Click the Euro Accord for a high-res gallery

Judging by the almost uniformly negative reaction in the comments following the introduction of the facelifted 2009 Acura RL in Chicago last week, the grille on the car shown above could quickly become a popular aftermarket item for the new TSX when it hits the road later this year. What we have here is the new 2009 Honda Accord that's sold outside of North America. On these shores, we get the same car badged as the Acura TSX. The Euro Accord will premiere at the Geneva Motor Show two weeks ahead of the Acura's debut.

Honda has just released pics showing the Accord/TSX from all angles along with some details on the powertrains the Euro-market car will be offered with. In Honda guise, the Accord gets a choice of 2.0L and 2.4L gas engines with 156 and 200hp. The bigger gas engine only makes 172lb-ft of torque. Probably the most entertaining version of the car will the one powered by Honda's new i-DTEC clean diesel. Although it only produces 150hp, torque output is a more impressive 258lb-ft. Honda hasn't announced fuel consumption numbers yet, but it should be fairly thrifty. When the diesel appears in the U.S. next year it will be Tier 2 Bin 5 compliant without a urea injection system thanks to Honda's nifty new ammonia-generating catalyst.

[Source: Honda]

Acura's entry-level TSX sedan is is a re-badged version of the European-market Honda Accord, a car that will debut on March 5 at the Geneva Motor Show. Acura has now let us know that the U.S.-market TSX will be dropping just two weeks later at the New York Auto Show. Why is this relevant here on ABG? Because the TSX is expected to be the first American market model to be equipped with the new Honda i-DTEC diesel engine. The current Euro Accord already comes with a diesel. Acura confirmed at the recent Detroit show that the new engine will be installed in an Acura model in 2009 and the TSX seems to the be logical choice. The new TSX in the photo that Acura provided has more distinctive styling than the current model and shares the new family face with the RL that debuted in Chicago last week.

[Source: Acura]

Honda's contribution to the flurry of Frankfurt news is twofold: the Accord Tourer Concept and a new generation diesel engines called i-DTEC.

If you like what you see in the picture above and after the jump, imagine it in your driveway, kind of. Honda says the Accord Tourer "provides a strong indication of the design direction of the all-new generation Accord Tourer set to debut in mid-2008." When that Tourer is available, the full line will be feature Euro V-compliant engines, courtesy of two i-VTEC petrol engines with 2.0 and 2.4-liter capacities and the new 2.2-liter i-DTEC diesel. Keep an eye out for the new Accord (Sedan and Tourer) at next year's Geneva motor show.

Now, about that diesel engine. Honda has or is testing it to meet strict emissions rules in Europe, Japan and the U.S., which implies global availability, pretty much, somewhere down the line. On top of the Euro V test, which the iDTEC passed, Honda is shooting for an EPA rating of Tier II/Bin 5, which surpasses even the upcoming Euro VI ratings. You can see a picture of the I-DTEC, more shots of the Tourer Concept and Honda's press release after the jump.

Related:

• Frankfurt Preview: Honda's booth run-through, including Accord Tourer Concept

[Source: Honda]