Acura Bringing Three New Vehicles to 2012 Detroit Auto Show

A redesigned Acura RDX. A new compact sports sedan. A concept for an all-new NSX supercar.

That’s all Acura is bringing to Detroit come Jan. 9 on the first media day of the 2012 North American International Auto Show.

The three reveals are a significant statement for the brand.

The biggest will be the ILX Concept. It will be a “styling study” of the smallest Acura sedan in the lineup and will be offered with a gas-powered engine and a hybrid.

Acura doesn’t come out and say it, but we’re expecting/praying that the ILX will feature new design language to replace the “shield”-focused designs of the past few years.

The company says the ILX will be launched in spring 2012, so this concept follows in the tradition of past Honda and Acura showcars that look nearly identical to their production versions.

The 2013 Acura RDX is an important vehicle for the brand in a competitive segment. There were no details given about the RDX.

And finally, there’s the NSX Concept. We’re going to guess that this concept won’t be as concrete as the ILX. However, the confirmation that there will be a new NSX and the first concept comes on American soil shows that Acura is making a statement about its future.

One thing is for sure: If Acura doesn’t show a new direction in terms of design with at least one of the three debuts in Detroit the automotive world will be left scratching its head.