Acura is heading for some radical changes

For the past decade, the design of Acura's cars has been punctuated by the company's shiny "diamond pentagon" front grille.

Everyone calls it the "beak" for the way the massive piece of chrome resembles a bird's beak.

Well, say goodbye to beak.

Acura debuted the company's new Precision Concept at the 2016 Detroit Auto Show and the old trademark is nowhere to be found.

According to Acura, the concept is meant to give the public a glimpse of the company's future design DNA.

"The Acura Precision Concept is more than simply a concept vehicle, it is a design study model that literally will shape the direction of all future Acura products around our Precision Crafted Performance DNA," Acura global creative director Dave Marek said in a statement.

The Precision Concept is long, wide and low-slung - giving the car a sleek and attractive silhouette.

Although the pentagon grille remains, its largely devoid of shiny chrome. Open up the suicide doors, and you'll find a tastefully executed interior highlighted by a massive curved central screen.

The car also features Acura's human machine interface in which the car's central screen scans each occupant upon entry of the vehicle and tailors the car's functions such as audio, maps and performance to suit the individual.

With the installation of veteran car designer Jon Ikeda as the company's new boss last July, look for Acura to put an even greater emphasis on design and aesthetics in the coming years.

The new design is DNA should come as welcome new for Acura fans. Honda's premium division has struggled to find its identity in recent years with the brand straddling the line between the luxury and near-luxury segments.

Although Acura's RDX and MDX crossover SUVs have been a runaway success, it's sedans have failed to catch on with consumers. In 2015, the RDX and MDX accounted for nearly 2/3 of the company's 174,000 US sales.