Honda's US-focused Acura premium offshoot is set to reveal a BMW X6 fighter in the form of a new contender that's likely to be called the CUV.

The company has as yet issued only these teaser images, with the vehicle's world reveal set to take place at the New York Auto Show (which opens to the public from April 10 to 19).

Honda/Acura is for now remaining tightlipped about the SUV-that-wants-to-be-a-coupe concept, but it's believed the vehicle is based on the same platform as the Acura TL (a mid-size sedan derived from the US market Accord).

Power is likely to come from a 3.7-litre V6, an engine we've sampled locally in the Honda Legend. The V6 puts out 226kW and 370Nm, which could put the CUV in the same ballpark as the BMW X6 xDrive35i (225kW and 400Nm).

What we can glean from the teaser pics is that the CUV mimics the X6's steeply tapered roofline, which culminates in a pseudo-fastback rear end with fat haunches.

The CUV also previews a novel tail-light treatment that's somewhat Audi-esque in execution.

If the vehicle is to be perceived as a realistic alternative to the X6 (more here), it will obviously need to offer brilliant dynamics, as the Bavarian contender has rewritten the rulebook on what an SUV can and can't do.

With this goal in mind, Honda's boffins have been spied pounding around the Nurburgring in test mules over the past several months in a bid to hone the CUV's dynamics to a razor's edge.

The CUV will go on sale in the US in 2010, but don't expect to see it here, as it's likely to be a left-hand-drive-only proposition.

In any case, the company has already publicly stated its stance that Australia is a no-go zone for Acura (more here).