Acura Tells Us American RDX Production At Full Capacity

The trade war with China is having no effect at all.

Earlier this month, we learned that Honda had plans to cancel Acura RDX exports to China from its East Liberty, Ohio production facility. China is set to receive its own domestic-built version of the RDX tailored to local preferences. This all remains true, but what we were concerned about is whether any local jobs would be affected by a lowered output. Furthermore, was this all related to the ongoing trade war between the US and China, where each side has imposed high tariffs on the other.

Acura reached out to us to clarify a few things, chief among them that the East Liberty plant “is operating at full capacity to produce the Acura RDX… as well as the Acura MDX and Honda CR-V,” according to corporate communications spokesman Chris Abbruzzese. Above all, “the production of RDX in China has no impact to the East Liberty Plant.”

As it turns out, Acura began plans for Chinese RDX production long before the trade dispute because of increased demand there. In fact, the long-term plan for the Chinese RDX did not involve East Liberty because the automaker wants to continue its history of building vehicles in the markets where they’re sold.

A total of 99 percent of Acura vehicles currently sold in the US are built in America. Meanwhile, the third-generation RDX crossover has just set a new annual sales record, surpassing the previous all-time high of 52,361 units in 2016.

There are still several more weeks left of this year so Acura can already claim the new record. The Acura RDX, the best-selling vehicles in its class, is the only mid-size premium crossover to surpass 50,000 sales for the past four years straight. Fortunately for Acura, its long-time policy of production in relation to market continues to pay off big time, especially given the current political environment. The 2019 Acura RDX, as we recently learned from our own test drive, is an excellent all-around luxury crossover with generous power, storage, and premium features like a 10.2-inch HD display. Pricing begins at $37,300, not including destination.

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Presenting The Finalists For 2019 North American Car Of The Year

The winners will be announced in Detroit come January

If we had a nickel for every publication and organization that named its car of the year each time the planet circled the sun, we might have enough to actually buy one of the vehicles they'd lauded. But some are more important than others. Like the North American Car of the Year awards, which has just named its list of finalists for 2019 in three categories.

The shortlist for Car of the Year includes the Genesis G70, Honda Insight, and Volvo S60/V60. But that's not all. The jury also names its Utility Vehicle and Truck of the Year.

In the sport-ute category, the three finalists are the Acura RDX, Hyundai Kona (and Kona EV), and Jaguar I-Pace. And for trucks, the list has been whittled down to the Chevy Silverado 1500, its virtual twin GMC Sierra 1500, and rival Ram 1500.

The chances look good, then, for GM's trucks. And both the Honda and Hyundai groups each got two of their newest vehicles on the list of nominees that were narrowed down from a list of 29 semi-finalists – but the three pickups were the only semi-finalists considered for their category, alongside 14 cars and 12 sport-utes.

“This year brought us some impressive sedan options. Car sales remain an important part of the available choices to consumers even as sales in the segment continue to fall,” said NACTOY President Lauren Fix. “We are always looking for a game-changer, something that stands out in a crowd, and strikes a positive chord with buyers. The finalists will all be impressive options to consider.”

With the list of finalists now announced at the LA Auto Show, the 54 jurors will cast their votes again and announce the winners at the Detroit show in January.

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We Ask: Are Today's Top American Muscle Cars Better Than Germany's Luxury Sports Cars?

Try not to get too emotional.

Most people would put American muscle cars and Germany’s luxury sports cars into two separate classes. Muscle cars are known for being cheap and featuring big V8s whereas Germany’s luxury sports cars are pricey and put handling over straight-line speed (though they were still plenty quick). But nowadays it seems like the two sets of cars are equal in all areas except price. Or are they? To find the answer we’ve turned to our own Gabriel Beita-Kiser (pro Germany) and Michael Hines (U-S-A, U-S-A) for help.

If you’re in the market for speed, why buy something fancy when it can go as fast as a car that costs half as much? This is a tough issue to flesh out when it comes down to raw performance numbers, but sit behind the wheel of a German sports car and an American muscle car and the differences in price become as clear as day. Just look at the Viper SRT and the Audi R8 V10. Okay so the Audi costs $105,000 more than the Dodge, but you're also getting a whole lot more car. If you need something to adorn your McMansion, go with the Viper, but if you actually want to drive, take the R8. Even though it weighs 360 pounds more than the Viper and has only 30 less horsepower, it accelerates faster.

From standstill, 60 mph comes 0.7 seconds quicker than in the Viper. And in the R8 you can manhandle corners. The Dodge requires a life insurance policy to even turn the wheel. These characteristics make speed more accessible and puts German sports cars in another league. Thank me later when you’re enjoying the scalpel-like precision of a Porsche 911 GTS and not spending time complaining about how the ZL1 Camaro sucks to drive around town. Speaking of the two, what does a $33,950 difference between the two cars get? The Porsche has 210 horsepower less than the Camaro, but it hits 60 mph from standstill 0.2 seconds quicker. The Porsche will also turn more heads, handle gloriously, and come with every electronic toy in the book.

This serves to make city driving pleasurable while also letting you crush all comers at the track. The truth is that, despite being fast, the selling points of most muscle cars are just cheap and gimmicky add-ons. Chevy makes a big deal about the aerodynamic "Flowtie" on the ZL1, but you could buy a Mercedes AMG GT with a real active wing and stop playing. Cheap American muscle tries to make up for the gap in quality with brute force, but it just feels wrong when even the carbon fiber looks like a pasted on afterthought. There's no problem with cutting costs and maintaining power to meet a budget, but for those with the cash, splurge and live without regret.

