New York Auto Show: 2013 Acura RLX Introduced on Wednesday, April 4: Acura RLX design study. The trial-balloon version of the car that will replace Acura's top offering, the RL luxury sedan. Given that Acura and its parent company, Honda, seldom build auto-show concepts that differ greatly from the production models they foretell, it's fair to expect the 2014 RLX to look virtually identical to what was shown here. What they said: "On the high seas, the flagship is a fast, agile and technologically advanced craft that carries the fleet commander and provides leadership and clear direction for the rest of the fleet," Tetsuo Iwamura, American Honda's chief executive, said in introducing the RLX concept. And that is precisely the role of the new Acura flagship sedan. To symbolize this new mission, we have rechristened Acura's top sedan the Acura RLX. What they didn't say: The outgoing Acura RL isn't going to retire with a 21-gun salute. It has been a rather weak flagship for the brand, with a relatively high price, especially considering its unimpressive V-6 engine. Acura is banking on its replacement to erase those not-so-fond memories. A still-evolving Sport Hybrid system, first announced at the Detroit auto show in January on the Acura NSX concept, in which an all-new direct-injected V-6 engine will generate more than 370 horsepower. "This will give RLX V8-like acceleration with 4-cylinder fuel economy of 30 miles per gallon city-highway combined," Mr. Iwamura said. The production RLX arrives early next year. The departing model starts just under $50,000, a high price for a rather unremarkable sedan. Mr. Iwamura promised a new value equation for the RLX. "Incredible value on a luxury scale," he said. A bit more shapely than the RL, but not to the "remarkable" degree the company was promising in briefings last year. At one such meeting, Jeff Conrad, an Acura vice president, said, "We lost our way." It looks as if Acura, at least as far as the RLX is concerned, is not quite out of the woods yet.