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. coupe (1987–1990) 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. The success of these models, particularly the Legend, led to competing Japanese luxury brand ventures (
Toyota's
Lexus that began development in 1983 as the
F1 project, and
Nissan's
Infiniti who began development in 1985 by revising their Japan-only flagship
Nissan President; in the late 1990s Mazda planned but never launched its own Amati luxury division). The goal of the Legend was to compete with rivals
Toyota Crown and the
Nissan Cedric and
Gloria, but due to its 1986 introduction worldwide, Toyota, Nissan and other companies like
Lincoln took notice of the markets reaction to the Legend and later the
Vigor and offered vehicles that addressed the executive size car. Toyota introduced the
Lexus ES, Nissan introduced the
Infiniti J30 and Ford utilized the
Taurus platform and named their new sedan the
Lincoln Continental. (1986–1989) In 1987, Acura's first full year of sales, they sold 109,000 cars with the flagship Legend sedan accounting for 55,000 sales and the rest were of the smaller Integra. By 1990, Acura was selling 138,000 vehicles, including 54,000 Legends, compared to Mercedes-Benz's 78,000 cars and 64,000 each for BMW and Lexus.
1990s In 1990, five years after the debut of the Legend and Integra, Acura introduced the
NSX, a midship V6 powered, rear-wheel-drive sports car. The NSX, an acronym for "New Sports eXperimental", was billed as the first Japanese car capable of competing with
Ferrari and
Porsche. This vehicle served as an "image car" for both the Honda and Acura brands, heralding the introduction of Honda's
VTEC technology. The NSX was the world's first all-aluminum production car, and was also marketed and viewed by some as the "everyday supercar" thanks in part to its ease of use, quality and reliability, traits that were unheard of in the supercar segment at the time. With the release of the NSX, Acura introduced the "A-badge", a stylized pair of calipers—a tool used for exacting measurements to imply that Acura vehicles are built to precise and demanding standards. was sold under the Acura brand in certain regions Despite a strong start in market acceptance for the Acura brand, sales suffered in the mid-to-late 1990s. Some critics attributed this decline in part to less inspiring designs, which were re-branded Japanese-spec Hondas, such as the
Acura Vigor in 1992. Additionally, during this time Acura switched to an alphanumeric nomenclature formula, dropping the Legend, Vigor and Integra titles, following the lead of the NSX sportscar. The 1996 3.5 RL, which replaced the popular Legend, and the Vigor became the 2.5 TL and 3.2 TL, and was regarded by many as the epitome of this problem, namely because the alphanumeric designations were more anonymous than the former Legend, Vigor and Integra titles, which had grown into their own cult followings. The parent company, Honda, was also feeling the results of the decline of the Japanese economy, due to the
Japanese asset price bubble that took place during the 1990s and into the 2000s. This period is known in Japan as the
Lost Decade. During this time, the NSX also lost sales as Acura made few changes from its original 1990 trim. A year later, the Integra sedan was withdrawn from the Canadian market, replaced by the market-exclusive
Acura 1.6 EL, a rebadged
Honda Civic/
Domani. The Integra sedan continued to be sold in the United States until 2001 (in name only, the model it was replaced with, the RSX, was simply a rebadged left-hand-drive version of the JDM DC5 Honda Integra). Despite these letdowns, Acura gained prominence in the 1990s with a young group of customers: "tuner" enthusiasts. Parent company Honda's reputation with this demographic as a maker of "easy-to-tune" and "rev-happy" engines rubbed off onto Acura, and the Integra became a popular tuner car.
