Acura’s Nexera Vision Coupe Concept Boasts Lights That Vanish, Could be NSX Successor

Acura chose Monterey Car Week to show its next design direction, and the Nexera Vision coupe does the talking without saying a word about production plans. Finished in a deep Matte Titanium that shifts with the light, the two-seater sits low and wide with a long stretch from the front axle to the base of the windshield.

Strong, curving surfaces extend from a pointed nose through a clean, uncluttered interior and down to a short but dynamic rear deck. The dual-hinge butterfly doors open in a single, dramatic action, up and over in a flash, and a clever active rear spoiler shoots out when needed to help keep the car grounded. The front fascia, side sills, rear diffuser, and rocker panels are all forged carbon, which shouts ‘high-performance motoring’. The wheels, measuring twenty-two inches in center-lock form, now feature carbon-ceramic Brembo brakes, a first for Acura.

To be honest, those design elements would have been enough to set most concept cars apart, but it is the lighting system that draws people in. The ultra-thin LED elements at the car’s extremities are styled like a pointed “A,” the Acura emblem, and when turned off, they simply melt into the surface. Only when they are turned on do the glowing “arrows” of light shine straight through the surface, leaving no discernible outline. Acura refers to this phenomenon as ghost illumination, and to show that it is not a one-time thing, the next-generation RDX hybrid, due in a few years, will have the same technology.


Yasutake Tsuchida, Acura’s new Los Angeles design head, was in charge of this show-stopper, and he was keen to use the team’s 40th birthday as an opportunity to establish the brand’s direction. They created a cleaner style with more disciplined proportions, a cleaner line free of clutter, and technology that stays out of sight until you need it. The Nexera Vision is the pinnacle of that brief, a wholly pure design study that will never make it to a showroom as a sports vehicle, but wow, does every surface influence what comes next.




On the inside, everything revolves on the driver, as you can see just by glancing in. Fixed seats clip directly to the floor, allowing you to sit as low as possible while the steering wheel and pedals slide forward to meet you, rather than the other way around. There is only one curved screen in front of the yoke-style wheel, and only a few controls on the wheel and console. The inside design is all black and white, with a pop of bright pink on the seat bases and seatbelt undersides, which is a great touch. Lower-impact materials have been utilized throughout, which are less likely to affect the environment. This contains CircuLeather, recycled Alcantara, recycled aluminum, and much more of the sleek forged carbon. Behind the seats, there’s a small baggage tray containing samples of various materials as well as a smaller scale model of the car.




No powertrain information have been revealed (yet), but for the time being, the automobile runs on electric power and has no exhaust outlets, so you can guess what that means for future possibilities. The packaging does allow for different layouts, but Acura has stated that this specific body form will not be produced anytime soon. Some Acura enthusiasts have already noticed a link between the original Honda S2000’s low seating position and sleek cockpit, with some even considering a roadster version. Following The Quail on the 14th, the Nexera Vision will go to Pebble Beach’s Concept Lawn on the 16th.