker is moving forward quickly, Acura has still yet to offer a true rear wheel drive vehicle(except the NSX). Sure there's the SH-AWD, but the all wheel drive system is rather heavy and coupled with VTEC engines which lack torque, leads to poor initial acceleration times. The front wheel drive nature also leads to more weight on the front of the car, which is far from BMW's 50/50 ideal weight distribution for responsive cornering and handling.
Let's talk styling. The TL and TSX are not bad, but they need an update. The styling is getting old. The 'flagship' RL has a fantastic interior, but is way too Honda Accordish outside. That is a big factor in why the RL sales are slow. Why spend $55,000 on a car that resembles a low priced Honda?
If Acura was the only luxury brand, these problems probably wouldn't be a big deal. The reality is, all the other luxury makes are way ahead of Acura in terms of engine power and performance. The ironic thing is, Acura easily has the finances and know how to probably build better vehicles than anyone else. They were the first to offer innovations such as variable valve timing and drive by wire throttle. Management seems to have been very conservative over the years. Acura is supposedly a luxury name, but doesn't even have a V8!!!
Let's hope with this new design studio that Acura is at least secretly getting it's act together and is designing cars that do battle some of the world's best.

Lecsucks - 5/26/2007 2:32:32 AM

+3 Boost

The TL is probably one of the best looking sedan on the road even though it's 4 years old. Lexus is far from having good looking cars. Marketing genius has a lot to do with Lexus success. Saying that Acura is not a true luxury brand because they don't have a V8 is like saying is not a true luxury brand because of its lack of V12. How many BMWs 550's and Mercedes E550's do you see on the road compared to 525, 530 and E350 ? Not a lot. Since Honda/Acura is developing a V8, Acura now needs a better marketing team.

Lecsucks - 5/26/2007 2:33:52 AM

+2 Boost

Like saying Lexus is not

Agent63 - 5/26/2007 7:30:32 AM

+3 Boost

The TL is true understated Japanese luxury. It has the performance and has the ride quality but it lacks the flash of even a Lexus. Their owners know what they buy and know it's good for the money.

Whether we like it or not Acura, Infiniti, and Lexus are eco-luxury brands. Their not as exclusive as the European ones. However the Japanese have great reliability and build quality and that's their strong point. I've owned a car from each of these brands before and their worth the money.

Blakura - 5/26/2007 2:23:06 PM

+2 Boost

I went into the dealership yesterday to have my HandsFreeLink (bluetooth) checked out, while I was waiting I ended up talking to a salesman. I was telling him that I had no interest in trading my '05 TL in for an '07 because there wasn't enough difference between the two in my opinion, then as I was telling him what I would like to see with the Acura lineup, he told me that I sounded as if I was in a meeting they had with an Acura rep 2 days ago as I was saying a lot of the same things that they had been told by the rep. I was basically expressing frustration with the fwd setup, the need for more power to compete, and the need for the RL to either "piss or get off the pot." From that meeting he told me that acura is planning a major overhaul of their lineup to include:

*300+ HP across the line (to include the TSX)
*a TSX coupe
*due to the fact that acura has stretched the 3.2L V6 to the limit, a larger engine for the TL but with i-VTEC (he said that Acura will not let the fuel economy drop to the mid - low teens)
*AWD across the line. (What? no RWD) He told me that with the HP #'s they have to be able to better direct that power to the ground and be safe about it at the same time
*V8 (no larger than 4.2L) for the RL
*And most importantly...A NEW FLAGSHIP SEDAN!!! He told me that the name LEGEND, among others was being strongly considered for that new car based on the name's popularity and its recognition in the marketplace.
*also approx. 280hp for the '08 Accord V6
We didn't talk about where the RL would slot in the marketplace, but he did mention that acura wants to compete with the Lexus LS460 and BMW 7-Series, so that suggests the RL will stay where it is in terms of market position while the Legend takes on the competition's flagships, but with a 300HP TSX, will that move the TL upmarket on the same level as the RL (kinda like lexus does with the IS and ES) I'm coming up with a few questions as I type this that I didn't think about yesterday.

He said that Acura's V8 would be an entry-level (in terms of size) to ensure they keep their fuel economy above average. The TSX will probably have a V6 but a turbo is still a possibility. He told me that Acura wants to emphasize perfomance and safety more than they have in the past. I hope most of the information is true. I can't wait for the games to begin. Keep your fingers crossed! If anyone can add to this or disprove any of it, please share! Let's post some good information!