Acura

Guide Note:With the introduction of its Acura performance vehicles in 1986, Honda was the first Japanese auto manufacturer to exploit the market for Japanese luxury cars outside of Japan. Japanese manufacturers had previously concentrated on economy and practicality when designing vehicles for overseas markets.

Acura's first two models, the Legend sedan and the Integra coupe were met with positive reviews: Less than a year after their introduction, the Acura Legend won Motor Trend's Import Car of the Year, and the Integra made Car and Driver's Ten Best list.

In 1990, Acura manufactured the world's first all-aluminum production car, the NSX, which Motor Trend called the "best sports car ever built." The NSX was introduced as the first Japanese car able to compete with high performance European sports cars made by Porsche and Ferrari.

To commemorate the company's 10th anniversary, Acura introduced its flagship vehicle, the RL, in 1996. Five years later, in 2001, Acura began manufacturing the MDX sport utility vehicle.

Over the years, Acura has made substantial technological breakthroughs in the automotive industry with the development of Super Handling All-Wheel Drive® (SH-AWD®), Variable Valve Timing and Lift Electronic Control (VTEC®) and Advanced Compatibility Engineering™ (ACE™) structural design. Fast Facts:

1. Headquarters: Tokyo, Japan
2. Acura stemmed from 10 years of Honda research
3. 60 new dealerships were opened in North America to support the 1986 launch
4. NSX is an acronym for New Sports eXperimental
5. Popular among tuner enthusiasts

Acura Release Dates:

1. 1986: United States, Canada and Hong Kong
2. 2004: Mexico
3. 2006: China
4. 2008 (Fall): Russia
5. 2010 (Projected): Japan