Acura to Unveil MDX Concept in NY

American Honda Motor Co. Inc. will unveil a concept of the new Acura MDX at this month's New York auto show.

The second-generation '07 MDX cross/utility vehicle goes on sale in the U.S. this fall.

Like the first MDX, the new model was developed by Honda's U.S. research and development operations in Ohio and its Los Angeles-area design studio, says John Mendel, senior vice president-auto operations for American Honda.

The original MDX was launched in 2000 and helped pioneer the midsize CUV segment. But the model has begun to see sales slide as a result of its age. Deliveries in February fell 8.3% vs. prior-year.

The MDX was just one of the models that dragged down Acura's February results. The overall brand saw sales drop 12.4%, with the TSX sedan posting the lone year-over-year increase.

Mendel, speaking at an Automotive Press Assn. luncheon in Detroit, blames the winter season, strong year-ago comparisons and the sell-down of the MDX for the drop-off.

Acura's sales are down 5.7% calendar year-to-date in the U.S., according to Ward's data. Still, Mendel says an increase in the range of 3%-5% is likely for calendar 2006.

This summer, the auto maker will debut the all-new RDX small CUV in the U.S., which will be powered by a 4-cyl. turbocharged engine, an Acura first.

Regarding upcoming products, Mendel says to expect the next-generation NSX supercar to “be as groundbreaking in the industry as the original was” when it was launched in 1991.

Honda already has announced the NSX will have a V-10 engine when it debuts later in the decade.

As for the possibility of a V-8 engine anytime soon, Mendel concedes buyers will see one from Honda “in my lifetime,” joking that he expects to “live a long time.”