With the Acura Precision Concept that made its debut at the Detroit Auto Show, there was no talk about nuclear hybrid powertrains, virtual all-wheel drive, or drive-by wire steering by Bluetooth. This concept car is all about design and the future direction of Acura.
As they said, it points toward a bolder, more distinctive future for Acura vehicle design, expressing the Acura brand’s DNA of “Precision Crafted Performance.”
And nothing is more telling than the comments of Acura global creative director Dave Marek, who said,l “The Acura Precision Concept is the leading edge of a renewed commitment to delivering Precision Crafted Performance in every facet of the product experience and creating a powerful and very exciting direction for the next generation of Acura models.”
This means they know they slouched a bit for a while when it comes to design. And in looking at the Precision Concept, they have stepped up the game with high-contrast details against a backdrop of more emotional sheetmetal creasing and sculpting.
The big departure from what we’ve seen from the brand is a new grille design they call Diamond Pentagon. Like it or not, there’s no question is makes a far more distinctive statement than the current Acura grilles.
This is framed by what they call Jewel Constellation LED headlights that are composed of organically arranged fractal elements. Oh the amazing things we are going to be seeing from the new OLED technology.
Another change in the menu is the long nose with an extended wheel-base that reads more like a rear-wheel drive car. The front axle is pushed forward, giving that space between the wheels and the passenger compartment that says “Im not a rental car”.
Whether that means we’ll see rear-wheel drive in Acura’s future isn’t all that likely, but it means they know where their design needs to go for a flagship model. And that leads us to its size which is huge with a 122-inch wheel-base and 204-inch length – pushing 7-Series and S-Class territory.
It’s lower though of course, as the longer, lower, wider theme from the 1960’s is back in automobile design – at least for now. This makes its 22-inch wheels seem even larger. And like the 1960’s, the four-door coupe is missing a B-Pillar. But expect to see that feature missing from any production car.
The interior too gets is helping of futuristic flair that while I hate to keep bringing up the 1960’s, it kind of leans into that realm with its flowing playfullness. Floating seat designs and lounge-like feel all have an almost Kitch-like vibe.
Of couse, it is modern with LED displays aplenty and a new digital human-machine interface that Acura says enabled a more intuitive, advanced and seamless connection between man and machine. All this because knobs and buttons weren’t getting the job done.
