First Official Photos of 2013 Acura ILX Sedan and RDX Crossover

We don't have to wait until Wednesday for the 2012 Chicago Auto Show to open its doors to the press to see what the production versions of Acura's 2013 ILX compact sedan and RDX crossover look like as the Japanese carmaker has just released the first official photos.

As we expected, the transition from concept to production didn't bring many changes on either model, just some minor tweaks to the bumper trims and the placing of smaller and less extravagant alloy wheels.

Starting with the ILX, while based on the current Civic, Acura has made considerable efforts to differentiate the compact model from its Honda sibling, both inside and out. Acura says that the primary target customers for the ILX are "Generation Y- successful 20 and 30-somethings moving into the luxury car ranks but looking for high-value propositions in their purchases."

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Patent Images Show the 2013 Acura ILX Sedan in Production Form

We're only a day away from the official presentation of the production version of the 2013 Acura ILX compact sedan at the Chicago motor show but we've managed to get our hands on the patent images providing us with our first look at what has changed and not over the concept model we saw in Detroit last month.

Acura had already told us that the Detroit show car was very close to the production model that will follow so it's overall styling don't come as a surprise.

Like all production models, the 2013 ILX stands a little bit higher and rides on smaller wheels, while Acura also simplified the design of the front bumper openings and replaced the concept's LED strips with regular fog lights.

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Acura to Debut Production Versions of New ILX Sedan and RDX at the Chicago Auto Show

Next week's 2012 Chicago Auto Show will play host to the world premiere of the final production versions of Acura's all-new ILX compact sedan and the redesigned RDX crossover, both of which we're displayed in showcar form in Detroit last month.

The changes on the production models are expected to be limited to some subtle design details such as the bumpers and the alloy wheels.

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Honda's Cumulative Worldwide Hybrid Sales Surpass 800,000 Units Since 1999

While not as near as successful as its native rival Toyota when it comes to hybrid models, Honda remains a major player in the category having recently topped the 800,000 sales mark.

As we learned today, the milestone came at the end of December 2011 and was achieved 12 years and 2 months after Honda launched the first generation of its Insight hybrids in Japan in November 1999. For the record, last April Toyota sold its 1 millionth Prius in the States.

The first Insight delivered a fuel economy of 35km/liter (equal to 82.3mpg US or 2.9lt/100km) on the Japanese driving cycle, lending it the title of the most fuel-efficient gasoline-powered model of its time - according to Honda.

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