Acura (アキュラ) is the luxury and performance division of Japanese automaker Honda,[2] based primarily in North America.[3] The brand was launched on March 27, 1986, marketing luxury and performance automobiles. Acura sells cars in the United States, Canada, Mexico and Panama. The company has also previously sold cars in Mainland China, Hong Kong, Russia, Ukraine and Kuwait.[4][5][6] Acura will begin selling the Integra Type S in the Japanese domestic market (JDM) in 2026;[7] previous plans to sell Acura vehicles in Japan did not eventuate due to the 2008 financial crisis.[8]
Acura was the first luxury division established by a Japanese automaker. The creation of Acura coincided with the introduction of a JDM Honda dealership sales channel, called Honda Clio, which sold luxury vehicles, joining previously established Honda Verno, followed by Honda Primo the following year. In its first few years of existence, Acura was among the best-selling luxury marques in the US, outselling established brands such as BMW and Mercedes-Benz. Though sales were down in the mid-to-late 1990s, the brand experienced a revival in the early 2000s, due to drastic redesigns and the introductions of new models.[9]
In the late 1980s, the success of the company's first flagship vehicle, the Legend, inspired fellow Japanese automakers Toyota and Nissan to launch their own luxury brands, Lexus and Infiniti, respectively. The 1990 launch of the NSX, a mid-engine exotic sports car, offered a reliable and practical alternative to exotic European sports cars, and introduced Honda's VTEC variable valve timing system to the North American market. The 1993 Legend coupé featured Acura's first use of a six-speed manual transmission mated to a Type II engine. In the late 1990s, Acura produced a Type R version of its compact Integra, which featured a reduced curb weight, a stiffer and lower suspension, and a high-output VTEC engine.
In the early 2000s, Acura introduced new models, including the company's first all-original SUV, the MDX, and two models which replaced the Integra coupé and sedan, the RSX and TSX, respectively. Type-S versions of the RSX, CL, and TL were added to the brand's lineup during that decade. Acura's 2005 RL flagship introduced SH-AWD, a torque-vectoring all-wheel drive system. The 2007 RDX, a crossover SUV, featured the first North American use of a turbocharged Honda engine. A second generation NSX was launched in 2016 and features a twin-turbocharged mid-engine, a nine-speed dual-clutch transmission, and Sport Hybrid SH-AWD. Two more models were introduced in the mid-2010s—the TLX, which replaced both the TL and TSX, and the RLX, a new flagship.
In the 2020s, the Type-S marque returned after a long hiatus, and the Integra and ZDX nameplates were revived; the latter is Acura's first electric vehicle.
Etymology and logo
The Acura name is derived from the Latin “acutus,” meaning "to sharpen".[10][11][12] The logo is derived from the caliper, a precise design tool representing the meticulous attention to detail that goes into every car.[12] It also closely resembles Honda's "H" logo, with the tops of the side verticals pinched together.
History
1980s
The brand was created around the same time as Japanese rivals Nissan and Toyota developed their respective Infiniti and Lexus premium brands. The Japanese government imposed voluntary export restraints for the U.S. market, so it was more profitable for Japanese automakers to export more expensive cars to the U.S.
Following a decade of research, Honda opened 60 new dealerships in North America by 1986, to support its Acura automobile division. Acura was the first Japanese luxury brand, introduced under the slogan, "Acura. Precision Crafted Automobiles." Its initial offering consisted of two models: the executive class Legend and the compact class Integra, available as a five-door and three-door hatchback. The Legend was the result of Project XX, a joint venture Honda entered into with the UK's Austin Rover Group. It was mechanically related to the Rover 800 series, while the Integra was an improvement of the Honda Quint hatchback.[13]
The success of these models, particularly the Legend, led to competing Japanese luxury brand ventures (
List of Vice Presidents
Racing
Almost since its inception, Acura has been involved in American motorsports, specifically in Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) and IMSA GT Championship series. Starting in 1991, Acura reached an agreement with Comptech Racing to use the V6 motor of the Acura NSX in Comptech's Camel Lights Spice prototype. Acura would go on to take the Lights championship in its initial year, including a class win at the 24 Hours of Daytona. Acura and Comptech would take the Lights championships again in 1992 and 1993, as well as another Daytona class win in 1992 and a class win at the 12 Hours of Sebring for 1993.
However a change in the IMSA rules would lead to the demise of the Camel Lights, and so Acura moved to touring car racing, joining Realtime Racing in the SCCA World Challenge with the NSX in 1996, winning the final two races of the season. In 1997, Acura added Acura Integras to the lower classes, and were successful in taking the championship in both of these classes. Realtime took the touring championship with the Integra again in 1998, and came within a few points of winning it again in 1999 only to lose it in the final race, then coming back to retake the title in 2000.
Although Realtime had abandoned the NSX program in 1998, the NSXs returned to the top class in 2001. Although the NSX squad suffered mechanical woes and were unable to take the title, the Integras of the touring class once again took the teams championship. By 2002, Acura replaced the aged Integra with the RSX in the final races of the season, scoring good finishes in their debut. At the same time, Acura finally retired the NSXs from the top GT class. The RSXs would later be joined by new Acura TSXs in 2004. Realtime continues to campaign the RSX and TSX in the SCCA
Marketing
The Acura logo, introduced in 1990 for the 1991 model year, is, according to Honda, a caliper — a design tool used for measuring[30] that can also be interpreted as a skewed "H" (for Honda) or a stylised "A" (for Acura). The logo that was originally authorized without approval by Soichiro Honda did not contain the small horizontal bar joining the two vertical pillars—thus, it did not form the letter "H". Soichiro Honda ordered the 5,000 badges already produced to be destroyed, including prying off the emblems applied to 309 cars already (US-spec Integra, Legend, and NSX models).[31]
Acura's current marketing slogan is "Precision Crafted Performance."[32][33] Recent models include Technology, Advance, Type-S, SH-AWD and A-Spec trim levels. Technology and Advance models typically come with the latest hi-tech features such as keyless start and a blind spot information system. Type-S and SH-AWD models are performance-oriented, with a substantial increase in horsepower compared to the lower trim levels. Some models, such as the TL, also combine trim levels (i.e. "SH-AWD with Advance").
Current models
Discontinued models
- 2014–2020 RLX (mid-size luxury car, replaces RL)
- 2010–2013, 2024–2025 ZDX (mid-size electric crossover SUV)
- 2006–2011 CSX (subcompact luxury car, replacement for the EL; only available in Canada, replaced by the ILX)
- 2004–2014 TSX (compact luxury sedan and wagon, replaced by the TLX)
- 2015–2025 TLX (compact luxury car, replaces TL
US sales
See also
External links
References
- https://hondanews.com/en-US/releases/mike-langel#:~:text=Mike%20Langel%20is%20the%20assistant,Louis%2C%20Missouri.^
- Honda's premium brand makes cars and SUVs positioned above the mainstream. www.consumerreports.org, retrieved 27 September 2018^
- Is Acura too American to compete globally? Automotive News, 2015-02-20, retrieved 2022-04-21^