Honda Motor Co. is separating its Honda and Acura product-development teams.

The separation is designed in part to develop a stronger identity for Acura vehicles.

The move comes as part of a broad reorganization of Honda R&D Co., the parent company's research and product-development arm. It historically has been a training ground for future Honda CEOs.

Until now, Honda R&D's three technical centers in Japan operated with varying degrees of autonomy and overlap. Each had its own management oversight.

Starting April 1, Honda will set up five separate r&d organizations based on areas of expertise. The five will be for automobiles, motorcycles, power products, airplane engines and basic technology. Each will have its own management and administration.

Automobile development will be split between the technology centers in Tochigi and Wako, Japan.

http://www.autoweek.com/apps/pbcs.dl...024/LATESTNEWS

 

Sounds good. Don't Toyota and Lexus have separate R&D divisions?

This should help quell the stigma (fair or not) that Acuras are nothing more than expensive Hondas.

Maybe Acura can come out with a rear drive V8

 

YES! and only if Acura actually wants to be in the same league as Lexus and now Infiniti.

 

Honda is a different company than Nissan or Toyota.
You will drive FWD 6-cylinder and you will like it!

 

:drool: That would be sweet. More attractive to people like me who would go to BMW for that. I might go with Acura if they had that.

 

time will tell hopefully this is a move in the right direction can you say V8 and rear drive

 

I'm actually getting the feeling that Honda's gonna push to make the V10 their big-output engine and skip the V8 altogether. The development on the engine is pretty much assured for the next NSX, and the rumors are about it going in the next gen Legend and MDX. Plus, for people that obsessed with engine cylinders, the V10 would again put Acura ahead in terms of perceived power and performance.

True the F20C/F22C1 are kind of by itself, and it's possible that's the plan Honda has for the V10, but even so, the F20C has a good deal in common with the K-Series.

 

Yep, and the original C-Series NSX engine was based off the 90 degree V6 in the Legend and was also later put in the Accord and RL. It would be awesome if they put this V10 in the next gen RL and made room for it in the next gen MDX.

 

Very true. Hondata says eight of my valves are from the S2000.