2000–2003 (1999–2003) Beginning around the year 2000, Acura experienced a rebirth which was catalyzed by the introduction of several redesigned models. The first of these models was the 1999 Acura 3.2
TL, an upscale sedan. Critics suggested that although 3.2 TL did not outdo its competition in any one area of luxury cars, it offered a well-rounded blend of sportiness and luxury. These characteristics, combined with the TL's competitive price, proved very popular with consumers. Subsequent Acura models have followed a similar philosophy of offering much standard equipment and few options. (2001–2006; 2004 facelift) Another refreshed Acura introduced in the early 2000s was the
MDX, a popular three-row crossover SUV based on the
Honda Odyssey minivan. The MDX replaced the slow-selling
SLX, which was little more than a rebadged
Isuzu Trooper. The MDX was a car-like crossover SUV with limited off-road capability that catered to the demands of the luxury SUV market. It was given top honors by
Car and Driver in its first comparison test against seven other SUVs. Other cars in Acura's line-up during this time included the 3.2 TL, 3.2
CL,
RSX (formerly the Integra hatchback), and the NSX. By the late 2000s, Acura had dropped the inclusion of engine displacement numbers in its vehicle designations, retaining a simpler, two- or three-letter designation instead (e.g. 3.5 RL became RL). The 1999-2003 TL have been plagued by transmission and other problems. In 2001, a new coupe, badged as the RSX was introduced to the Acura line up. It was a replacement for the outgoing Integra. The RSX is a rebadged Honda Integra (DC5) from the Japanese market. As a result, the RSX is technically a new generation of the outgoing Integra. Much like the Integra, the RSX was a hit in the tuner market. However, at the end of 2006, the RSX was taken out of the Acura line up, subsequently in the Japanese market as well. It is not known why the RSX did not continue to be sold as the Integra in Japan, however, the reason that Acura gave for the cancellation of the RSX is that Acura wishes to move up in the luxury brand, thus cannot sell a car that is mostly driven by teenagers.
2004–2006 A new TL was introduced for the 2004 model year, with a V6 measured by the then-current
SAE standards. The new TL increased sales dramatically to 70,943 American units in 2005. Also around the same time the
Acura TSX was introduced. It was essentially a re-badged European and Japanese market Honda Accord loaded with features. This model became the only 4-cylinder sedan in Acura's line-up (with the exception of the Canadian market
Acura CSX, which replaced the EL in 2006). Acura's new models—particularly the TL and TSX—were well received by the motoring press and became Acura's top selling vehicles by then. The TSX was on
Car and Drivers Ten Best list from 2004 to 2006. In 2005, a new RL was introduced with a V6, improved styling, and Super Handling All-Wheel Drive (SH-AWD), a system capable of sending almost all of the RL's power to just one wheel in a turn. The second-generation RL appeared on
Car and Drivers
Ten Best list for 2005, and also garnered an CNET.com "Editor's Choice". However in the midsize luxury segment, RL sales lagged far behind not only the best-selling German offerings but also Japanese contemporaries like the
Lexus GS and
Infiniti M. Honda Japan had set the RL's initial price high, close to those with V8 engines, disappointing potential customers who perceived Acura as not being on par with its German rivals in brand equity and expected more value from the Japanese marque. The damage from Honda Japan's alleged hubris was done, even though Honda Canada has since reduced the RL's price. In 2006 Acura introduced a compact crossover SUV which was based on its own unique unibody chassis called the
RDX with models becoming available to U.S. consumers in August 2006. It is powered by a turbocharged 240-hp 4-cylinder engine and, like the RL, uses Acura's
SH-AWD system. A completely redesigned MDX became available in the fall of 2006 with a V6 engine and Super Handling All-Wheel Drive.
