Acura
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| Acura
<tr><td colspan="2" style="text-align:center; padding:16px 0 16px 0;"> | |
| Type | Subsidiary of Honda |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1986 |
| Headquarters | Tokyo, Japan
<tr><th style="text-align:right; padding-right:0.75em;">Industry</th><td>Automotive</td></tr><tr><th style="text-align:right; padding-right:0.75em;">Products</th><td>Automobiles</td></tr><tr><th style="text-align:right; padding-right:0.75em;">Parent</th><td>Honda</td></tr><tr><th style="text-align:right; padding-right:0.75em;">Slogan</th><td>Advance</td></tr><tr><th style="text-align:right; padding-right:0.75em;">Website</th><td>http://www.acura.com</td></tr> |
Acura (アキュラ) is a brand name used by the Japanese car manufacturer Honda in the US, Canada and Hong Kong since March 1986 to market luxury automobiles and near-luxury vehicles. The brand was introduced to Mexico in 2004 and to the Chinese market in 2006. It is also planned to extend Acura to the Japanese domestic market in 2008. With the Acura brand, Honda is credited with being the first to tap into a market for luxury Japanese cars outside Japan. Before Acura, automobiles exported from Japan were primarily economical in design and largely targeted at low-cost consumers.
Contents |
[edit] The Acura Brand
In 1986, following a decade of research and development, the Honda Motor Company opened 18 all-new dealerships in North America to support its Acura luxury-automobile division. Acura was the first Japanese luxury brand to appear, and its initial offerings consisted of four models: the Legend, a V6-powered coupe and sedan, and the Integra, available as a five-door and three-door hatchback <ref name=acura>Acura History page > timeline</ref>. The success of these models led to competing Japanese luxury brand ventures (Toyota's Lexus and Nissan's Infiniti).[edit] Vehicle history
In 1990, four 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 a halo car for the Acura brand. The NSX was the world's first all-aluminum production car <ref name=acura/>.Despite a strong start for the Acura brand (in terms of market acceptance), sales suffered in the the mid- to late 1990s. Some critics attributed this decline in part to less inspiring designs. Additionally, during this time Acura switched to an alphanumeric nomenclature formula, dropping the Legend and Integra titles. The 1996 3.5 RL, which replaced the popular Legend, was seen by many as the epitome of this problem, namely because the RL designation was more anonymous than the former Legend title <ref name=forbes>Forbes: Backseat Driver - Acura</ref>. Also, the RL's 210-horsepower V6 (later increased to 225 hp) and front-wheel drive, together with styling that cautiously copied the larger and more powerful Lexus LS 400, did little against BMW, Audi, and Lexus, and other competitors. During this time, the NSX also lost sales as Acura made few changes from its original 1989 trim.
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.
Image:Acura TL.jpgBeginning 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 Acura 3.2 TL, an upscale sedan competing with the likes of the Lexus ES, Infiniti I30, and BMW 3-series. Critics suggested that although 3.2 TL did not outdo its competition in any one area, it offered a well-rounded blend of sportiness and luxury <ref>Review: 2003 Acura 3.2 TL Type-S</ref>. These characteristics, combined with the TL's competitive price, proved very popular with consumers. Subsequent Acura models have followed a similar philosophy of offering lots of standard equipment and very few options.
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 little 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 <ref>Road Test: You Can Hang A Star On The Acura MDX</ref>. 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).
A new TL debuted in 2004, featuring sharp, Italianate styling and a 258-hp V6 — available with a 6-speed manual transmission. The new TL increased sales dramatically to 70,943 American units in 2005, trumping competitors such as the C-Class, G35, CTS, ES 300, and A4<ref>http://www.forbes.com/2005/12/09/luxury-cars-sales-cx_dl_1212feat_ls.html</ref>. That same year, Acura introduced the TSX, a European-market Honda Accord loaded with features, as a cheaper alternative to the BMW 3-series. This model became the only 4-cylinder sedan in Acura's line-up, replacing the Acura CL coupe and Integra sedan. A new RL debuted in 2005, this time with a 300-hp 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.
