Another one bites the dust.
Following the cancellation of the Honda Insight after the 2014 model year, Honda’s upmarket Acura brand has eliminated the hybrid model from its entry-luxury ILX compact sedan lineup for 2015.
The 2015 Acura ILX will be offered with two of the previous three powertrains: a 150-horsepower 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, paired with a five-speed automatic transmission, and a 201-hp 2.4-liter four powering the front wheels through a six-speed manual gearbox.
DON’T MISS: 2013 Acura ILX Hybrid: Weekend Test Of Acura’s First Hybrid (July 2012)
Acura’s public relations manager, Jessica Fini, confirmed the death of the hybrid ILX to Green Car Reports.
2014 Acura ILX
“Based on the stronger appeal of the ILX 2.0 and 2.4 models,” she wrote, “we are streamlining the ILX lineup to better align with customer demand. Acura will no longer offer the ILX Hybrid starting with the 2015 model year.”
“There are still 2014 ILX Hybrids in dealer inventory” for buyers interested in a hybrid Acura ILX, she said, “so customers can still purchase the model” as of today.
During its two years, the ILX Hybrid was powered by a 111-hp, 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine with a 15-kilowatt electric motor sandwiched between the engine and Honda’s continuously variable transmission (CVT).
“The main challenge with the ILX Hybrid is its notable lack of power” under some driving conditions, we wrote in 2012. While “it’s decent off the line,” we found, “the ILX Hybrid falls down badly on power for acceleration in the critical 45-to-75-mph window.”
MORE: Honda Insight Hybrid Production To End (Feb 2014)
The ILX Hybrid offered for the 2013 and 2014 model years was never a particularly successful model; it represented only a small fraction of the 40,000 or so ILX cars sold.
2014 Honda Insight
Specifically, in 2012, only 972 hybrids were sold of 12,231 ILX cars. For 2013, the total was 1,461 of 20,430, and through May 2014, hybrids were just 227 out of 7,429–a mere 3 percent, and almost certainly not worth the added cost of certifying such a low-volume variant.
The Acura ILX Hybrid is the second Honda vehicle using the company’s aged Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) mild-hybrid system to be canceled.
The Honda Insight subcompact hybrid hatchback was also canceled after the 2014 model year–leaving only the low-volume CR-Z two-seat hybrid hatchback and the Civic Hybrid using the IMA system.
ALSO SEE: One More For The Dead-Hybrid List: RIP Nissan Altima Hybrid (June 2011)
Honda sold 7,700 Civic Hybrids (out of 336,000 Civics altogether) during 2013–more than it sold of either the Insight (4,800) or the CR-Z (4,550).
The ILX Hybrid joins a growing list of defunct hybrids that includes the Cadillac Escalade Hybrid, Chevrolet Tahoe and Silverado Hybrids, Chrysler Aspen Hybrid, Dodge Durango Hybrid, GMC Yukon and Sierra Hybrids, the Nissan Altima Hybrid, and various Saturn Vue and Aura models.
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View original article at: “https://www.greencarreports.com//news/1092776_acura-kills-ilx-hybrid-for-2015-only-two-mild-hybrids-left”
