Acura is only as young as its buyers. The brand is celebrating its 30th birthday with a new marketing campaign—and by touting its leadership in Millennial sales.
Acura says it captures the greatest rate of buyers aged 18-34 than any other luxury car brand, citing data from IHS Automotive. The RDX leads its segment among Millennial buyers, the automaker wrote in a recent release.
As part of its “30 Years Young” campaign, Acura has debuted a 60-second spot narrated by actor Michael B. Jordan, also the new voice of the brand. Acura’s ad runs through the brand’s history, spotlighting the original NSX and the Integra Type R. It also puts a heavy emphasis on the new 2017 Acura NSX, which starts at a not-so-Millennial-friendly price of $157,800.
“The Acura brand is 30 years young, and we wanted this spot to communicate the energy, excitement and optimism that surrounds Acura at this important moment in our history,” said Jon Ikeda, vice president and general manager of the Acura Division, in a statement. “As we continue to focus on advancing our Precision Crafted Performance DNA, we are excited at how this direction is resonating with our millennial customers.”
The new campaign will extend into dealerships with 30th Anniversary posters and collateral.
As we reported earlier this month, Mini will focus on five “superhero” models that will help reshape the brand. But a new report casts doubt on whether Mini will bring out a compact sedan as one of its bread-and-butter offerings.
Speaking with Automotive News, Mini boss Peter Schwarzenbauer said, “If you look at the global industry and ask me which segment is the most interesting on a volume basis, it is clearly the compact sedan. But does a compact sedan fit the Mini brand? I don’t think so.”
Still, the automaker isn’t ruling out a small sedan completely. Schwarzenbauer noted he has seen proposals for such a car but hasn’t come across anything that fits the brand.
Mini says bringing the Superleggera concept to life presents an entirely different problem. While the roadster fits the brand’s image, it makes for a tough business case. Schwarzenbauer quelled rumors that the Superlegerra could use the aluminum chassis and electric powertrain from the BMW i3, saying the all-electric box car was never made with an architecture that it could share with Mini.
In fact, Mini currently has no plans for a pure EV, Schwarzenbauer said. Plug-in hybrids, however, are possible. “Should we get to the stage when big cities say ‘downtown you’re only allowed to drive electrically,’ we need to make sure Mini can offer that,” he said.
The Superleggera will likely get a plug-in hybrid powertrain. Meanwhile, Mini hinted we won’t see a small vehicle based on the Rocketman concept anytime soon, given that the brand doesn’t have an architecture it could use for the car.
AMG street cars. The iron fist in the velvet glove. Raw, capable V-8 brawn delivered in luxury accoutrements. The Teutonic muscle car. With the GT3, AMG Customer Racing yanks the gloves and bares the knuckles.
Top-level sports car racing has transformed in the last few years with the emergence of FIA International GT racing. In the past, a sanctioning body created a set of rules, and teams, some with factory assistance, created the race cars within those guidelines. Now these production-based racers come to life on automotive manufacturers’ assembly lines and are sold directly to private teams.
Starting in the international theaters, these factory-built GT racers are now the modus operandi in North America, as well, in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and Pirelli World Challenge GT series.
This new AMG GT3 is based on the GT S street car, whereas the last was developed from its forebear, the longer-nosed SLS. The FIA rules hold the builds close to the original body shapes and drivetrain configurations and work the infamous Balance of Performance adjustments using weight and engine intake restrictors, with the objective that the cars will all qualify with identical times and cross the finish line in unison. Approximately 15 brands have taken on the challenge, from Ferrari to Nissan to Corvette, and the competition is superb.
Another objective of the GT3 category is accessibility to the amateur customer racers who make up the market. The cars are allowed driver aids such as anti-lock brakes and traction control, calibrated and adjustable for competition, but do not go so far as stability control. This assistance brings the gentleman drivers closer to their pro co-drivers and adds consistency.
The road version of the AMG GT S is our reigning Best Driver’s Car, and that honor is well-deserved. Watch the YouTube hot lap video. I mean, I affectionately stroke the hood after stepping out. I fawn and praise like a starry-eyed, lovestruck schoolboy. I greatly admired the street GT S’ perfect, unflappable balance and incredible ability to turn torque into forward acceleration, not just drifty tire smoke. When this fabulous chance to try the new racing version surfaced, I leaped at the chance to see if the magic remained in translation.
