Good afternoon everyone. It’s great to be back in New York! I want to thank all of you for joining us for the world debut of the 2018 Acura TLX. And I want to welcome everyone watching online, especially our Precision Team back in California.
Before we get to today’s news, I want to share my tremendous excitement for Acura Motorsports and the NSX GT3 race program. Five years ago, when we announced the return of NSX, we also revealed our intention to take it racing. And in January, we realized that dream with the NSX GT3 taking to the track at the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona. We’re only a few months into the program but we’re already enjoying some great success and having just as much fun doing it. Let’s take a look.
Now, I want to thank everyone involved in the NSX GT3 program. Most importantly our partners, Michael Shank Racing and RealTime Racing for their commitment to Acura and their incredible competitive spirit.
As I said in the video, performance is the future of our brand and to be a credible performance brand, you need a supercar, and you need to take that supercar racing.
A year ago, as we celebrated Acura’s 30th anniversary, we returned to our authentic and original brand promise, Precision Crafted Performance. Today, we’re fully embracing that promise, and crystalizing the brand around the original concepts that made Acura a success.
Having been there, I can tell you, other than when we launched the brand 31 years ago, there’s never been a time in our history when we’ve had such clarity of purpose. This means we’re intent on blazing our own trail in design, in the application of performance technologies, in our marketing and throughout the entire customer experience.
2016 marked the first year of our return to our original DNA. But everything we’re doing from this day forward reflects our relentless focus on Precision Crafted Performance.
We just launched the MDX Sport Hybrid, which joins the RLX and NSX as the third model to utilize our three-motor Sport Hybrid system. Performance is a function of technology, powertrain and chassis but styling and design play a critical role in communicating that performance and last year we showcased our future styling direction with the Acura Precision Concept.
The restyled and refreshed 2017 MDX was the first model to apply our new design direction including the bold, new diamond pentagon grille. Moving forward, increasing the emotion and road-presence of Acura design is critical to our strategy. We did it with MDX.
Now, we’re turning our attention to our sedans, and to our most important model, what has long been the volume and image leader in our sedan lineup, the TLX.
It’s no secret that the luxury sedan market is a tough business. And with every premium automaker fighting for its share, I’m not surprised to see the competition resorting to very aggressive tactics. But we have continued to hold our own against the competition with the TLX while maintaining a disciplined sales approach.
So, it’s a challenging market but sedans remain a critical pillar of our brand, and the refreshed 2018 TLX you’re about to see substantially elevates its emotion and character. It’s the next step in our transformation as we sharpen our focus on Precision Crafted Performance, in everything that we do and everything that we make.
Let’s take a look at the 2018 Acura TLX!
Well, here it is. The 2018 Acura TLX!
We started by taking all of the goodness that underpins TLX, our powerful and refined engines, and the industry’s most sophisticated torque vectoring all-wheel drive system and wrapped it around a more aggressive, sporty and alluring shape inspired by the Acura Precision Concept.
As before, we have two powertrains but distinct styling has created much-needed separation between the four- and six-cylinder models. Available with the V6, the new A-Spec TLX we are revealing for the first time today, adds character and performance inside and out, with emotional styling and sport tuning.
Across all TLX models, everything forward of the A-pillars is brand new. A sporty front fascia featuring Acura’s signature diamond pentagon grille, mated to a new bumper, hood, and fenders gives TLX a bold, new look.
This V-6 model adds an aggressive, redesigned rear fascia with exposed dual-exhaust and standard 18-inch wheels.
We’ve made subtle changes to stance, proportion, wheels and sheet metal to add character and emotion, to more strongly communicate the TLX’s dynamic capabilities.
This new A-Spec adds even more emotion and performance, starting with exclusive bodywork including a unique front fascia with a darker grille and round fog lights. There’s also a more aggressive side-sill matched up with exclusive 19-inch wheels and wider, 245-series tires.
Around back, the A-Spec’s rear fascia sports an aggressive diffuser, black spoiler, 4-inch dual exhausts and more.
As for the chassis, that 245-series tire is paired with a sport-tuned suspension with more aggressive damper, bushing and spring settings, and more responsive steering.
Inside the cabin, we’ve added new premium content and features making TLX one of the most technologically advanced and well-equipped cars in the segment, from the base-model on up.
It is the only vehicle in its class with active safety and driver-assistive technologies standard across-the-board, what we call AcuraWatch. And every model features Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. We’ve also redesigned the native user interface, making it faster to use and easier to navigate, with a modern design.
The Advance package elevates TLX’s sophistication with all of the exclusive features you see here.
For the A-Spec, aggressive bodywork is complemented by a sporty interior with Alcantara trim, contrast stitching, red ambient lighting and an exclusive new sport seat available in red with thick sports steering wheel. The A-Spec is available on all V6 TLX models positioned just below the Advance grade making it accessible to younger buyers.
We will announce pricing in early May, but I can tell you that with its rich content and enhanced performance image, TLX will be a compelling factor in this highly competitive segment.
Backed-up by strong products like the new TLX and MDX and, of course, the amazing NSX, we have dramatically overhauled Acura’s brand voice and marketing direction over the past year. With vivid colors, bold music and an enthusiastic voice that celebrates inclusivity, not exclusivity, this new direction separates Acura from the pack.
And because we’re in New York, I’m very excited to debut the brand new TLX creative that will launch online tonight.
As you can see, through our products and our marketing, we are positioning Acura as a challenger brand, embracing the future with youthful vitality, energy and optimism.
Again, I really appreciate you taking the time to be with us. All of us on the Acura team look forward to spending time with you tonight.
Now, after a few quick photos I want to invite everyone for a closer look at the new TLX.
Thank you!!