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Acura is a Japanese brand name used by Honda in the US, Canada, Mexico, and Hong Kong since March 1986 to market luxury automobiles and near luxury vehicles. Acura is credited with creating or being the first to tap into a market for luxury Japanese cars outside Japan. Before Acura, automobiles from Japan were primarily economical and were seen as reliable above all else.

Other Japanese luxury brands (Toyota's Lexus and Nissan's Infiniti) sprang up in North America shortly after Acura's introduction of the Legend, a V6 powered coupe and sedan and the Integra, which was offered with a 4 cylinder engine only. Automotive journalists were impressed particularly by the Acura Legend.

During the mid- to late-1990's, Acura's model line-up became less and less inspiring and consequently, sales suffered. During this time, Acura switched to an alphanumeric formula for nomenclature, which was the size of the vehicle's engine in liters followed by two letters (or three in the case of SUVs.) The the 1996 3.5RL, which replaced the well-loved Legend, was the epitome of Acura's new-found blandness. Its sluggish 210-horsepower V6 (later bumped to 225 hp) and front-wheel drive, together with anonymous styling that cautiously aped the larger, more powerful Lexus LS400 did little against more prestigious, attractive and faster offerings from BMW, Audi, and Lexus, among others.

In the early 2000's, Acura re-enlivened its line-up, arguably beginning with the introduction of 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 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 (fomerly the Integra), and the supercar, the NSX.

A new TL debuted in 2004, equipped with sharp, Italianate styling and a 270-hp V6, and available with a 6-speed manual transmission led to a dramatic increase in sales for Acura. The 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 Integra sedan. A new RL debuted in 2005, this time with a 300-hp V6, more exciting styling, and "Super Handling" all-wheel drive.

Acura's new models – particularly the RL and TSX – have been well received by the motoring press. The company has now re-established itself with a consistent performance-oriented image, while also maintaining its reputation for outstanding customer service and reliability.

For the future, Acura is looking forward to the introduction of the RDX, a smaller SUV set to feature the RL's SH-AWD (Super Handling All Wheel Drive) and should debut in mid-2006 as a 2007 model.

And while the NSX has been discontinued following the 2005 model year, Acura has promised a redesigned model sometime in 2007 or 2008.

Contents 1 History 2 Future models 3 Current models 4 Discontinued models 5 Timeline 5.1 1986 5.2 1987 5.3 1988 5.4 1989 5.5 1990 5.6 1991 5.7 1992 5.8 1993 5.9 1994 5.10 1995 5.11 1996 5.12 1997 5.13 1998 5.14 1999 5.15 2000 5.16 2001 5.17 2002 5.18 2003 5.19 2004 5.20 2005 6 Related Topics 7 External links

History

• 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. It has the highest horsepower per liter (at 108) of any production car.

• 2001
  • The MDX wins the prestigious Motor Trend "2001 Sport/Utility of the Year" award.

• 2004
  • Acura is introduced in Mexico by Honda de Mexico.

• 2005
  • The new Acura TL wins "Consumer's Most Wanted Vehicle" at Edmunds.com

Future models

• 2007 RD-X compact crossover SUV

Current models

• MDX (crossover SUV)
• RL (full-size sedan)
• RSX (sports coupe)
• TL (midsize sports sedan)
• TSX (midsize sports sedan)
• CSX (compact sedan) (Replacement for the Acura EL, only available in Canada)

Discontinued models

• EL (compact sedan; only available in Canada)
• Integra (sports coupe and sedan, replaced by the RSX and the TSX)
• Legend (luxury sedan and coupe, replaced by the RL and CL)
• Vigor (mid-sized sedan, replaced by the TL)
• CL (luxury coupe, replaced by the Honda Accord EX V-6 Coupe)
• SLX (SUV, replaced by the MDX)
• NSX (exotic coupe)

Timeline

1986

The Acura brand is introduced to North America by Honda.