Acura's new models—particularly the RL and TSX—have been well received by the motoring press. For example, the TSX has been on Car and Driver's Ten Best list in all three years of production (2004 - 2006). The TL, TSX, and MDX have become Acura's top selling vehicles. US Big Three recently re-introduced sport sedans with rear wheel drive and V8 engines and Acura will be the only luxury manufacturer not to offer V8s <ref name=forbes/>. Saab and Acura will be the only luxury manufacturers to use FWD exclusively.
Image:Acura RDX.JPGIn 2006 Acura introduced a small SUV 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. The RDX was supported initally by a 4-ad television campaign, one which featured the RDX driving across the ceiling of an ovaloid room, highlighting the RDX's SH-AWD (Super-handling, All-Wheel-Drive) transmission. The model is available in two versions: Premium (the standard offering), and Technology Package (being the upgraded offering which includes a GPS navigation system, Bluetooth phone integration and other high tech features). No factory options are offered for either version, but several dealer-installed options are available including body-side moldings, front and rear trim packages, all-weather floor-mats, iPod-integration cable, and automatic-dimming rear-view mirror.
A completely redesigned MDX will become available in the fall of 2006 with a 300-hp V6 engine and Super Handling All-Wheel Drive.
Though the slow-selling NSX was discontinued in December 2005, Acura has promised a redesigned V-10 model sometime between 2007-2009.
[edit] Timeline
- 1986
- Acura debuts in North America as the first Japanese luxury marque.
- 1990
- Acura dealerships in the US win their fifth consecutive first-place ranking on the Customer Satisfaction Index by J. D. Power and Associates. Acura announces that it will expand research and development in US.
- 1991
- The Acura Legend coupe wins Motor Trend's prestigious Import Car of the Year trophy.
- Honda's revolutionary VTEC technology is introduced in the NSX
- Acura is introduced in Hong Kong by Reliance Motors
- 1997
- The Integra Type-R is introduced.
- 2001
- The MDX wins the prestigious Motor Trend "2001 Sport/Utility of the Year" award.
- 2002
- Acura RSX replaces Integra name in North America.
- 2003
- TSX is introduced as replacement for the CL coupe and Acura Integra sedan. Integra, first introduced in 1986, was long overdue for a redesign. TSX becomes very competitive choice against popular BMW 3-series.
- 2004
- Acura is introduced in Mexico by Honda de Mexico.
- 3rd generation Acura TL is introduced and immediately becomes the best selling luxury car in America.
- 2005
- The new Acura TL wins "Consumer's Most Wanted Vehicle" at Edmunds.com
- Acura RL is introduced with revolutionary SH-AWD system
- 2006
- Acura is introduced in China.
- Acura RDX is introduced with SH-AWD
[edit] Future models
- 2008 Acura will be introduced in Japan
- Acura “Advanced Sedan Concept“ (flagship)
[edit] Current models
- MDX (luxury SUV)
- RDX (crossover SUV)
- RL (full-size sedan)
- RSX (sports coupe) (2006 is last year of production)
- TL (mid-size sports sedan)
- TSX (mid-size sports sedan)
- CSX (compact sedan) (replacement for the Acura EL, only available in Canada)
[edit] Discontinued models
- EL (compact sedan; only available in Canada, replaced by the CSX (which is also only available in Canada))
- Integra (sports coupe and sedan, replaced by the RSX)
- Legend (luxury sedan and coupe, replaced by the RL and CL)
- Vigor (mid-sized sedan, replaced by the TL)
- CL (luxury coupe, replaced by TSX sedan)
- SLX (SUV, replaced by the MDX; only available in the United States)
- NSX (exotic coupe)
[edit] See also
</div>[edit] References
<references />
[edit] External links
| Acura — A division of Honda — road car timeline, 1986-present - | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Type | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | |||
| Compact | EL | EL | CSX | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport compact | Coupé | Integra G1 | Integra G2 | Integra G3 | RSX | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Sedan | TSX | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mid-size | Coupé | CL | CL | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sedan | Vigor | TL | TL | TL | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Full-size | Legend | Legend | RL | RL | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Crossover | RDX | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| MDX | MDX | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SUV | SLX | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sports | NSX | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
ca:Acura es:Acura fr:Acura hr:Acura it:Acura ja:アキュラ no:Acura pl:Acura pt:Acura fi:Acura sv:Acura th:แอคิวรา tr:Acura zh:讴歌
