Acura's gasoline-only era has an expiration date, and it's closer than most enthusiasts realize. Honda's planning chief confirmed this week that Acura is accelerating toward a hybrid-only powertrain lineup, with hybrid models expected to overtake pure-gas sales before the end of the decade. For anyone who wants an Acura performance car without an electric motor in the mix, the window is narrowing fast.

The timing lands hard for two reasons. First, production of the TLX ended in 2025 — including the TLX Type S and its turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 — meaning that car is already gone from production. Second, the current Integra, available with a turbocharged four-cylinder in various power outputs depending on trim, is shaping up to be the last Acura performance car sold without any hybrid assistance. When this generation turns over, the formula changes permanently.

Luxury meets legendary reliability in the Acura TSX Sport Wagon, the overbuilt Japanese wagon still going strong past 200,000 miles.

The confirmation came directly from Honda's product planning leadership: hybrids will become the dominant powertrain across Acura's lineup by the late 2020s. That's not a vague aspiration — it's a structural shift in how the brand is engineering its next generation of vehicles. Honda has already demonstrated serious hybrid performance credentials with the NSX Type S (which used a three-motor Sport Hybrid SH-AWD system), so the technology foundation is real.

For Acura specifically, the move toward hybrid-only aligns with where the brand's performance story has been heading. The NSX, which ended production in 2022, was already a hybrid hypercar. The next logical step is bringing that electrified performance philosophy down into the volume performance segments — the sport sedan and sport compact slots currently held by the TLX and Integra.

The TLX Type S is the more urgent story for collectors. With 2025 confirmed as the final model year, new examples are no longer being produced. The Type S carried a turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 producing 355 horsepower, routed through a 10-speed automatic and Acura's Sport Hybrid SH-AWD — wait, that's the point of confusion worth clarifying:the TLX Type S was actually a non-hybrid performance car despite sharing platform DNA with electrified siblings. That makes it a genuine last-of-its-kind turbocharged V6 Acura sedan.

Dealer inventory will thin quickly once word spreads that no 2026 replacement is coming in the same form. Enthusiasts who want a new, warranted, unmolested TLX Type S should be checking remaining dealer stock now. Lightly used 2024 and 2025 examples are likely to hold value better than typical near-luxury sedans precisely because there's no direct successor on the horizon.

The Integra is still in active production and available in multiple trims — including the Type S variant with its 320-horsepower turbocharged four-cylinder and six-speed manual transmission. That manual gearbox alone makes it stand out in a segment that has largely abandoned the third pedal. But the current generation's lifecycle has limits, and when the next Integra arrives, it will almost certainly carry hybrid hardware.

For buyers on the fence, that's the real calculus: the current Integra Type S is a naturally evolved sport compact with a rev-happy engine, a proper manual, and no electrification to complicate the driving experience. It starts at $53,900 in Type S trim — not cheap, but not unobtainable either. If the hybrid successor commands a significant premium (which is likely, given battery costs), today's pricing may look reasonable in hindsight.

The Acura Integra Type S is kind of underrated next to less premium hot hatches, but here's why it's still a desirable dream machine for enthusiasts.

The hybrid future isn't necessarily a downgrade — and the brief is right to flag that this is worth framing honestly for brand enthusiasts. Honda's Sport Hybrid SH-AWD system, as demonstrated in the NSX and previewed in other applications, can deliver torque vectoring and near-instant torque response that a purely mechanical AWD system can't match. An electrified Integra or next-generation sport sedan could genuinely be faster and more capable than what it replaces.

The question for purists is feel, not performance numbers. Hybrid systems add weight, filter some of the mechanical feedback that makes a naturally aspirated or lightly turbocharged engine engaging, and change the acoustic character of the car. Whether Acura's engineers can preserve the driving character that makes the Integra Type S worth caring about — while adding hybrid hardware — is the real story to watch as the next generation takes shape.

The bottom line for enthusiasts: the TLX Type S is already history, and the current Integra is on borrowed time as a gas-only performance car. Neither of those facts is a reason to panic — but they are a reason to act deliberately. If a last-generation, pure-ICE Acura performance car belongs in your garage or your collection, the window is open now. It won't be forever.

Source: https://www.topspeed.com/acura-going-hybrid-why-integra-tlx-type-s-matter-now/