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The other day Acura teased its upcoming 2016 ILX sedan by releasing a darkened photo of the car. It revealed next to nothing, but fortunately we can do much better than that; we’ve got an entire gallery of spy photos.

The car was caught with its pants down so to speak, out in the blinding desert sun. The littlest Acura will borrow some styling cues from its TLX big brother but it also resembles the Honda Civic Si in some ways.

The car’s headlamps and front fascia appear to be more aggressive than what’s on today’s version. The body-side appears to have received some tweaking as well, but the big story is ‘round back. The ILX’s booty is dramatically different, with much more aggressive styling elements and surface details.

SEE ALSO: 2015 Acura TLX Review

This compact luxury car is expected to receive new powertrains as well. The 2.0-liter four-cylinder base engine is rumored to get a boost to 170 hp; torque will likely climb as well. Thanks to Honda’s “Earth Dreams” technology it might even get more efficient. The optional 2.4-liter unit is expected to be matched to an automatic transmission instead of just a manual, which is the case with today’s version of the car. This should make it appeal to many more customers.

Look for the 2016 Acura ILX to formally debut at next month’s L.A. Auto Show. And we’ll be there in California bringing you the latest news from this critically important motoring event, so stay tuned for more.

GALLERY: 2016 Acura ILX

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