Acura Nexera Vision: Previewing a Bolder FutureBrian Vance - MotorTrendThe "next era," of Acura design is officially here. The new Acura Nexera Vision concept—a sleek sport coupe with butterfly doors that previews the future of the brand's design—has made its debut at The Quail, a Motorsports Gathering during Monterey Car Week. Although the company is quick to pour water on the idea that the Nexera previews a future model, we went behind the scenes with its designers shortly before its public showing to learn how it will inform the future of the brand.Light 'Em UpConcept cars aren't created in a vacuum, and the mission of the Nexera Vision is clear: Get Acura its groove back. As the company celebrates its ruby anniversary, Acura wants to reestablish itself as the unconventional premium performance brand that made a name for itself with cars like the original Legend, Integra, and NSX 40 years ago. What that means for customers is emotional designs, classically pretty proportions, and more creative choices in materials.What better way to tug on the heartstrings of car enthusiasts than with a two-door sports car? Viewed from the side, the Nexera's proportions are interesting. It sports a conventional front-engine, rear-wheel-drive profile with a long hood, glass greenhouse, and slick fastback roof that ends in a tidy ducktail. It even has active aero, too, in the form of a small rear spoiler.AdvertisementAdvertisementAs you walk around to the front, the Nexera's long, wedgelike hood falls sharply into sculpted ducts like you find on modern mid-engine supercars, with its nose rounding into a handsome snout finished in forged carbon.It's here where we can glean two key details about Acura's future: For starters, after canceling the launch of the RSX EV earlier this year, the company is remaining noncommittal on future powerplants. There's no room for an engine in the Nexera, nor is there obvious space for batteries. (The Nexera Vision, like many pure concepts, is powered by a small electric motor and "driven" by remote control, purely for convenience.)The second detail is in the coupe's lighting. Acura says the new A-shape LED headlights and taillights preview those that'll appear on future production cars. The upcoming RDX Hybrid—previewed by the creatively named Next-Gen Hybrid SUV Prototype shown alongside an Accord-like concept—features the same taillights as the Nexera. The coupe'' headlights are different because, while the two concepts were designed mostly concurrently, the final design wasn't settled until after the SUV was finished.Brian Vance - MotorTrendWaste NotThe Nexera's cabin is pure concept fluff, from its fixed racing seats and yoke steering wheel to the minimalist Tesla-like design, but even so, it reveals some of Acura's thinking about future interiors.AdvertisementAdvertisementFor starters, the company is clearly thinking creatively to reduce its carbon footprint, even if it's publicly pressing pause on its EVs. The cockpit cell and seat backs are made of a polished forged carbon fiber—a form of carbon fiber that's pressed together using what are otherwise scraps—while the dash is trimmed in recycled aluminum and microsuede made from recycled polyester.More interestingly, the seats are covered in a material called CircuLeather. Made by Japanese supplier Midori Auto Leather, this material feels like real leather, but once its useful life as a fabric has been spent, it can apparently be converted into fertilizer.Brian Vance - MotorTrendYou can also expect a bit more whimsy in future Acura cabins. One of the more delightful touches in the Nexera Vision is the subtle use of an unsubtle color, fluorescent pink. Seen in the interior stitching and on the backs of the seat belts, Acura designers say they went for the nontraditional color after seeing other automakers use stylized seat belts as design signatures in their performance cars.Whether this specific pink hue makes it remains to be seen, but it indirectly serves as a reminder as to what made earlier Acuras so great: Cars should surprise and delight their owners. And while the Nexera Vision Concept will most likely remain just that, it's refreshing for us to see Acura beginning to think about its legacy and how it applies old lessons to its new cars.Photo credit: Brian Vance - MotorTrendPhoto credit: Brian Vance - MotorTrendPhoto credit: Brian Vance - MotorTrendAdvertisementAdvertisementPhoto credit: Brian Vance - MotorTrendPhoto credit: Brian Vance - MotorTrendPhoto credit: Brian Vance - MotorTrendPhoto credit: Brian Vance - MotorTrendAdvertisementAdvertisementPhoto credit: Brian Vance - MotorTrendPhoto credit: Brian Vance - MotorTrendPhoto credit: Brian Vance - MotorTrendPhoto credit: Brian Vance - MotorTrendAdvertisementAdvertisementPhoto credit: Brian Vance - MotorTrendPhoto credit: Brian Vance - MotorTrendPhoto credit: Brian Vance - MotorTrendPhoto credit: Brian Vance - MotorTrendAdvertisementAdvertisementPhoto credit: Brian Vance - MotorTrendPhoto credit: Brian Vance - MotorTrendPhoto credit: Brian Vance - MotorTrend