AcuraAcura 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. The brand will be expanded to the Chinese market in 2006 and the Japanese domestic market in 2008. 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. In 1989, Acura introduced the NSX, a swoopy 276-hp two-door sports car. The NSX, an acronym for "New Sports eXperimental", was hailed as the first (and perhaps, to date, the only) Japanese car capable of taking on Ferrari and Porsche. The car's meticulously engineered quality and sterling reliability were icing on the cake. Unfortunately, after this strong start, the mid- to late 1990s, 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. The 1996 3.5RL, which replaced the well-loved Legend, was seen by many as 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 and more engaging Lexus LS400, did little against more prestigious, attractive and faster offerings from BMW, Audi, and Lexus, among others. Even the swoopy NSX lost sales as Acura barely changed the car from its original 1989 trim. Despite these letdowns, Acura did gain prominence in the 1990's with a younger group of people, the import tuner set. Parent company Honda's reputation as a maker of easy to tune and rev-happy engines with this demographic rubbed off onto Acura, and the Integra became a popular tuner car. This reputation has continued to this day, especially with the new RSX and TSX (see below.) In the early 2000s, Acura refreshed 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 a car-like and fun-to-drive crossover SUV with little off-road capability that catered smartly 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. Other cars in Acura's line-up during this time included the 3.2 TL, 3.2 CL, RSX (formerly 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 innovative 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. The company has now re-established itself with a consistent performance-oriented image, while also maintaining its reputation for outstanding customer service and reliability. In the future, Acura will introduce the RDX, a smaller SUV set to feature the RL's SH-AWD (Super Handling All Wheel Drive). It should debut in mid-2006 as a 2007 model. And while the slow-selling NSX has been discontinued for the 2006 model year, Acura has promised a redesigned model sometime in 2007 or 2008. History
Future models
Current models
Discontinued models
Timeline1986The Acura brand is introduced to North America by Honda.
1987
1988
1989
1990New 2nd-generation Integra introduced.
1991New Vigor model added to Acura's line-up. New 2nd-generation Legend introduced. New NSX model introduced.
1992Minor update to 2nd-generation Integra.
1993
1994New 3rd-generation Integra introduced.
1995New 2nd-generation Vigor introduced as TL.
1996New SLX SUV model introduced. (Not sold in Canada) New 3rd-generation Legend introduced as the RL.
1997New EL (based on Civic sedan) is introduced. (Canada only) New 2-door coupe TL introduced as CL.
1998Integra receives a minor update.
1999New 2nd-generation TL introduced.
2000No CL model for 2000.
2001New 2nd-generation CL coupe introduced. New MDX luxury SUV introduced. New 2nd generation EL model. (Canada only)
2002New 4th-generation Integra introduced as the RSX. NSX is updated.
2003
2004New 3rd-generation TL introduced. New TSX sports sedan introduced. Minor update to 1st-generation MDX.
2005New 2nd-generation RL introduced. RSX receives a minor update.
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RSX receives a minor update. See also: Port (computing), scan converter, Common electrical adaptors in Hong Kong and the United Kingdom. New 2nd-generation RL introduced. In the past this normally resided on an expansion board, but it is commonly built into modern motherboards as broadband Internet access and home networking become more popular. Minor update to 1st-generation MDX. An Ethernet adapter is the hardware required to attach to an Ethernet network. New TSX sports sedan introduced. Universal Serial Bus (USB) adapters are available for printers, and for keyboards and mice, among others. New 3rd-generation TL introduced. Adapters in computing are even more complex, requiring digital translation (or even digital signal processing in the case of converters). NSX is updated. This usage, which may appear overelaborate in that such adapters are inert structural elements rather than dynamic converters of signals or electrical power, actually derives from French. New 4th-generation Integra introduced as the RSX. They transfer the thrust from the lowest stage and are discarded during staging. (Canada only). The hollow cylindrical or conical segments between rocket stages or between the top rocket stage and the shroud that houses a spacecraft are called adapters. New 2nd generation EL model. Other adapters may include a device that changes what is passing through, such as a transformer that adapts household electrical current from high voltage (100 to 240 volts) to low voltage (3 to 24 volts) suitable for consumer electronics. New MDX luxury SUV introduced. Likewise, a serial port may require an adapter to connect between the old DB-25 type and the later DE-9 type, which have 25 and 9 pins (respectively) but only 9 wires each. New 2nd-generation CL coupe introduced. One example would be a garden hose, which normally has threads that screw on, but can be attached to an adapter which allows it to snap easily on and off of faucets, other hoses, or attachments. No CL model for 2000. An adapter may be very simple, connecting one kind of plug to another kind of socket, but not changing what passes through. New 2nd-generation TL introduced. An adapter or adaptor is a device used to match the physical or electrical characteristics of two different things so that a connection may be made between them. Integra receives a minor update. (Canada only) New 2-door coupe TL introduced as CL. New EL (based on Civic sedan) is introduced. (Not sold in Canada) New 3rd-generation Legend introduced as the RL. New