Acura introduces new design language under new design director

This week amid all the pomp and circumstance that is Monterey Car Week / Pebble Beach Concours, Acura introduced a new design language and a concept car that displays it to dramatic effect.

The introduction of this new aesthetic direction comes as the long Dave Marek era at Acura closed at the end of last year, and a new era began under the leadership of Yasutake Tsuchida, who assumed the role of creative director and vice president of Auto Design. It is also Acura’s 40th birthday, so a new direction for the brand seemed both inevitable and welcome to the Acura faithful.

"We are using the 40th anniversary of Acura as a springboard to our future, with [our new concept] serving as the design language for future Acura models," said Tsuchida. "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.”

The new styling direction is centered on a dramatic horizontally-oriented arrow-shaped lighting signature (below) that will animate both the front and rear fascias of future product offerings. ”To reinforce the new Acura styling identity, we developed a unique lighting signature inspired by the Acura ‘A' mark—an unmistakable design element created to make this new era of Acura instantly recognisable," noted Tsuchida. 

The concept Acura introduced at Monterey will certainly turn a few heads, even among the rarified offerings on the lawn at Quail, and later at Pebble Beach. Named the NEXERA Vision, the concept car explores the possibilities of a dramatic sports coupe with muscular forms, a wide stance and long dash-to-axle ratio, and, of course, the new lighting signature, which is a pair of ultra-thin lights both front and rear. 

"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,” said Tsuchida.

The front seats are mounted onto the floor in a fixed position. This significantly lowers the driver's seating position, and allows the coupe's pedals and steering yoke to adjust to meet the driver.

Acura notes that the minimalist black-and-white interior of the NEXERA Vision brings premium materials, forged carbon, alongside gloss black finishes and high-contrast pink (or magenta, if you prefer) accents, creating a contemporary performance cockpit. Sustainable materials featured throughout NEXERA Vision include recycled aluminum, Alcantara incorporating certified post-consumer recycled polyester, and CircuLeather, a leather material designed to support a more circular material lifecycle. 

"Sustainability is playing an increasingly important role in how premium quality and performance are defined, and the Acura brand is embracing innovative material technologies that bring fresh possibilities to the customer experience while supporting broader environmental ambitions," Tsuchida added. "These advancements help reduce the carbon footprint associated with our products and create new opportunities to challenge conventional ideas of quality, inspiring a new perspective on what premium can be.”

There is no word about any production plans for the NEXERA Vision. The new lighting signature will find its first production debut on the next-generation Acura RDX hybrid.