The 2021 Acura TLX will go sale in the United States next week and be followed by a Type S variant in the spring. However, that won’t be the only Type S as Acura Brand Officer Jon Ikeda has revealed all future models will get a Type S variant. Speaking with Motor Trend, Ikeda said “that’s the plan” as “we want to put Type S on everything, starting with the TLX.” He went on to say the company needs to focus on Type S variants and the “equity we want to put on Type S is huge.”
Besides talking about Type S models, Ikeda
said the redesigned MDX is coming soon. While he didn’t give an exact date, the
crossover is coming “right behind” the TLX and will arrive before the TLX Type
S is launched next spring. Ikeda also said the company is committed to
entry-level models such as the aging ILX. As he explained, Acura needs an
entry-level model and there’s room for one beneath the TLX.
Interestingly, Ikeda stated “We have the
ILX and we have other things that are going to be coming as we transition to
cover that area.” The “other things” remark could suggest the company is eyeing
an entry-level crossover to slot beneath the RDX. Acura already sells a smaller
CDX in China and, given the appetite for crossovers in general, it’s somewhat
surprising a smaller offering hasn’t been launched in the United States.
The company is also slated to launch an
ILX successor before the end of 2022. A
purported roadmap showed plans for a “new compact sedan” and indicated it would
be joined by a Type S variant. It’s
expected to be based on the redesigned Honda Civic which is currently under
development. While Acura is committed to the entry-level segment, they’ve given
up on large sedans. Acura announced the RLX would be discontinued in the United
States after the 2020 model year and Ikeda said the company isn’t planning
anything larger the TLX.
