Honda is holding back on the images before the next Accord Coupe Concept's Detroit debut.
Honda has been making plenty of news in recent days, from the announcement that it will launch of advanced new hybrid and conventional gasoline engines to this morning’s revelation that an all-new version of the long-awaited Acura NSX is in the works – the latter part of a major facelift for Honda’s luxury brand.
Now comes word that a concept version of the next-generation Honda Accord will be taking its bows at next month’s Detroit Auto Show.
Unfortunately, the Japanese maker has decided to hold back on advanced images, nary a teaser of the NSX or Accord accompanying today’s tempting announcements. But, if tradition holds, what we will see at Detroit’s Cobo Center, in barely four weeks, will be darned close to the production version of the 2013 Honda Accord.
Indeed, a terse release from Honda suggests the prototype will “reveal the styling direction” of the new midsize line-up, which will feature a “dynamic and aggressive profile.”
The new midsize model will be about as critical an introduction as one could get, the broader Accord line the heart-and-soul of the Honda franchise. In years past, one might have almost assumed the number three Japanese maker would hit it out of the park. But considering the poor reception given to the latest version of the smaller Civic that’s anything but a certainty these days.
The compact Civic took some serious dings from reviewers, even import-friendly Consumer Reports hammering the model for its lackluster design and technology.
The outgoing Accord sets a pretty high hurdle for the ninth-generation model to clear. It routinely leads in the quality charts and just landed on the “10 Best” list of Car & Driver magazine for the 26th time.
Did the maker learn anything from the poor response to the new Civic? “Definitely,” American Honda CEO Tetsuo Iwamura told us during an interview in Tokyo earlier this month. But he also cautioned that by the time the Civic hit market the Accord program was pretty well locked in place. Nonetheless, added the Japanese executive, “We were already seeing a lot of competitive activity so the (development program of the) new Accord already reflected that in its design.
Though specific details of the new Honda Accord will have to wait until the maker’s Detroit Auto Show news conference, we’re expecting the gen-9 model to introduce some of the new powertrain technology Honda revealed during a preview at the Twin Ring-Motegi race track prior to the recent Tokyo Motor Show. (For the full story, Click Here.) That seems almost certain to include the brand’s first production direct-injection powertrain as well as one of its new CVT transmissions.
For a look at some of the other news from Honda:
(Click Here for more on the reborn Acura NSX supercar.)
(And Click Here for more on the broader plans to remake the troubled Acura brand, including the introduction of the new ILX entry-luxury sedan.)