SLX SUV model introduced. New 2nd-generation Vigor introduced as TL. New 3rd-generation Integra introduced. Minor update to 2nd-generation Integra. New NSX model introduced. New 2nd-generation Legend introduced. New Vigor model added to Acura's line-up. New 2nd-generation Integra introduced. The Acura brand is introduced to North America by Honda. And while the slow-selling NSX has been discontinued for the 2006 model year, Acura has promised a redesigned model sometime in 2007 or 2008. It should debut in mid-2006 as a 2007 model. In the future, Acura will introduce the RDX, a smaller SUV set to feature the RL's SH-AWD (Super Handling All Wheel Drive). The company has now re-established itself with a consistent performance-oriented image, while also maintaining its reputation for outstanding customer service and reliability. Acura's new models—particularly the RL and TSX—have been well received by the motoring press. A new RL debuted in 2005, this time with a 300-hp V6, more exciting styling, and innovative 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. This model became the only 4-cylinder sedan in Acura's line-up, replacing the Integra sedan. The same year, Acura introduced the TSX, a European-market Honda Accord loaded with features, as a cheaper alternative to the BMW 3-series. 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. Other cars in Acura's line-up during this time included the 3.2 TL, 3.2 CL, RSX (formerly the Integra), and the supercar, the NSX. It was given top honors by Car and Driver in its first comparison test against seven other SUVs. The MDX was a car-like and fun-to-drive crossover SUV with little off-road capability that catered smartly to the demands of the luxury SUV market. The MDX replaced the slow-selling SLX, which was little more than a rebadged Isuzu Trooper. In the early 2000s, Acura refreshed its line-up, arguably beginning with the introduction of the MDX, a popular three-row crossover SUV based on the Honda Odyssey minivan. This reputation has continued to this day, especially with the new RSX and TSX (see below.). Parent company Honda's reputation as a maker of easy to tune and rev-happy engines with this demographic rubbed off onto Acura, and the Integra became a popular tuner car. Despite these letdowns, Acura did gain prominence in the 1990's with a younger group of people, the import tuner set. Even the swoopy NSX lost sales as Acura barely changed the car from its original 1989 trim. 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 and more engaging Lexus LS400, did little against more prestigious, attractive and faster offerings from BMW, Audi, and Lexus, among others. The 1996 3.5RL, which replaced the well-loved Legend, was seen by many as the epitome of Acura's new-found blandness. During this time, Acura switched to an alphanumeric formula for nomenclature. Unfortunately, after this strong start, the mid- to late 1990s, Acura's model line-up became less and less inspiring and consequently, sales suffered. The car's meticulously engineered quality and sterling reliability were icing on the cake. The NSX, an acronym for "New Sports eXperimental", was hailed as the first (and perhaps, to date, the only) Japanese car capable of taking on Ferrari and Porsche. In 1989, Acura introduced the NSX, a swoopy 276-hp two-door sports car. Automotive journalists were impressed particularly by the Acura Legend. 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. Before Acura, automobiles from Japan were primarily economical and were seen as reliable above all else. Acura is credited with creating or being the first to tap into a market for luxury Japanese cars outside Japan. The brand will be expanded to the Chinese market in 2006 and the Japanese domestic market in 2008. 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. RSX. RL (new 2nd-generation). NSX. MDX. TSX. TL. EL (Canada only). Models sold:
RL. NSX. MDX (Minor Update). TSX (European Honda Accord). TL (new 3rd-generation, still based on North American Honda Accord). EL (Canada only). Models sold:
RL. TL. NSX. MDX. EL (Canada only). CL. Models sold:
RL. TL. NSX (minor update). MDX. EL (Canada only). CL. Models sold:
TL. MDX. NSX. Integra. EL (New 2nd-generation) (Canada only). CL. Models sold:
TL. NSX. Integra. EL (Canada only). Models sold:
NSX. Integra. EL (Canada only). CL. Models sold:
NSX. Integra (generation 3.5). EL (Canada only). CL. Models sold:
NSX. Integra. EL (new) (Canada only). CL. Models sold:
NSX. Integra. Models sold:
NSX. Legend. Integra. Models sold:
Vigor. NSX. Legend. Integra (New 3rd generation). Models sold:
Integra. Models sold:
Legend. Integra. Models sold:
NSX. Legend (new 2nd-generation). Integra. Models sold:
Legend. Integra (new 2nd-generation). Models sold:
Integra. Models sold:
Models sold:
Legend (new). Integra (new). Models sold:
SLX (SUV, replaced by the MDX). CL (luxury coupe, replaced by the Honda Accord EX V-6 Coupe). Vigor (mid-sized sedan, replaced by the TL). Legend (luxury sedan and coupe, replaced by the RL and CL). Integra (sports coupe and sedan, replaced by the RSX and the TSX). EL (compact sedan; only available in Canada). CSX (compact sedan) (replacement for the Acura EL, only available in Canada). TSX (mid-size sports sedan). TL (mid-size sports sedan). RSX (sports coupe). RL (full-size sedan). MDX (crossover SUV). 2007 RD-X compact crossover SUV. Acura RDX will be introduced with SH-AWD. Acura will be introduced in China. 2006
Acura RL is introduced with revolutionary SH-AWD system. The new Acura TL wins "Consumer's Most Wanted Vehicle" at Edmunds.com. 2005
Acura is introduced in Mexico by Honda de Mexico. 2004
TSX is introduced as replacement for integra sedan. 2003
The Integra Type-R is introduced. 1997
The Acura Legend coupe wins Motor Trend's prestigious Import Car of the Year trophy. 1991
D. Acura dealerships in the US win their fifth consecutive first-place ranking on the Customer Satisfaction Index by J. 1990
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