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Innovation June 26, 2024

Acura’s Challenge: Fusion of Animation and Racing

Acura’s Challenge: Fusion of Animation and Racing

 POINTWhat you can learn from this article

  • Honda launched Acura, the high-performance brand prior to other Japanese automaker’s premium brand in North America
  • Acura’s proposition is the Precision Crafted Performance concept
  • “Chiakiʼs Journey,” an Acura brand promotion animated film portraying the joy of driving is a big hit in the U.S.

Acura, a Honda high-performance brand, has gained popularity in North America by emphasizing its uniqueness. How did Acura develop this uniqueness to gain its recognition in an auto industry where so many car manufacturers and brands compete?

This article introduces Acura’s activities in North America, including its entertainment productions that makes use of the brand’s worldview and car racing, as well as the brand’s concept and background of the brand’s launch.

Why Honda Launched Acura: The Difference with Other Premium Brands

In 1986, Acura, a brand advocating Precision Crafted Performance, was launched in North America, before other Japanese car manufacturers launched their own premium brands. 

At that time, the U.S. automobile market was reaching maturity, and customers began to seek new value in cars. To meet such customers’ expectations, Honda introduced the new Acura brand to the U.S. market.

Acura’s product concept was a high-performance brand promoting a young, energetic and sporty image, unlike other premium brands that aimed for luxury.

Honda's goal in introducing Acura was to offer new values to Honda’s loyal customers under the simple and sincere tagline “Precision Crafted Performance.”

Vibrant “New World. Same Energy.” brand campaign in 2023 symbolizes the dawn of the new electrification era. Vibrant “New World. Same Energy.” brand campaign in 2023 symbolizes the dawn of the new electrification era.

“Back to Basics” Key to Overcoming Hard Times in a Slowing U.S. Economy

In the 2000s, the U.S. economy continued to expand despite numerous uncertainties, supported by monetary easing policies and a housing boom, creating an apparent bubble economy.

With such a booming economy, the various automakers promoted luxury cars. Acura, pushed by this trend, began to move away from its origins, gravitating toward luxury cars, making its positioning unclear.

It was at this time that the U.S. economy had been hit by the subprime mortgage crisis which triggered the Lehman collapse. This led to a recession domestically, forcing automakers to rethink their luxury brands.

As the key to overcoming the faltering U.S. economy, Acura began by returning to its roots, reviving the concept of “Precision Crafted Performance” rather than following other luxury brands.

Jon Ikeda (currently HRC US Senior Vice President) was appointed General Manager of Acura Sales Division in 2015. He was the driving force behind the Acura brand’s return to its origins in North America. Jon Ikeda (currently HRC US Senior Vice President) was appointed General Manager of Acura Sales Division in 2015. He was the driving force behind the Acura brand’s return to its origins in North America.

Acura Supporting Challengers: Sundance Film Festival and Chiakiʼs Journey

As mentioned above, in North America, Acura has a unique brand communication approach setting it apart from other luxury car brands.

It stays true to Acura’s brand identity when it was originally launched, showcasing its independent spirit, performance, and having fun.

Also, Acura portrays itself to young buyers as a brand that “gets them.”

As its methodology, Acura has been tapping into pop culture and entertainment-style programming, depicting its products with a passion for racing through anime and innovative creative media, to appeal to a wide range of interests.

One clear example is its sponsorship of the Sundance Film Festival, held every January in Utah. Acura has been a sponsor of the festival, a gateway to success for independent filmmakers, for 13 years, and has supported talented next-generation challengers at the festival.

In conjunction with the event in 2022, Acura produced a short animated story, Chiaki’s Journey. In this film, the main character Chiaki, driving an Acura Type S, overcomes hard-ships on her way to becoming a racing driver, typical of Acura’s support for challengers.

The main character, Chiaki, embodies “Less Talk, More Drive,” Acura's North American campaign The main character, Chiaki, embodies “Less Talk, More Drive,” Acura's North American campaign

This anime was designed as a PR video to create future potential customers, while at the same time expressing Acura’s spirit of the joy of driving in a way that everyone could relate to. It also conveys the excitement of racing through portrayal of the high-performance Type S series.

The first episode of Chiaki’s Journey was released on YouTube in January 2022, in conjunction with Acura’s Sundance partnership. Meliza Humphrey, Senior Manager of Acura’s Brand Division, commented, “Chiaki’s Journey was created to connect with fans of film who want to be entertained, and Acura’s long-standing relationship with the creative community of Sundance enables the brand to pursue this novel way of introducing our new line of Type S performance models. Chiaki is now an indispensable part of Acura North America.” The first episode of Chiaki’s Journey was released on YouTube in January 2022, in conjunction with Acura’s Sundance partnership. Meliza Humphrey, Senior Manager of Acura’s Brand Division, commented, “Chiaki’s Journey was created to connect with fans of film who want to be entertained, and Acura’s long-standing relationship with the creative community of Sundance enables the brand to pursue this novel way of introducing our new line of Type S performance models. Chiaki is now an indispensable part of Acura North America.”

The anime’s theme song was performed by Nemophila, a Japanese all-girl heavy metal band.

Chiakiʼs Journey, expressed as Japanese animation, a cultural phenomenon with passionate young fans around the world, communicates that Acura is a Japanese brand. It has already become so popular that two seasons have been released.

Chiakiʼs Journey has fun references throughout, such as the flower Nemophila, the origin of the band’s name, in the first episode of Season 2. Chiakiʼs Journey has fun references throughout, such as the flower Nemophila, the origin of the band’s name, in the first episode of Season 2.
Chiaki drives a TLX in the first episode, and an NSX in the third and fourth episodes, honing her driving skills and winning races. Chiaki drives a TLX in the first episode, and an NSX in the third and fourth episodes, honing her driving skills and winning races.

Securing Long Beach Grand Prix Naming Rights, and Solid Performance

Acura, a brand that emanates a unique appeal, pursues a diverse range of activities to increase its visibility among a wide demographic. These activities also apply to the world of car racing.

Since 2018, Acura has participated in the IMSA Endurance Championship, one of America’s premier road racing events, including title sponsor of the Long Beach Grand Prix, to prove itself as a high-performance brand.

In addition to participation in car races, Acura has been the title sponsor of the Long Beach Grand Prix since 2019, and the event has been renamed to the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach*

* For more details on the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, click here.

 TIPSAcura’s participation in the Long Beach Grand Prix

  • Participated in the IMSA endurance championship in 2018 with the Acura ARX-05 racing car, and won the title in 2019 and 2020
  • Dominated the 24 Hours of Daytona in 2021 and 2022
  • In 2023, the ARX-05’s successor, the ARX-06, won its debut race at Daytona.
Chiakiʼs Journey includes a racing scene at the Long Beach race course. Chiakiʼs Journey includes a racing scene at the Long Beach race course.

Acura will continue to take on the challenge of the coming electrification era.

Type S: Chiakiʼs Journey, a short animated story that began in 2022, follows car-loving Chiaki, obsessed with driving faster than anyone else, as she grows, and wins races.


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