Honda to kill Integra?

A report in US industry journal Automotive News suggests that American Honda Motor Co senior vice president John Mendel hinted that the Acura RSX (as the Integra is known in the US) would be canned by the end of this year.

The elimination of the RSX is said to be part of Acura's plan to move upscale from the more mainstream Honda brand. Most Australians may not be familiar with the Acura badge, but, in essence, it is to Honda what Lexus is to Toyota.

Although the RSX's days may be numbered in the US, Honda Australia spokesman Mark Higgins says there are no plans to cut the Integra from the local line-up in the immediate future.

"That's news to me!" he said when queried about the model's imminent axing in the US. "I haven't heard any word about the phasing out of the Integra for our market."

The current Integra was introduced here in 2002 and updated in 2004, when the range-topping Type R made way for the more powerful Type S. The Integra has been a moderately successful seller, with 920 finding new homes in Australia last year, and 604 sold in 2004

If the Integra were to be discontinued, it would leave Honda without a coupe for the first time in decades. The Prelude, you may remember, was axed a few years ago.

It's believed an all-new coupe -- due in the not-too-distant future -- will eventually serve as a replacement for both the Integra and the Prelude. Further down the track -- 2009, to be precise -- we can expect the keenly anticipated V10-engined NSX, which is likely to draw heavily on the company's Formula One expertise.

It's shaping as an exciting new era for Japanese supercars, as the NSX will wage battle with Nissan's upcoming next-gen GT-R and Lexus's LF-A concept-based coupe.