Well, it rained. Chilling, party-crashing, late winter Italian wetness. Barely 50 degrees. Not at all what the travel brochures show. Such conditions mostly helped my driving career but do not seem to favor the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli. It felt as if the corners were paved with a different material than were the straights. Better suited to ice skates, if you ask me, and this feeling was exaggerated by the lack of downforce at those low speeds.
We “warmed up” in the GT S with guidance from factory AMG drivers Jan Seyffarth and Thomas Jäger and found sudden power oversteer rather easy to provoke. Moving to the GT3, it was more of the same and more sudden. In both cars, there was a distinct and great improvement in grip just as we left a corner, too immediate to explain away with downforce. The AMG drivers blamed it on the motorcycles that most often run here. Now that would be hairy in the wet.
At the other end of the straights, the braking was incredible, water or not … until we began to turn. Then came a surprising drop in g-force and an accompanying worry we might not even make it. Like, what happened there?
Turning the steering “yoke” (round wheels have definitely fallen out of favor, but not with this ol’ war horse) into the mostly very tight corners of Misano was rewarded with a strong understeer, partially to help prevent us “journalists” from a backward oops, no doubt. Easy to do in these conditions, friends. Moving to power put the traction control on overtime until we crossed some imaginary line and the Pirelli rains sheathed their claws. We could finally go as the guy who signed that AMG engine intended.
Blasting down the straights and initial braking were the clear Best Driver’s Parts of this exercise. The trademark AMG sound is magnified, a glorious rumbling basso profundo, entertaining without paining. The crushing grip of the downforce made the stops feel as if we were an attacking Doberman slamming against the end of his chain. I never found the late-brake limit. On the other hand, I never found the gravel traps, either.
Most of the GT3 machines make similar or less power than their road counterparts. They run air restrictors. It’s a strange new world, though weight is reduced by about 800 pounds. The great advantage is the engines last forever by racing standards. Same with the gearboxes on the AMG GT3. Pricey window sticker, (€377,000 or $424,080 in Sprint form with a catalyst; €388,000 or $442,320 outfitted for endurance duty), but low running costs … if you don’t wreck it. The new six-speed paddle shift rear transaxle easily lasts more than a season. An endurance racing season.
This new AMG uses the engine from the SLS version, no turbos, and (6.2) earth-twisting liters, and it places the engine low in a front-mid position. Jäger says it makes about 550 horsepower, and my behind says the torque number is similar, gushing forth a flat, flexible butt-dyno curve of urge. It certainly goes through those finger-flipping gears like a hyper teen at a carnival shooting range. The drivetrain layout adds a little more polar moment for stability and balance versus mid-engine, but it still has some weight bias aft for traction, an interesting concept seen also in the Corvette and Nissan GT-R and borrowed from the old Porsche 944/928.
I left frustrated by the rain, the wildly variable track grip, and the slow corners because aero is a hallmark of this GT3 category. Up front we found triple dive planes, an enormous splitter, and gaping vents through the hood and behind the wheels. Out back, a kilometer-wide wing and as large a diffuser as I’ve ever seen outside a cartoon.
An important advantage of the AMG GT3 is that it is constructed at a high level of refinement and, significantly, safety. Manufacturers have access to engineering far beyond that of most racing teams, especially in that department. Also, spare parts are new on shelf as opposed to shop-fabbed one-of-a-kinds.
This weapons-grade AMG GT3 sprawled wide and mean in flat black, striking an intimidating presence. My favorite feature? A prominent chrome grill that honors and recalls the magnificent Mercedes 300 SLR’s winning the Carrera Panamericana in the mid-’50s. Splendid. Oh, for a chance to try it again in better conditions, but let’s not look this gift horse in the mouth.
We first saw the Nissan GT-R nearly 10 years ago, and since then it has earned a reputation for crushing supercars nearly double its price in terms of performance. The 2017 Nissan GT-R has finally gotten a makeover, moving more upscale with an updated look and increased performance. The automaker has brought its new design language to its halo sports car, but are the changes enough to keep Godzilla looking fresh until the next-gen model arrives?
