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Automotive News Quotes President of HRA, Suggests Acura's Ready for V8s
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Date: December 11, 2006 11:55
Submitted by:
JeffX
Source:
Automotive News
Credibility Rating:
Not Specified
In a SearchID=7326569411698" >story released early this morning on Automotive News' website (you'll need a subscription to read it), several cherry picked quotes are attributed to Hirohide Ikeno, President of Honda R&D Americas, Inc. (HRA). The general indication is that Acura executives are (finally) considering extending their drivetrain family beyond the realm of 4-cylinders and V-6s and specifically mentions a V-8 as a clear possibility (V-10s are already a certainty). Mr. Ikeno was quoted as saying that it's important for Acura to have larger engines available, and that he's "pushing for it". Mr. Ikeno was also said to have indicated that Acura would be dropping some hints of "its new direction" at the Detroit show, with no further elaboration.
The author of the article spoke to Mr. Ikeno last week "during a reception for the opening of Honda's advanced design studio in Pasadena, Calif." If by "reception" they mean "open bar", then there were probably more than a few interesting gems slipped into casual conversation that evening.
Despite the fact that the article reads a little bit like a campaign ad or a movie poster ("...Hilarious!!!..." "...uplifting..." "...trustworthy."), and there seems to be a lot of stitching together of thoughts, we think that the story is legit.
Now I'll offer a little bit of TOV perspective. While we were at the LA Auto Show a few weeks ago, we spoke to a good number of Acura and Honda folks and when we asked the Acura people about what sort of stuff to expect from Acura at the Detroit show, the responses were anything but consistent. One person we asked (who may or may not be involved in the NSX project) told us that there'd be "nothing much, really", while others responded that we would see "really cool stuff. You'll definitely want to be there."
In the past, anybody and everybody associated with Acura or Honda would quickly dismiss and shun any talk about motors with cylinder counts greater than 6, and punctuate their responses with reminders that V-8s were unnecessary and inefficient. Ask the same sort of questions today and the nature of the response is completely different. The air of denial has all but vanished at Acura today - the response to the ages old "You guys really need a V8" comment is now generally a subtle nod of agreement, perhaps coupled to a muted "yeah, I know...". As if to say "we know, we're working on it. Now let's talk about what we have now." Takeo Fukui's V-10 announcement several years back probably helped matters along, but for a while even after that some of the Acura folks still acted as if that announcement was never made.
Will we see a V8 offered in an Acura soon? It depends on what you mean by soon, but frankly it wouldn't surprise us to see it happening in the next 3 years or so. And let's face it - Acura may not be able to afford to wait much longer than that. Let's hope for more clues between now and the Detroit Auto Show.
Last edited by JeffX on
February 01, 2008 10:04
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12-11-2006 15:49 |
How would a V8 + FWD biased SHAWD work? (Score: 1, Normal) |
Kn1ves |
12-11-2006 18:59 |
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aznstuart |
12-11-2006 21:44 |
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Pseudomaniac |
12-11-2006 22:16 |
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CivicB18 |
12-11-2006 22:21 |
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JeffX |
12-11-2006 23:09 |
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notyper |
12-11-2006 23:15 |
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NAfan |
12-12-2006 05:02 |
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Nick GravesX |
12-12-2006 09:10 |
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roninsi02 |
12-13-2006 05:36 |
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Nick GravesX |
12-13-2006 12:36 |
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Professor Gascan |
12-13-2006 13:03 |
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Pseudomaniac |
12-13-2006 13:21 |
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Nick GravesX |
12-13-2006 14:12 |
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Professor Gascan |
12-13-2006 15:02 |
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RyanDL |
12-15-2006 10:56 |
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Pseudomaniac |
12-12-2006 16:23 |
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siegen |
12-12-2006 19:48 |
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Pseudomaniac |
12-12-2006 21:22 |
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notyper |
12-13-2006 05:43 |
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Nick GravesX |
12-13-2006 12:32 |
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Wizard |
12-13-2006 13:26 |
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Nick GravesX |
12-13-2006 07:54 |
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Pseudomaniac |
12-13-2006 10:40 |
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JeffX |
12-16-2006 21:55 |
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HondaTypeR |
12-18-2006 12:28 |
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JeffX |
12-12-2006 09:09 |
V8 + Ridgeline = sales increase (Score: 1, Normal) |
80honda |
12-12-2006 16:54 |
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CivicB18 |
12-13-2006 05:51 |
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Nick GravesX |
12-13-2006 06:29 |
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SoupedUpMonkey |
12-13-2006 07:09 |
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Nick GravesX |
12-14-2006 03:20 |
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Bankston_Honda |
12-14-2006 11:08 |
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Senfen |
12-14-2006 13:03 |
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Potenza |
12-17-2006 19:20 |
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circuitsports |
12-11-2006 12:37 |
MMC V-8 for RL?? (Score: 1, Normal) |
Mike Freitas |
12-11-2006 13:00 |
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dohc89 |
12-11-2006 13:26 |
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siegen |
12-11-2006 13:31 |
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JeffX |
12-11-2006 13:46 |
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VTECRacer |
12-11-2006 13:54 |
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Varmint |
12-11-2006 18:46 |
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dontcare |
