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AcuraAcura 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.
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 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 four-door hatchback, as well as a sedan.[1] The success of these models led to competing Japanese luxury brand ventures (Toyota's Lexus and Nissan's Infiniti).
Since 1986, Acura has consistently raised the performance standards for luxury cars, from performance coupes and sedans to the MDX sport-utility vehicle and NSX exotic sports car. The performance luxury division of the American Honda Motor Company, Acura is renowned for its groundbreaking technologies, superior engineering and aggressive styling. And above all, the Acura brand is celebrated for its unsurpassed quality. Every vehicle is built upon the premise that integrity breeds excellence. And this ethos extends beyond its workings in the automobile industry. From its sponsorship of sporting events to its participation in community affairs, Acura is committed to fostering many modes of performance.
After a decade of research and development, Acura launched its first model, the Legend. Acura was the first Japanese luxury brand to appear in the U.S. market, and since its arrival it has offered the luxury car world a consistently appealing combination of precision, performance and comfort.
The Legend sedan, the first Acura, appeared in 1986. Since then, the Acura lineup has grown to serve a wide range of drivers who share a common interest in luxury and performance. A large part of the success of the Legend can be attributed to the fact that it set a new standard for luxury based on qualities that were rare in luxury cars of the day, such as precise handling, responsive powertrains and excellent road manners. In this respect, Acura has had a significant effect on the way people think about luxury cars. Shortly thereafter, the Acura Legend sedan was joined by the Acura Legend coupe and the Acura Integra sport coupes and sedans. The Integra featured attractive contours, high performance potential and outstanding engineering credentials at a competitive price. Its extensive technological innovations, crisp handling and everyday practicality made it the favorite of a generation of enthusiast drivers.
In late 1990, the exotic Acura NSX sport coupe arrived to great fanfare, bringing a host of new technologies to the automotive world. Motor Trend called it the 'best sports car ever built.' The aluminum bodied, mid-engine supercar redefined the exotic sports car. Here was a two-seater with the performance potential of traditional European exotics but could also be driven every day in complete comfort and with utter reliability.
In 1991, the Acura Legend coupe won Motor Trend's prestigious Import Car of the Year trophy. The same year, the Integra took the laurels as one of Car & Driver's Ten Best, and the Acura Vigor sport sedan was introduced, bridging the gap between the sporty Integra and the luxurious Legend.
The groundbreaking Acura MDX sport-utility vehicle made its debut in 2000. Conceived and developed at a Honda R&D facility in Ohio, the Acura MDX is built in North America. The 265-hp V-6 engine and a custom-developed 4-wheel drive system make the MDX uniquely qualified to travel both the freeways and the back roads with equal confidence. Shortly after its introduction, the MDX won the prestigious Motor Trend '2001 Sport/Utility of the Year' award.
In 2001, the streamlined Acura RSX sports coupe was introduced. It was the first Acura to employ the i-VTEC™ system, which delivers flexibility, efficiency and LEV-II (Low Emission Vehicle) rated emissions. The 160-hp RSX shared its debut with the even sportier RSX Type-S, which employs a more sophisticated i-VTEC system to help wrest 200 peak horsepower from the 2.0-liter LEV-II engine. The RSX Type-S arrived on the market with an exclusive short-throw 6-speed manual transmission.
Performance enthusiasts across the country were forced to reprioritize their fantasies with the April 2003 introduction of the 2004 Acura TSX sports sedan. The 200-hp TSX, available with Sequential SportShift™ 5-speed automatic or close-ratio 6-speed manual transmission, was quickly recognized as a 4-door antidote to the compromises of settling down.
In October of 2003, an even higher form of performance arrived with the debut of the all-new 2004 TL. From its class-leading 270-horsepower, 3.2-liter engine to the bold, sleek lines of its redesigned exterior, the new TL redefines modern luxury. Inside, plush leather seats and an impressive list of technologies fill the instrument panel, including HandsFreeLink™ with Bluetooth® wireless technology and the Acura/ELS® Premium 8-speaker Surround Sound System with DVD-Audio and DTS CD 6-disc Changer.
Now, the all-new 2005 RL is making history by redefining the luxury performance sedan. With a 300-horsepower, V-6, VTEC engine, it boasts the most powerful Acura engine to date. Its revolutionary Super Handling All-Wheel Drive™ (SH-AWD™) system is the world's most advanced all-wheel-drive platform, which makes maneuvering and cornering more stable and precise. And the all-new RL is North America's first and only automobile to feature a telematics system with real-time traffic that displays traffic updates 24 hours a day in select metropolitan areas.
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