While the grille retains its hexagonal design, Nissan has updated it to include the corporate V-motion design element. There’s now a chrome outline under the GT-R badge, and the lower grille extends farther. The LED daytime driving lights are now integrated into the air vents for the front wheels, but retain their horizontal design. The headlights themselves feature the same housing design but the lights have been updated to offer a more polished, sharper design.
Not much has changed when looking at the 2017 Nissan GT-R from the side, but the new 20-inch forged aluminum wheels give the profile a more sophisticated appearance. The rear features a new bumper with a more prominent diffuser and functional vents. The taillights retain their rounded appearance, and the rear wing maintains a similar design. It appears that the rear has more sculpting than the outgoing model, seen just above the tailpipes, and the sides of the car.
The exterior cosmetic enhancements seem minimal compared to how much has changed inside. The Alcantara-wrapped steering wheel has been replaced with leather. The dashboard and center stack are all-new, with the instrument cluster wrapped in leather. The infotainment system now features an 8-inch touchscreen that can also be controlled with the Display Command controller on the center console. The abundance of buttons has been dialed back to just 11, and the infotainment interface has been simplified with large icons for easier operation. The paddle shifters have been moved from being mounted on the column to the wheel itself, as Nissan has also implemented a new steering wheel. The controls no longer encompass the rounded center of the steering wheel, but have been condensed to the sides for easier access when driving.
The 2017 Nissan GT-R has been significantly refreshed for the new model year, with the most significant enhancements happening inside the cabin. The exterior changes show off Nissan’s new design language without hindering the aerodynamics. Does the upscale move take away from what made past models so great? Let us know in the comments below.
Last week’s Refreshing or Revolting featured the 2017 Subaru Impreza, and reactions were mixed.
“Don’t know why, but that first picture looks very Volvo….Looks okay, but still just not impressed,” said Adeum.
“A lot of Subaru products look like they were designed in the ’90’s – including this one. No chances taken at all,” said TheClassicCarFactory.
“Refreshing. This vehicle offers all the essentials at a great price. Their aren’t many reasons not to buy this car for a daily driver and I have been in a few situations in which I wished I had AWD,” said Midosan.
“Better looking then the last quirky design,” said Geza Bereczky jr.
A prototype for what could be an S550-based Ford Mustang Mach 1 has been spotted running around Michigan. Our spy photographer managed to get several shots of the car, and a video posted to YouTube by Mustang6G has clear audio of the exhaust note.
From the video, the engine sounds like a rowdier version of the 5.0-liter Coyote V-8 used in the Mustang GT, not the 5.2-liter flat-plane-crank Voodoo engine used in the Shelby GT350 and Shelby GT350R models. However, the quad exhaust tips below the hacked up Mustang GT’s rear fascia look like those on the hardcore track-focused Shelby GT350 and Shelby GT350R models. We also notice the absence of a supercharger whine or the whoosh of turbocharger(s), suggesting the engine is still naturally aspirated.
If this is indeed a prototype for an upcoming Ford Mustang Mach 1, we expect the upgraded Coyote engine to split the difference between the Mustang GT’s 435 hp and 400 lb-ft of torque and the Shelby GT350/GT350R’s 526 hp and 429 lb-ft.
In addition to the exhaust tips and hacked up rear fascia, notable exterior changes include a GT350-inspired front splitter with heim joint supports, a Ford Racing decklid with integrated duckbill spoiler, and mismatched wheels. The black-finished wheels up front are the same style used in the GT Performance Pack, while the silver-finished rear wheels are similar to the wheels on the fifth-generation Mustang Boss 302 Laguna Seca. Although not visible in the images, our spy photographer said the mule has a beefier rear axle.
Rumors suggest that the 10-speed automatic jointly developed with GM and previewed on the 2017 Ford F-150 Raptor and 2017 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 could make its way into the Mustang by the 2018 model year, meaning the transmission could be available on this variant.
Although Ford has indicated that it will offer special editions of the current-generation Mustang, it is possible that the automaker could be using the mule to test mid-cycle performance upgrades for the Mustang GT to compete with the more powerful and lighter Chevrolet Camaro SS/1LE.
Check out the images and video below and share your thoughts on this Ford Mustang prototype.
