Luxury and fuel economy. They don’t necessarily jive as well as say, Crown & Coke.  Acura will aim to change that.  Let’s be honest: the Lexus HS is basically a  Corolla Hybrid.  So that throw at the dart board doesn’t quite count.

Acura will be offering their take on sauce and sting with the introduction of the 2011 Acura TSX Hybrid.

As early as 3 years ago, industry insiders started talking about a hybrid in the works for Honda’s luxury marque. Confirmation came in January this year at the Detroit Auto Show where Honda CEO, Takanobu Ito, disclosed Acura’s eagerness to develop hybrid variants for more than one model.

Taking into account their current lineup, the TSX seems to be the best candidate for a luxury hybrid. It’s currently the smallest Acura available. More than that, however, is the fact that once retrofitted with a hybrid system, an Acura TSX Hybrid can compete directly with the aforementioned Lexus HS, and probably defeat it in every imaginable way.

Acura has already confirmed the release of the 2011 TSX Sport Wagon so it would be safe to expect more or less the same enhancements on a 2011 TSX Hybrid. Regarding the power plant, the company would probably enlist the use of the  Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) hybrid system used in the Honda Insight.

How much will it cost?
Well, with the price of the current 2010 Acura TSX starting at $29,310. we’re estimating that the 2011 Acura TSX Hybrid will cost around $35k nicely equipped.

When will it be available?
Fall 2011.

What type of fuel economy will it get?
We predict around 30/35 mpg.  The current 4-cylinder TSX gets 20/28 mpg.

Article From: http://carsdirect.com