The automotive community is one of the most prejudiced groups of people on the planet. Gearheads routinely judge cars based on badges alone. Yes, automakers have established certain reputations over time, as have certain models. Seismic shifts in the industry happen all the time, yet people are slow to acknowledge them, if they do at all. One of these shifts is the closing of the gap between America’s best muscle cars and Germany’s luxury sport cars. In a recent episode of Motor Trend’s “Head 2 Head,” hosts Jason Cammisa and Jonny Lieberman both picked the new Camaro SS over the BMW M4. The Camaro’s 6.2-liter V8 is bigger and more powerful than the M4’s 3.0-liter twin-turbo inline-six at 455 hp and 455 lb-ft of torque vs. 425 hp and 406 lb-ft of torque.

The BMW weighs 184 pounds less, though. Both are beauties, and there’s only one major difference between them. As tested the M4 was $81,045 while the Camaro SS was $46,095. That’s $35,000 for a badge and bragging rights. Speaking of bragging rights, the Dodge Viper ACR, equipped with the optional Extreme Aero Package, ran a faster lap at Laguna Seca than the Porsche 918 Spyder. Price difference: around $1 million bucks. It’s very American to say “bigger is better.” But what about things that you can’t measure in numbers, like quality? That gap has closed too. The Corvette was best in its class (midsize premium sporty car) in J.D. Power and Associates 2015 Performance and Design Ratings & Awards.

It beat out the Porsche 911 and the Mercedes-Benz SL-Class. With the exception of the Challenger, today’s American muscle cars are leaner and more athletic than ever before. They're just better all around. Even the Germans have taken notice. There was that Corvette police car and that funny sales month in Germany (March 2016) when the Mustang beat out both the Audi TT and Porsche 911 (and Cayman/Boxster) to be the country’s top sports car. True, America still has a long way to go before its muscle cars will be as highly regarded as Germany’s sports cars. But the gap has shrunk drastically and in certain situations you could argue that it doesn’t exist at all…or that it’s flipped entirely.

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8 American Performance Cars We're Thankful For In 2018

Over the holidays, let's give thanks for the best American cars of the year.

If it's customary for you to sit down at the dinner table on Thanksgiving to discuss what we're thankful for this year spare a thought for all of the outstanding American performance cars that have graced the roads in 2018. Last year in 2017, we gave thanks for the Tesla Roadster, Dodge Demon, Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk, Chevy Corvette ZR1, and Hennessey VelociRaptor. In keeping with this tradition, here are eight badass American performance cars revealed in 2018.

Tesla Model 3 Performance

The base Tesla Model 3 is a pretty quick car, but "pretty quick" never seems good enough for Tesla. This year, Tesla released a faster version of the Model 3 called the Model 3 Performance. It packs unique dual motors, good for 0-60 mph in 3.5 seconds, a top speed of 155 mph, and a 310-mile range. If you want an electric BMW M3 killer, this is your car.

Acura NSX

Even though it doesn't come from an American brand, the Acura NSX is built and designed in the US, which is why it made our list of cars we are thankful for in 2016. The NSX isn't all-new for 2019 but it is heavily refreshed. Along with a new coat of orange paint, Acura has tweaked the NXS to make it more livable on the street and more responsive on the track. These small changes add up to make a big difference.

Buick Regal GS

The Buick Regal GS may not have the firepower of some of the other cars on this list, but it is a very competent sports sedan with tons of daily driver accouterments. Under the hood sits a 3.6-liter V6 from a Camaro, producing 310 hp going out to AWD through a nine-speed automatic. Buick may have ditched the manual but the Regal GS is still a cool sleeper sedan.

Dodge Challenger Hellcat Redeye

You know what the Dodge Challenger Hellcat needed? An extra 90 hp! We are kidding of course, but that is what Dodge gave it anyway. The new Challenger Hellcat Redeye now produces 797 hp from its 6.2-liter supercharged V8. What kind of world are we living in where 707 hp isn't enough? A world we are thankful for, that's where.

Chevy Colorado ZR2 Bison

Chevy already builds a hardcore off-road version of its Colorado mid-size pickup truck called the ZR2. To take the truck a step further, Chevy has teamed up with American Expedition Vehicles to create the Colorado ZR2 Bison. Power remains the same from either a turbocharged diesel engine or a V6 and Chevy has made the ZR2 Bison even more capable with added off-road parts and greater ground clearance.

Cadillac CT6-V

The Cadillac CT6-V was initially set to be called the CT6 V-Sport. However, Cadillac deemed the performance was high enough to make it a fully fledged V car. The CT6-V is powered by a new 4.2-liter twin-turbo V8 called the Blackhawk. It produces 550 hp and 627 lb-ft of torque but may be tuned to produce even more in the future mid-engine Corvette.

Ford Mustang Bullitt

Some families have traditions involving certain movies they like to watch on Thanksgiving. For car enthusiasts, Bullitt is one of the best choices due to its famous chase scene with Steven McQueen and his Highland Green Mustang. To celebrate the movie, Ford has brought back the Bullitt Mustang with a unique special edition. In addition to the green paint and badge delete, the Bullitt Mustang now produces 480 hp from its 5.0-liter V8 going out through a six-speed manual transmission only.

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