Acura: no plans to offer hybrid versions of current or future products

Acura currently has no plans for hybrid models, sales VP Dick Colliver said at the Chicago Auto Show. He said his company does not think hybrid powertrains are suitable to larger vehicles, despite Lexus, BMW, and Mercedes offering or planning to offer such propulsion.



Hybridization is better suited to small cars, Colliver told Edmunds. Compact vehicles are not something Acura has any plans to sell, he added.

Acura has already announced plans to offer a new 2.2-liter four-cylinder diesel with some of its new models, in order to appeal to consumers concerned with environmental issues of fuel costs.

Parent company Honda has a already developed a new global hybrid powertrain for Honda-brand vehicles, but it was designed with small, light vehicles in mind,

Recent polls have shown U.S. consumers are more open to hybrid power than diesel, so it will be interesting to how Acura's strategy plays out in the coming years.