TORRANCE, Calif., July 21, 2015 – Acura continues to advance its leadership in safety performance among luxury brands with the 2016 ILX becoming the latest Acura sedan to earn a 5-Star Overall Vehicle Score from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) New Car Assessment Program (NCAP). The 2016 Acura ILX joins the flagship RLX luxury sedan[i] and the TLX performance-luxury sedan in earning an NCAP 5-star Overall Vehicle Score from the NHTSA.
“As the gateway to the Acura sedan lineup, it is important the 2016 Acura ILX offer advanced safety technologies along with outstanding performance and luxury refinement,” said Michael Accavitti, senior vice president and general manager, Acura Division. “Acura has always been an industry leader in safety performance and we are proud the entire Acura sedan model line received the top safety ratings from NHTSA.”
One aspect of Acura’s safety performance leadership is the availability of the AcuraWatch™ suite of safety and driver-assistive technologies on all models. AcuraWatch™ includes features like Collision Mitigation Braking System™ (including Forward Collision Warning), Road Departure Mitigation, a Multi-View Rear Camera with Dynamic Guidelines, as well as Adaptive Cruise Control and Lane Keeping Assist System, with sensor-fusion technology that enables new capabilities, including pedestrian sensing. AcuraWatch™ can help improve the driver’s situational awareness and, in certain circumstances, can intervene to help avoid a collision or mitigate its severity. The 2016 Acura ILX offers autonomous emergency braking technology at the most affordable price point within the luxury segment.
The Next-Generation Advanced Compatibility Engineering™ (ACE™) body structure is another element of the Acura safety leadership strategy. Incorporated in the 2016 ILX, the next-generation ACE™ design utilizes a network of connected structural elements to help distribute crash energy more evenly throughout the front of the vehicle, enhancing occupant protection and crash compatibility in front collisions. Unlike most conventional designs that direct frontal crash energy only to the lower load-bearing structures in the front end, Next-Generation ACE™ actively channels frontal crash energy to both upper and lower structural elements. The front wheelhouse upper member, front pillar, side sill and front floor frame are the main areas that were reinforced to improve performance in small-offset frontal collisions on the 2016 ILX.
Reimagined for the 2016 model year with significant styling, performance and feature updates, the ILX is a part of the industry’s fastest-growing sedan lineup, with Acura sedans enjoying a 28 percent year-over-year sales increase through June 2015.
[i] The 2016 RLX Sport Hybrid SH-AWD has not been rated by the NHTSA.