In our last installment we sprung Prince Albert from his can to profile a British minx, the Jaguar XK8/XKR. Today, we’re examining the progeny of Soichiro Honda. Honda love runs deep. We understand and respect this. If you’ve tattooed the phrase “DC5 Forever” on your chest, stop reading now. If not, listen to our sad tale of the car that forgot where it came from.

Also known as the Honda Integra in Japan.

The theme today is stepping out of the shadow of one’s predecessor. The RSX’s pappy was the DC2 Integra of 1994-2001. And the baddest DC2 was the Type R. The name has since become diluted by certain people’s slavish devotion to slapping “Type R” stickers all over anything that moves, but the original Type R was no appearance package. To understand the RSX, you have to understand the Type R.

Popular Used Car: 2006 Acura TL

Not surprisingly, while new cars sales take a steady beating, used car sales continue to stay up.  Naturally, some used cars are more popular than others, not only because of a specific car’s perceived fuel efficiency or utility, but as a result of the longevity or sheer number of each model’s production.  So for those in the market for a newer but not new car, here is a breakdown of the Top 10 Used Cars for 2009 based on sales numbers compiled by the auto information statisticians at Edmunds.com.  Some of these results may surprise you.

2009 Infiniti G37 Coupe

According to the ratings done by Consumer Reports in their June issue; the 2009 Infiniti G37 has conquered competitors from Acura, Audi and Volkswagen for the best overall rating in the upscale sport sedan category.

When teaser photos of the new Acura ZDX crossover concept vehicle leaked late last week, we were struck with this crazy idea that we might actually like it. Perhaps it was the result of too many hours spent secluded in our poorly-lit office hunched in front of our laptop for 20+ hours a day with little nutrition beyond amphetamines and goldfish crackers with which to sustain us, but for whatever reason, we were harboring this idea that the Acura ZDX was going to be a leather-upholstered, luxury version of the ass-hauling Subaru Impreza WRX STi. We were, of course, wrong.

Apparently intended to compete with the BMW X6 (good luck with that Acura, have you seen the X6 M?), the Acura ZDX Concept that bowed at the NY Auto Show is a prototype version of the luxury 4-door “sports coupe” that is tentatively scheduled to hit the Acura lineup around 2010-11. Although the specifications are always subject to change, the design language of the ZDX prototype is just unexciting enough to indicate that the final production model will likely differ very little. Beneath the hood, the Acura ZDX prototype is powered by an aluminum VTEC V6, the specifications of which Acura has decided to withhold for the time being, but rest assured that it will most likely be as uninspiring as the rest of the vehicle.

As a committed Volvo fanboygirl, allow me to start by saying that yes, Acura might be safe now, but Volvo was safe first.

Thanks to what Acura is billing as their “steadfast dedication to passenger safety” (or “steadfast dedication to turning a profit”), Honda’s luxury brand has officially become the first brand to receive top marks from both the NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) and the IIHS (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety) for every vehicle in its line-up. After slowly but surely teaching the safety dance (sorry, there was a thing on VH1 last night, it got stuck in our heads, you know how it is) to every new model, Acura was finally able to claim their victory this week after the NHTSA wrapped up testing on the 2009 Acura TL.

Planned for official introduction in a few weeks at the 2009 New York International Auto Show, the Acura ZDX on display is a prototype version of the luxury 4-door sport coupe scheduled to hit dealerships later this fall. Although the teaser images released today reveal relatively little of the Acura ZDX’s actual body, and despite the fact that the ominous “luxury wagon” description conjures up foreboding images of a jade green Mercedes E350 with Michael Bolton perpetually cued up in the CD changer, Acura’s penchant for aggressive, sporty styling lends us a glimmer of hope. Thus, in a rarely seen (yet still begrudging) gesture of admiration, we’ll admit that were are intrigued by the Acura ZDX. Not only that, but we’d even go so far as to say that we wouldn’t mind seeing it enter production, provided, of course, that it maintains the upper-class STi vibe and doesn’t cross into frumpy grocery-getting territory (we’re looking at you, BMW 328i Sports Wagon).

Scheduled to officially debut at the 2009 New York Auto Show in April, Acura’s new crossover concept vehicle gave us the digital equivalent of a cheap lap dance today with its appearance in 5 new teaser photos. Profiled in shadows (or, as we like to say, “the sober man’s beer goggles”), the only clear image we’re able to glean is that of the concept’s profile which, oddly enough, appears to be a little reminiscent of the 370Z. Since Acura’s press department is sitting on the official release for now, we aren’t able to confirm anything else about the new concept aside from the fact that it will be a 4-door, coupe-inspired XUV most likely intended to compete with the BMW X6.

Full gallery after the jump

Acura sales VP Jeff Conrad was on hand at the 2009 Chicago Auto Show yesterday to unveil the newest edition of the Acura TSX sports sedan, boasting proudly, “The automotive market may be slowing down, but not Acura.” Currently Acura’s best selling vehicle in their lineup, the 2010 Acura TSX V-6 adds even more performance and agility to an already impressive ride, featuring a 280-horsepower 3.5L V6 and Acura’s Acura’s Sequential SportShift automatic transmission. As always, the 2010 TSX’s list of standard options is extensive (well, extensive for those of us driving cars built during the Clinton Administration) and includes everything from automatic climate control to Bluetooth connectivity.

Expected to hit dealerships this summer, the 2010 Acura TSX V-6 will be joined by several other significantly refreshed models including the Acura TL performance sedan and the Acura RL luxury sedan.

Full gallery and press release after the jump

Blaming the dramatic downturn in the global auto market, Honda Motors has sent the Honda S2000 to join the highly-anticipated 2010 Acura NSX to that great ‘Ring in the sky. Implementing an aggressive new program aimed at avoiding a predicament similar to that which American automakers currently find themselves entrenched, Honda has begun to edge away from the performance car circuit in favor of focusing on the current fad: fuel-efficiency.

In light of the U.S. automobile industry crisis and the far reaching affects it has had on the global auto industry, Acura has announced that production of the V10 super car, the Acura NSX, has been officially shelved. Heralded as stiff competition for comparable performance cars from the likes of Ferrari and Porsche, the Acura NSX was intended to catapult the brand into the upper tier of luxury automobiles that has so far proved elusive to the Japanese automaker. Unfortunately, Honda’s revised marketing plan and its new decision to focus on innovative, fuel-efficient technology does not provide for the time or funding necessary to successfully produce and market the Acura NSX.

Originally intended to launch in 2008, introduction of the Acura NSX was pushed back to 2010 in the hope that the economic situation would be more conducive to the NSX’s success. Such is obviously not the case, however, and as such, Honda has not only decided to cancel production, but they have apparently put the kibosh on the entire NSX project altogether. As far a future revival of the NSX, Honda CEO Takeo Fukui does not think it likely given the industry’s rapid downturn.