How Did Acura Come to Be and Who Owns This Luxury Brand?
Serena Aburahma
· 4 min read
The Acura Integra is still one of the most highly acclaimed sports cars of the last several decades, and its
recent return made headlines
. It might surprise you to learn that Acura's parent company, is actually the luxury division of Honda.The history of Acura is a fascinating success story that led to major changes in how American drivers perceived Asian cars. According to
Honda
, it was a story that began in the '80s and continues to this day.
Honda broke through but lacked luxury
Honda today is known for its safety ratings and overall quality, which has helped them break through to the American market.
The '70s and early '80s were strange times in the American car market, and the reliability that Honda is known for today helped them achieve success. The Honda Civic changed the game in the American market and Honda’s success continued with the Accord and Prelude.
There was a challenge with the American market, though, and that was that Honda lacked a luxury model. What they found during the '80s was that younger Americans drove Honda vehicles until they reached higher income levels. Once they could afford more luxurious cars, they would.
This presented an issue not only because Honda lacked luxury vehicles, but because American consumers associated luxury with European manufacturers.
Honda was known for its top-quality vehicles at this point, but getting Americans to take a Japanese luxury car seriously would be a risk. They ultimately took the gamble and launched the Acura division in 1986.
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Acura immediately found success
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There were critics who were skeptical of Acura when it launched, but the new luxury brand immediately proved them wrong.
According to
CardinaleWay Acura
, 52,869 Acura units were sold during the brand's first year on the American market. The number of Acura dealerships quickly rose to over 150 dealerships, and their sales shot up to 109,470 in 1987.No one could argue that the two early standout Acura vehicles, the Legend and the Integra, were anything other than fantastic. They won awards from major publications like Motor Trend and Car and Driver, accolades that no one thought a Japanese brand could achieve. Advertising for the Acura was bold and boasted the slogan, "Precision Crafted Performance."
A Japanese manufacturer successfully taking on the European luxury vehicle monopoly was a huge deal at the time. It inspired other Japanese manufacturers to launch their own luxury brands. Toyota launched their Lexus luxury division, which continues to be successful with vehicles like the IS and ES.
How is Acura today?
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As the years passed, Acura proved that it was not simply a novelty, as the brand continued to deliver new and acclaimed vehicles. According to
AutoEvolution
, Acura proved that it could stand up to European manufacturers again with the NSX. This mid-engine coupe was a serious competitor to European racing giants.Naturally, the economic struggles of the '90s impacted Acura, as they did other luxury manufacturers. However, despite these struggles, the Acura brand continued, and they just kept producing new vehicles.
Today, the Acura lineup continues to wow audiences. The ILX and TLX sedans receive stellar reviews, and the NSX is still going strong as a supercar. Fans are, again, eagerly awaiting the revival of the acclaimed Integra.
Just as Honda changed the automotive industry with the launch of Acura,
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