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Acura Gets V8

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Honda CEO Takeo Fukui has reportedly approved the development of a V8 engine for the Japanese company's prestige brand Acura, which could quite possibly find its way into the RL (Legend under Honda Badge) luxury sedan and MDX SUV.

The news confirms rumours that circulated around the Internet earlier this year, predicting a Honda V8 by 2010.

Since the company was formed, Honda has resisted the urge to put a bent-eight under the bonnets of its passenger cars (Mugen Legend MAX excluded, of course), instead opting for highly-tuned fours and sixes which, while powerful, have always come under criticism for being somewhat lacking in torque - a criticism that Fukui himself acknowledges:

"I don't think that the Acura RL 3.7-liter is sufficient. We can't compete with other premium brands," said Mr Fukui in an interview with Automotive News.

While not much is known about the upcoming V8, it's pretty much a sure-fire thing that it'll boast a good spread of torque with some decent power on top, while cylinder deactivation, direct-injection and other concessions to eco-friendliness may also be incorporated into its design.

Power is guesstimated to be around the 313kW mark, while displacement will likely be close to 4.8 litres. These are all rumours for now though, so take these figures with a grain of salt. We'll have more news on Acura's new powerplant for you as it comes to hand.

Source: Autonews