​Acura celebrated the start of mass production of the all-new 2019 Acura RDX on May 15, the first in a new generation of Acura products built around Acura's Precision Crafted Performance brand direction. The new RDX is a clean-sheet, top-to-bottom redesign of Acura's perennial top-selling five-passenger luxury SUV, brought to life through new capital investment of $54 million in new technologies and processes at the East Liberty Auto Plant (ELP). New technologies at the East Liberty Auto Plant include a new roller hemming process for the new RDX's ultra-wide panoramic moonroof and the use of high-performance structural adhesives for enhanced body rigidity – both manufacturing firsts for a mass-produced Acura model. A new multi-layer paint system highlights the introduction of new Acura-exclusive premium exterior color options. "This new RDX defines the future of Acura, and our Ohio team did an incredible job preparing this first in a new generation of Acura vehicles for our customers," said Jim Hefner, plant manager at the East Liberty Auto Plant. "Paired with a new Ohio-made 2.0-liter Turbo engine, an all-new platform and a host of new technologies, the 2019 RDX sets a new high bar for style, performance and sophistication in a compact luxury SUV." The new Acura RDX takes its power from a direct-injected and turbocharged 2.0-liter, VTEC® Turbo engine produced at the nearby Anna, Ohio engine plant. The engine is mated to a segment-first 10-speed automatic transmission (10AT) manufactured at the company's Tallapoosa, Georgia transmission plant. Peak output is 272 horsepower and 280 lb.-ft. of torque, with the new 10AT and available next-generation of Acura Super-Handling All-Wheel Drive® (SH-AWD™), making this the quickest, best-handling RDX yet. The all-new 2019 Acura RDX will begin arriving at U.S. Acura dealerships in June. The Acura RDX is launching from a position of strength as the top selling nameplate in the compact luxury SUV segment since its launch in 2006, with cumulative U.S. sales of more than 375,000 units (through end of April 2018), all made in Ohio.  RDX also is coming off its 3rd straight year of 50,000 or higher sales (2015-17), something no other model in segment can claim. In addition to being manufactured in the U.S. for the past 12 years and over three generations, the all-new 2019 model is the first RDX to be designed and developed in America. Styling design of the RDX was conducted by the Acura Design Studio in Los Angeles, California, with development undertaken by the company's North American R&D team, based in Raymond, Ohio. The RDX has been completely reengineered on a new, Acura-exclusive platform and showcases the next-generation Acura design direction. Five of the six models in the Acura lineup are made exclusively in central Ohio, including the ILX and TLX luxury sports sedans (Marysville Auto Plant), the RDX and MDX luxury SUVs (East Liberty Auto Plant) and the Acura NSX supercar, which is built to order at the Performance Manufacturing Center in Marysville, Ohio.