Acura Reveals Its Sleek and Sexy, 2nd Generation Self-Driving Car

As Apple continues to work on, and hire prospects to develop its long-rumored self-driving automobile, it appears that Acura — the premium, luxury automobile arm of Honda Motorcars — has just released its 2nd-generation self-driving car prototype.

Based on the Japanese auto manufacturer’s RLX luxury sedan, Acura’s 2nd, milestone attempt at developing an autonomous automobile is by far its most ambitious and successful to date. The vehicle is so sleek and smart, it effectively hides (or, at least diminishes substantially) the amount of clutter and gadgetry that goes into making a self-driving car, well, a self-driving car.

Current autonomous automobiles on the road — such as Google’s Lexus RX400h — tend to feature a rather cumbersome array of wires and cables and technology that, from an aesthetic standpoint, might deter many potential users from wanting to be seen in them. Acura, however, was able to significantly reduce the visibility of external components on its 2nd generation, self-driving RLX — upping the chances that the luxury car manufacturer will ultimately be able to deliver a commercialized version of its car that appeals to customers.

The new RLX, which features a proprietary assortment of automated technology — such as sensors for GPS, LiDAR, and road cameras, was unveiled on Wednesday in California. The sleeker, more sophisticated technology constitutes a first-of-its-kind advancement in the relentless race to a commercialized autonomous automobile that seems to be unfolding up in Silicon Valley. Even better yet, the car’s all-new, highly advanced compilation of sensors and gadgets are considerably more powerful than Acura’s previous generation hardware.

According to Acura representatives, the company’s 2nd generation autonomous RLX will begin testing shortly at the 5,000 acre GoMentum Station in Concord, California — which, as a former Naval base, is currently owned and operated by the Honda Research Institute USA. GoMentum Station is home to over 20 miles of roadway grids, real estate, and infrastructure that essentially simulates a realistic suburban/metropolitan environment — making it ideal for extensive testing of Acura’s 2nd generation self-driving car, as well was the many other new prototypes that Acura hopes to test out over the course of the next few years.

The company ultimately hopes to fine-tune and beautify its self-driving car in an effort to accelerate the public’s adoption of automated driving technologies by as early as 2020. Likewise, according to several insider reports, Apple has apparently been in talks with representatives at GoMentum Station about one day testing its own self-driving car there.

Oh yeah, and speaking of Apple and self-driving cars.. As most of us know by now, the Silicon Valley iPhone-maker is currently in the process of developing its own electric, or even self-driving car — a vast and very, very expensive endeavor known internally as ‘Project Titan.’ And while it’s uncertain at this point if Apple will be releasing a fully-fledged autonomous vehicle, we are fairly sure that the company will be bringing something to the table within the next few years.

Of course, with companies like Acura already well-ahead of the curve, it’s likely that the advancements in technology will only continue to increase, all the more, as we draw closer and closer to Apple’s highly-anticipated entrance into the automotive industry.

Would you like to call one of these Acuras your own?
Or will you be holding out until the release of the Apple Car? Let us know in the comments!