• Models Sold:
  • Integra (New)
  • Legend (New)

1987

• Models Sold:
  • Integra
  • Legend

1988

• Models Sold:
  • Integra
  • Legend

1989

• Models Sold:
  • Integra
  • Legend

1990

A new 2nd generation Integra is introduced.

• Models Sold:
  • Integra (New 2nd Generation)
  • Legend

1991

New Vigor Model added to Acura's lineup. New 2nd generation Legend is introduced. Acura NSX introduced.

• Models Sold:
  • Integra
  • Legend (New 2nd generation)
  • NSX
  • Vigor (New)

1992

Minor update to 2nd generation Integra.

• Models Sold:
  • Integra
  • Legend
  • NSX
  • Vigor

1993

• Models Sold:
  • Integra
  • Legend
  • NSX
  • Vigor

1994

A New 3rd generation Integra is introduced.

• Models Sold:
  • Integra (New 3rd generation)
  • Legend
  • NSX
  • Vigor

1995

New 2nd generation Vigor introduced as TL.

• Models Sold:
  • Integra
  • Legend
  • NSX
  • TL (New) (2nd generation Vigor)

1996

New SLX SUV model is introduced. (Not sold in Canada) New 3rd generation Legend introduced as the RL.

• Models Sold:
  • Integra
  • NSX
  • TL
  • RL (New) (3rd generation Legend)
  • SLX (USA only)

1997

New Civic sedan based EL is introduced. (Canada only) New 2 door Coupe **TL introduced as CL.

• Models Sold:
  • CL
  • EL (New) (Canada only)
  • Integra
  • NSX
  • TL
  • RL
  • SLX (USA only)

1998

The Integra receives a minor update.

• Models Sold:
  • CL
  • EL (Canada only)
  • Integra (Gen 3.5)
  • NSX
  • TL
  • RL
  • SLX (USA only)

1999

New 2nd generation TL is introduced.

• Models Sold:
  • CL
  • EL (Canada only)
  • Integra
  • NSX
  • TL (New 2nd generation)
  • RL
  • SLX (USA only)

2000

No CL model for 2000.

• Models Sold:
  • EL (Canada only)
  • Integra
  • NSX
  • TL
  • RL

2001

New 2nd gen CL Coupe introduced. New MDX Luxury SUV introduced. New 2nd generation EL model. (Canada only)

• Models Sold:
  • CL
  • EL (New 2nd generation)(Canada only)
  • Integra
  • NSX
  • MDX
  • TL
  • RL

2002

The new 4th generation Integra is introduced as the RSX. The NSX is updated.

• Models Sold:
  • CL
  • EL (Canada only)
  • MDX
  • NSX (Minor update)
  • TL
  • RL
  • RSX (New) (4th generation Integra)

2003

• Models Sold:
  • CL
  • EL (Canada only)
  • MDX
  • NSX
  • TL
  • RL
  • RSX

2004

New 3rd generation TL introduced. New TSX sports sedan indroduced. Minor update to 1st generation MDX

• Models Sold:
  • EL (Canada only)
  • TL (New 3rd generation)
  • TSX (European Honda Accord)
  • MDX(Minor Update)
  • NSX
  • RL
  • RSX

2005

New 2nd generation RL introduced. The RSX receives a minor update.

• Models Sold:
  • EL (Canada only)
  • TL
  • TSX
  • MDX
  • NSX
  • RL (New 2nd generation)
  • RSX

Related Topics

• Honda
• VTEC
• Honda Type-R

External links

• Acura USA
• Acura Canada
• AcuraZine: Enthusiast Community
• Acura Performance Upgrades
• Official Acura Accessories and Parts Site
• Reliance Motors (Hong Kong)
• Acura in Mexico

A division of Honda	Acura road car timeline, 1980s-present (edit)
	Type		1980s										1990s										2000s
			0	1	2	3	4	5	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									CSX
	Small	Coupe						Integra					Integra				Integra				Integra				RSX
		Sedan																									TSX
	Mid														Vigor			TL		TL							TL
	Large	Coupe							Legend					Legend					CL
		Sedan																	RL									RL
	SUV																		SLX					MDX
	Sports													NSX

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