TORONTO, Canada, February 14, 2007– Twenty years ago today, the Acura brand was launched in Canada. It was the beginning of a bold and successful brand venture – the first Japanese luxury nameplate had arrived in Canada.

Created to bring performance, elegant design, advanced technology and higher levels of customer service to the luxury import market, Acura has grown from two nameplates in 1987 to six distinctive models, including two utility vehicles (Acura RDX and MDX) and an exclusive-to-Canada luxury compact sedan (Acura CSX).

“Acura has dramatically advanced its products and technology over the past 20 years," said Jim Miller, executive vice president, Honda Canada Inc.  “Acura's commitment is to always be ahead with customer-relevant technologies and products that add to our customer’s quality of life.  We thank those Canadians who have embraced the Acura brand over the years, and we invite all Canadians to advance with Acura.”

Recent advanced technologies from Acura that are designed to keep the brand ahead of its competitors include the automotive industry’s first application of DVD-Audio surround sound system (TL, RDX and MDX); Acura’s unique Super-Handling All-Wheel Drive system™ (SH-AWD™) for improved handling on the Acura RL, MDX and RDX; a new collision mitigation braking system to reduce rear-end collisions and adaptive cruise control on the RL Elite Package; a variable-flow turbocharge system on the RDX; and an Active Damper System for improved comfort and handling on the MDX Elite Package.

A new step for Acura and its North American operations is the opening this summer of the Acura Design Center in California.  “We have been designing Acura products in North America for more than a dozen years,” said Miller.  “With this new design center, the Acura brand will have an even sharper focus on creating products that meet the needs of a new generation of luxury consumers in North America.”

Acura recently announced the global expansion of the Acura brand with sales beginning this past year with the Acura TL sedan in China, followed by the Canadian-built MDX on sale there later this year.  The Acura brand will also expand to Japan.

The following chart highlights some of Acura's firsts over the past 20 years:

To date, more than 320,000 Acura cars and trucks have been sold in Canada.  From its first year in 1987 with a total of about 6,000 sales of Acura Legend and Integra models through 20 Acura dealers across Canada, Acura has steadily grown to its current dealer network of 47 retailers.  For the past eight years, Acura dealers in Canada have sold in excess of 20,000 units each year, making Acura one of the top-selling luxury import nameplates in Canada.

Acura currently builds two Acura products at Honda of Canada’s Mfg’s facility in Alliston, Ontario – MDX and CSX.  The MDX is manufactured exclusively in Canada and is exported to a number of countries, including the U.S., Australia and China.  CSX is a Canadian-exclusive product.

Acura’s 20 years of advancements in Canada include the following milestones:

In 2007, Acura extends its advanced technology into the motorsports arena with three factory teams competing in the LMP2 class of the 2007 American Le Mans Series (ALMS).  The ALMS draws on the heritage of long-distance "endurance" sports car racing as exemplified by the historic 24 Hours of Le Mans.  The series includes the 12 Hours of Sebring and the annual ALMS weekend at Mosport in Ontario.  This marks Acura's first factory racing program in its 20-year history.

Acura is the technology advanced performance division of Honda Canada Inc. Six vehicles (CSX, TSX, RDX, TL, RL and MDX) are marketed under the Acura brand, including the exclusive-to-Canada CSX luxury compact sedan. Both the Acura CSX and MDX are produced at the Honda of Canada Mfg. facility in Alliston, Ontario.