Acura is trying to bring more performance back to its lineup, and the Honda luxury brand is reviving a name that hasn’t been seen in more than a decade to do it. Debuting during Monterey Car Week, the Acura Type S concept heralds the return of the Type S name to Acura’s lineup, as well as new, sportier versions of Acura’s current models.
The Type S concept is a four-door sedan with aggressive styling. Acura said some of the styling elements were influenced by the ARX-05 race car, but we see a lot of Chevrolet Camaro in the open-mouthed grille, slim headlights, and upright front end. The Type S concept wasn’t intended for production, just to herald the return of the Type S badge. As during the previous run in the early 2000s, all Type S production models be based on existing Acura models.
Between 2001 and 2008, the Type S badge marked the sportiest Acura models sold in North America. It may have been a step below the Type R models sold in other markets at that time, but it showed Acura was still committed to performance in the afterglow of the brand’s 1990s golden age.
During its first stint, the Type S badge was applied to sportier versions of the 3.2CL and RSX coupes, as well as two generations of the TL sedan. Acura said it will launch two new Type S models over the next few years. The first will be a Type S version of the TL’s successor, the TLX, Acura confirmed. The automaker did not say what the second new Type S model would be, but wouldn’t be surprised if a crossover, perhaps the RDX, got the Type S treatment.
The Acura Type S concept made its public debut at The Quail, a Motorsports Gathering. The event is one of many that make up Monterey Car Week, an annual automotive extravaganza featuring some of the rarest and most expensive cars around, both new and old. It’s anchored by the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.
Updated on August 16, 2019: Added live images of the Acura Type S concept.
