Here’s one bit of news everyone expected, so is actually news to no one: Acura has confirmed that the ILX will be gone from its lineup after this year.
Indeed, it was hard for anyone to seriously imagine the Japanese luxury automaker offering two similar-sized cars in an era when that format is in serious decline, and has been for the past 10 years. And while Acura is careful to say that the upcoming Integra is not the direct replacement for the ILX, in reality, as one model enters stage left, the other exits stage right.
Asked by Motor1 to clarify its decision to kill the ILX model, Acura responded simply, “The 2022 model year is the final model year for the ILX, in anticipation of the new Integra.”
Concerns about image are likely behind Acura’s attempt to create distance between the models. Acura's image needs help, so anything goes in an attempt to revitalize it. And of course the hope is certainly that the Integra name will have some effect on sales, because the ILX had struggled mightily in that department in recent years. In 2021, only 13,900 models sold in the United States. Here in Canada, Acura sold fewer than 1,000 ILX cars in 2020.
Meanwhile, there’s a ton we still don’t know about the new Integra. It is confirmed there will be a 1.5L turbocharged 4-cylinder engine under the hood; we know it from its use in Honda’s Civic Si. Its price will be around $35,000 and a manual transmission will be included in the offering. Beyond that, many fingers are crossed for a more powerful variant later, perhaps one with the Civic Type R engine.
All that remains to be seen. What won't be seen after this year, at least at Acura dealerships, is the ILX sedan.
