Whoops. If you bought a 2006 Acura RSX, expect to get five fewer horsepower than the 2005 model. Buy an '06 Corvette LS7, however, and you'll gain an equal number over 2005. What happened? It seems Japanese automakers' overselling of their cars' horsepower was outed by their moving to the new, third-party horsepower standards set by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) in their marketing. The SAE recently changed its testing procedures to make the numbers more relevant to real-world use, not in ideal conditions. According to the Detroit News, Toyota and Honda are retesting their entire vehicle lineups, while other automakers are retesting only cars and trucks with updated powertrains. Will the nearly assured backlash among enthusiasts provide an image boost to struggling US carmakers? Or will no one really care? Seriously, we're asking — tips@jalopnik.com.
Asians oversell horsepower [The Detroit News]
Related:
Next Stop, Burnoutville: Cadillac STS-V Gets Official Horsepower Rating [internal]