12-11-2006 22:51 |
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dirk311 |
12-11-2006 23:37 |
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HONDA AFVM |
12-11-2006 14:47 |
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the insider |
12-11-2006 15:17 |
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RyanDL |
12-11-2006 16:10 |
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Wizard |
12-11-2006 23:55 |
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HONDA AFVM |
12-11-2006 23:48 |
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HONDA AFVM |
12-11-2006 23:51 |
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KC88 |
12-12-2006 13:16 |
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wanga |
12-12-2006 00:06 |
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voodoobru |
12-12-2006 01:32 |
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Wizard |
12-12-2006 05:00 |
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jero |
12-12-2006 14:14 |
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NAfan |
12-12-2006 12:00 |
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6SPDTL |
12-12-2006 13:46 |
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JeffX |
12-12-2006 17:18 |
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6SPDTL |
12-12-2006 14:32 |
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Colin |
12-13-2006 11:16 |
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voodoobru |
12-13-2006 18:07 |
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enemy |
12-14-2006 16:41 |
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6SPDTL |
12-15-2006 17:28 |
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SpoiledMan |
12-12-2006 17:57 |
I'm not sure if this is a good idea. (Score: 1, Normal) |
RayChuang |
12-12-2006 19:14 |
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Jcc35 |
12-12-2006 19:19 |
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civclovr |
12-12-2006 23:12 |
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shingles |
12-13-2006 12:44 |
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Professor Gascan |
12-13-2006 13:17 |
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the insider |
12-13-2006 19:44 |
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mk23666 |
12-14-2006 03:26 |
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Bankston_Honda |
12-14-2006 10:07 |
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roninsi02 |
12-14-2006 12:44 |
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Wizard |
12-14-2006 11:20 |
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HONDA AFVM |
12-14-2006 12:58 |
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Potenza |
12-14-2006 16:12 |
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HONDA AFVM |
12-14-2006 16:44 |
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Wizard |
12-14-2006 19:52 |
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HONDA AFVM |
12-14-2006 20:39 |
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Wizard |
12-15-2006 11:02 |
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HONDA AFVM |
12-14-2006 12:24 |
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RayChuang |
12-12-2006 08:24 |
Honda V8 = NASCAR here we come! (Score: 1, Normal) |
rvittori |
12-12-2006 08:59 |
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HONDA AFVM |
12-12-2006 12:30 |
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jgalvan1 |
12-12-2006 16:50 |
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CivicB18 |
12-12-2006 19:32 |
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Potenza |
12-12-2006 19:44 |
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mike w |
12-13-2006 16:36 |
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97accordSE |
12-13-2006 13:04 |
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Pseudomaniac |
12-14-2006 06:50 |
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Muyo |
12-14-2006 09:35 |
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jfrolang |
12-15-2006 10:54 |
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Pseudomaniac |
12-11-2006 14:22 |
Larger SUV? (Score: 1, Normal) |
HONDA AFVM |
12-11-2006 14:29 |
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JeffX |
12-11-2006 18:57 |
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aznstuart |
12-11-2006 23:26 |
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HONDA AFVM |
12-12-2006 11:55 |
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hondacura |
12-12-2006 14:11 |
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98EX4cyl |
12-13-2006 17:01 |
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HONDA AFVM |
12-14-2006 21:56 |
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papapoly |
12-15-2006 10:54 |
(Score: 1, Normal) |
HONDA AFVM |
12-12-2006 17:08 |
rumors of V8s every couple months for several years (Score: 1, Normal) |
outersquare |
12-13-2006 15:58 |
(Score: 1, Normal) |
VTECRacer |
12-12-2006 14:53 |
W7, W10s, W9, twin V4s, (Score: 1, Normal) |
TonyEX |
12-12-2006 19:00 |
(Score: 1, Normal) |
TonyEX |
12-13-2006 05:48 |
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Nick GravesX |
12-13-2006 11:17 |
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TonyEX |
12-13-2006 11:40 |
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voodoobru |
12-13-2006 12:27 |
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TonyEX |
12-11-2006 13:15 |
V-8 makes sense (Score: 1, Normal) |
techline |
12-11-2006 14:49 |
(Score: 1, Normal) |
the insider |
12-11-2006 15:54 |
(Score: 1, Normal) |
techline |
12-11-2006 22:38 |
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stuman |
12-12-2006 19:54 |
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anime_man24 |
12-11-2006 17:58 |
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Potenza |
12-12-2006 09:10 |
2 questions on this... (Score: 1, Normal) |
HJV1 |
12-12-2006 11:47 |
(Score: 1, Normal) |
hondacura |
12-12-2006 12:39 |
(Score: 1, Normal) |
HJV1 |
12-11-2006 12:32 |
Only Acura? (Score: 1, Normal) |
whip |
12-11-2006 12:48 |
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lindy |
12-11-2006 16:12 |
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kiwikungfu |
12-11-2006 17:54 |
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Potenza |
12-11-2006 19:05 |
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aznstuart |
12-12-2006 09:17 |
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fasthonda |
12-12-2006 10:37 |
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Wizard |
12-12-2006 11:18 |
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DevilMayCry |
12-11-2006 16:23 |
(Score: 1, Normal) |
VinceThe1 |
12-12-2006 01:36 |
Pretty funny (Score: 1, Normal) |
The_SiGuy |
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