One common theme among the livestream comments on YouTube was that the Integra is styled too similarly to the Civic, which underwent a redesigned for the 2022 model.
One commenter even saw elements of the Honda Accord, a family sedan.
Ikeda said the revived Integra would have a starting price of around $30,000, which likely limited the brand’s ability to stray too far away from the Civic. Acura’s outgoing entry-level sedan, the ILX, is based on Civic mechanicals from two generations ago.
Acura said the next-generation Integra would have styling elements that hark back to the previous generations in the 1980s and 1990s.
“Designed in Japan, the new Integra’s bold exterior styling features a dramatically sloping roofline and liftback tailgate, giving it a distinct coupe-like road presence,” the company said in a statement.
“A modern interpretation of the Integra line, the fifth-generation model displays trademark cues such as the embossed Integra name under the driver’s side headlight and passenger’s side taillight,” Acura said. The Integra will be build at an Acura plant in Ohio alongside the redesigned TLX.
Ikeda said that in market awash with crossovers and SUVs, the Integra would serve as a sporty but practical hatchback for active lifestyles. Both Honda and Acura say their entry-level cars draw younger buyers to the brand and generate loyalty.
The Integra, one of two models that launched Acura in 1986, was originally offered as a three-door or five-door hatchback. It was later marketed as a four-door sedan.
The name lived on for three generations in North America until 2001. When the fourth-generation Integra was launched globally as a three-door coupe, the name was changed for the North American market to the RSX, which was discontinued in 2006.
