Acura Unveils Precision Concept at the 2016 Detroit Auto Show

All signs point to the merciful departure of its much-maligned signature beak grill as Honda's luxury division unveils a concept it promises will shape the design direction of future Acura products.

Acura

Let me get this out of the way before I even begin this story: I have a soft spot in my heart for Honda's luxury division. It was, after all, the reason I got into the car business in the first place.

Back in the late fall of 1986, I began my automotive career, in my mid-30s, by selling Acura Legends and Integras on Detroit's east side in what was, at that time, the only Acura dealership in Michigan. Those were heady times for Acura dealers as the average Legend was selling for $1,250 over its MSRP, while you could easily ask for and get $550 over sticker for any Integra model.

A great deal of water has passed under that bridge in the intervening 30 years. Back in 1987, Acura sold 109,000 cars. By 1990, my last year as an Acura salesperson, the division sold 113,000 cars compared to 78,000 for Mercedes and about 64,000 each for BMW and Lexus (the luxury division Toyota created after seeing Honda's success with Acura).

Today, I am a far different person in my mid-60s. The intervening years have been, I fear, even tougher on Acura. In 2015, Acura sold 177,155 cars, which could be viewed as an improvement if it weren't for the fact that, during the same timeframe, BMW, Lexus and Mercedes-Benz sold 346,023, 344,601 and 343,088 vehicles, respectively.

Acura's offerings, themselves, are nice enough, but its fall from grace can be attributed to a number of factors including eighty-sixing the Integra and, in particular, Legend nameplates, the lack of a V8 engine for its top-line sedan, its insistence upon front-wheel drive and styling that has ranged from the bland to the ridiculous (that would be its blade grille).

But at least one of those issues was addressed earlier this week when Acura unveiled its latest concept vehicle at the 2016 NAIAS.

Acura Precision Concept

"The Acura Precision Concept is more than simply a concept vehicle, it is a design study model that literally will shape the direction of all future Acura products around our Precision Crafted Performance DNA," said Dave Marek, Acura global creative director. "The Acura Precision Concept is the leading edge of a renewed commitment to delivering Precision Crafted Performance in every facet of the product experience and creating a powerful and very exciting direction for the next generation of Acura models."

Acura's new design language starts up front with what it describes as a "Diamond Pentagon" grille. The diamond theme is repeated throughout the concept with deep cuts and sharp angles that accentuate the narrow headlamp enclosures. The sides are dominated by sharp upper creases and deep lower body sculpting.

The rear fascia is as stunning as the front with the fastback hatch terminating at the rear lip and flanked by stingray-shaped rear taillamp housings that float behind diamond-shaped rear fender cutouts. The lower fascia features a flat carbon finish with stylized diamond-shaped, chrome-trimmed exhaust outlets on either side.

The interior carries over the diamond-shaped theme, but with a slightly softer motif using wood, metal and leather materials. Instrumentation and system functions are displayed on a wide center screen plus a smaller screen set just behind a steering wheel that features a flat top and bottom. A lower center console extends from midway along the front seat all the way back to the rear seats, while an upper console, containing the center stack, floats above it to just behind the front seat backs.

The symmetrical dashboard consists of three tiers with the middle and lower tiers forming an inverted "V" in the center.

The concept was created by Acura's California Design Studio under the direction of the brand's global creative director, Dave Marek. The exterior team was led by principal exterior designer Michelle Christensen, while the interior team was led by principal interior designer John Norman. Both Norman and Christensen played a key role in the creation of the second-generation Acura NSX.