[](http://buyersguide.carsoup.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Acura_1.jpg)Acura’s concept car from this year’s Detroit Auto Show proves the brand is out to redefine itself in the luxury space.
It’s said that a rising tide lifts all boats. While that may be true in some situations, when it comes to luxury vehicles the overall uptick in sales these past few years hasn’t been entirely equitable. Luxury vehicles–cars that generally sell for $40,000 and up–account for nearly 11% of all units sold. Translated to dollars, luxury vehicles account for 18% of all sales revenue–over $100 billion. So, yes, you could say the stakes are high. One luxury brand in particular is pulling out all the stops to revitalize their product, recharge their image and carve out new market share. When Acura unveiled its Precision Concept vehicle at the North American International Auto show you could almost hear jaws dropping.
[](http://buyersguide.carsoup.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Acura_2.jpg)Even from the rear, Acura’s concept is stunning.
Veteran analyst Tom Libby of IHS Automotive divides the luxury players into three tiers. First, there are the leaders, those long-established and revered brands including BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Lexus. Then there are the strivers, also known as Tier 2 brands including Acura, Audi, Cadillac, Infiniti and Lincoln. Finally, the niche brands, Volvo, Land Rover, Porsche, Jaguar, Tesla and Maserati.
Acura has struggled a bit the past few years. They’ve been chided for a lack of innovation, referred to as boring and uninspired and accused of doing the same thing over and over while expecting different results. They’ve also presented concept cars in the past that tended to be direct previews of upcoming vehicles rather than expressions of new, invigorating ideas. The Precision Concept breaks rank and suggests that Acura is finally on the road to new and exciting things.
[](http://buyersguide.carsoup.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Acura_3.jpg)Thanks to the absence of a B pillar, the interior is spacious and open.
The Precision Concept puts a great deal of distance between the Acura brand and its mass-market counterpart, Honda. It’s elegant, powerful, dramatic, emotional and visually stunning. With an emphasis on high-contrast details and the intersection of modern, sheer surfaces and muscular, organic sculpting, the Acura Precision Concept communicates Acura’s focus on performance and prestige through its ultra-low and wide stance, long dash-to-axle ratio, deeply sculpted surfaces and the debut of a new Diamond Pentagon grille.
The Precision Concept’s crouched and athletic stance is further emphasized by its deeply sculpted side surfaces pouring over swelling rear wheel arches covering 22-inch wheels and tires. The forward-looking concept also features signature lighting designs – in front with its Jewel Constellation LED headlights composed of organically arranged fractal elements, and in back with floating LED taillights.
[](http://buyersguide.carsoup.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Acura_4.jpg)Instrumentation is as stunning as it is futuristic.
“The Acura Precision Concept is more than simply a concept vehicle, it is a design study model that literally will shape the direction of all future Acura products around our Precision Crafted Performance DNA,” said Dave Marek, Acura global creative director.
The Acura Precision Concept was developed by the Acura Design Studio in California to express the Acura brand DNA of “Precision Crafted Performance.” If that sounds like a big deal for Acura, well, it is. Jon Ikeda, VP & General Manager of Acura sums it up, “There is no more clear promise for the Acura brand than Precision Crafted Performance. We’re committed to infusing this core Acura promise into every facet of our products and every aspect of our relationship with the customer.”