2007–2013 (2004-2008; 2006 facelift) Acura reintroduced the TL Type-S for the 2007 model year. 2009 marked the all new TL and TSX models as well as a mid-year model update for the RL; all three made their debuts in the 2008 calendar year. Acura planned on redesigning the RL by 2011 as well as announced the creation of a brand new luxury crossover vehicle called the
ZDX, previewed by the concept of the same name. The ZDX was the first vehicle designed in Acura's design studio located in
Torrance, California. The ZDX was designed by Michelle Christensen, and based on the Acura MDX using that vehicle's 3.7 litre V6 engine (300 bhp) and SH-AWD system. It is also the first Acura to be completely built in North America. The production model of the ZDX made its debut in the Orange County Auto Show in Southern California on 15 October 2009. The concept behind the ZDX is that it is a "four door coupe," and the design emphasis of the body of the car is like a "pulled back slingshot." Another prominent design aspect of the ZDX is the wide rear shoulders above the rear wheels. The ZDX went on sale in December 2009. Acura initially had plans for the third generation of RL to be a rear wheel drive V8 sedan for its
flagship, but shelved the plans in the wake of the 2008 economic downturn. Acura announced new TSX wagon in the
2010 New York Auto Show and went on sale in Fall of 2010. The wagon version of the TSX is based on the wagon version of the Euro-spec Honda Accord which has been in the European market for some time. However, Acura did not announce any plans for the third-generation RL. For the 2010 model year the MDX models received some slight exterior changes and increased equipment levels. Mechanically the engine remained unchanged but the transmission was updated from the previous 5-speeds to 6-speeds including steering column mounted shift override paddles. This new transmission was shared with the ZDX. In 2012, Acura introduced a new model called the
ILX which replaced the
Acura CSX in Canada and is based on the
Honda Civic platform. The ILX was initially offered with three powertrain options: a
1.5L four cylinder electric hybrid shared with the North American
Honda Civic Hybrid paired to a
CVT transmission, a 2.0L 4 cylinder
R20A1 paired to a 5 speed automatic transmission, or a 2.4L
K24Z7 paired with a 6 speed manual transmission equipped with a
limited slip differential identical to the 2013-2015
Honda Civic Si. It also unveiled the
Acura RLX Concept, a replacement for the RL sedan, at the
New York International Auto Show. The ILX went on sale in May 2012 in the United States as a 2013 model. (2013-2020; 2016 facelift) Also in 2012, Acura "reinvented" another model, The RDX concept. For the new model, Acura dropped the 4 cylinder turbo for a 3.5L V6. When the official 2013 Acura RDX was released, it was relatively similar to the concept but had changes in wheels, taillights, and some other cosmetics. A lot of this Acura looks like its brother the ILX. The 2013 RDX doesn't have the SH-AWD system instead it has "AWD with intelligent control", similar to the CR-V's AWD system. In 2013, Acura showed a 2014 Concept of the MDX. Shortly after, it was released to the public. The MDX competes with the Lexus RX, Audi Q7, and many others. PMC Edition In December 2013, at the
Los Angeles Auto Show, Acura unveiled a Sport Hybrid SH-AWD version of the flagship RLX sedan. It has a 310-horsepower 3.5L V6 engine and a pair of electric motors (one for each axle) that generate a combined 377 horsepower through a new 7-speed dual clutch transmission. Acura technology firsts on the 2014 RLX Sport Hybrid SH-AWD also include an electronic gear selector that replaces the conventional, center console-mounted shift lever with an efficiently packaged push-button array allowing the driver to easily select the desired mode—Park, Drive and Reverse, as well as Sport and Normal driving modes. The new RLX Sport Hybrid will go on sale in mid-2014.
2014–present In January 2014, at the
Detroit Auto Show, Acura unveiled the all-new 2015 TLX sports sedan. This new vehicle replaced the soon to be discontinued TSX and TL sedans. The TLX in the 2.4-liter comes with Acura's all new eight-speed dual clutch DCT transmission. Meanwhile, the high-end 3.5-liter V6 model came with the new nine-speed transmission and Super-Handling All Wheel Drive (SH-AWD). The TLX went on sale in the Summer of 2014. In 2015, Acura redesigned the ILX for the 2016 model year. Now solely available with a 2.4L
K24V7 engine and 8-speed
dual clutch transmission (DCT) instead of the 2.0L
R20A1 & 5-speed automatic transmission, 2.4L K24Z7 6 speed manual transmission and
hybrid electric options. Added is the signature Acura Jewel Eye LED headlights, LED taillights, updated wheels, suspension modifications, bumper redesign, and new packages such as AcuraWatch Package (includes adaptive cruise control, collision mitigation, lane keeping assist system, road departure mitigation, and forward collision warning) and
A-Spec (sportier appearance). Also redesigned is the 2016 RDX. Featured with the same 3.5L 6-speed automatic with some slight adjustments for efficiency and hp/torque boosts. The RDX gets the Acura Jewel Eye LED treatment as well. A new Advance Package is being offered with the inclusion of, parking sensors (front and rear), rain-sensing windshield wipers, auto-dimming side mirrors, remote start, ventilated seats, and foglights. In 2017, Acura made considerations on opening an Indian branch. == List of Vice Presidents ==