- Acura launches new design language with the Nexera Vision.
- The concept is a two-seater sportscar with butterfly doors.
- New lighting signature will be used on the next RDX Hybrid.
Acura is celebrating its 40th anniversary at Monterey Car Week with a sharp two-seat sports car named the Nexera Vision. The bad news arrives fast, as the concept isn’t headed for a showroom. Instead, it previews where the brand’s design is going, and its influence will surface on future products including the upcoming RDX Hybrid SUV.
The concept plants itself with an aggressive stance, a long hood falling away toward a low, sharp nose. Its bodywork wears a Matte Titanium finish that puts the clean surfacing along the profile on full display, and that surfacing owes its tension to a generous dash-to-axle ratio,
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The exterior’s headline act is the new phantom lighting signature, with LED headlights and taillights that stay hidden until they’re switched on. The V-shaped units draw from the Acura emblem and will reach production vehicles soon, beginning with the next-gen RDX Hybrid. Acura fans have already seen these lights on the recent Acura Hybrid SUV Prototype, which previews the production RDX.
Acura
The rest of the exterior keeps pace with large dual-hinge butterfly doors, an aerodynamic greenhouse, air channels on the nose, an active rear spoiler and a forged carbon bodykit. The six-spoke 22-inch center-lock wheels use a 3D directional design and pair a matte anodized finish with forged carbon inserts and Brembo carbon-ceramic brakes.
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The interior was designed to be futuristic, minimalist, and sustainable. Rather than lean on screens, Acura went with a curved digital instrument cluster behind the yoke-shaped steering wheel. The goal was to eliminate distractions, evoking memories of the Honda S2000.
To reach the lowest possible seating position, the bucket seats are fixed to the floor, so the driver moves the steering wheel and pedal box instead. The cabin runs a black-and-white theme with pink accents. On materials, Acura used CircuLeather upholstery that claims a lower carbon footprint, plus Alcantara made from post-consumer recycled polyester, recycled aluminum, and forged carbon details.
The concept came out of the Acura Design California studio in Los Angeles. Yasutake Tsuchida, Acura Creative Director and Vice President of Auto Design, who oversaw the project, said:
“Our goal with this new design direction is to define Acura performance through disciplined proportions, sculpted form and the seamless integration of advanced technology, creating an expression that is both progressive and authentic to the brand.”
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Tsuchida added that the Nexera Vision “sets the course for the next generation of Acura design, and we are committed to evolving that direction with clarity, consistency and purpose across future Acura products.”
Acura shared nothing about what powers the concept. The packaging, though, hints at a fully electric powertrain.
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The Acura Nexera Vision makes its public debut at The Quail on August 14, then appears at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance Concept Lawn on August 16.
Acura
The company doesn’t mention plans to turn the concept into a production car, though it says that elements of its exterior and interior will reach the future Acura lineup soon. A warm public reaction could still push it toward development.
The Nexera Vision continues a line of two-door sports car concepts from Acura, including the HSC (Honda Sports Concept) from 2004, the Acura Advanced Sports Car Concept from 2007, and the NSX Concept from 2012, which evolved into the hybrid production supercar of the same name.
