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:
| YEAR | ACURA FIRST’s |
| 1990 | First all-aluminum production automobile (1991 Acura NSX) |
| 1995 | First in-dash satellite-linked navigation system (1996 Acura RL) |
| 1996 | First manufacturer to build exclusive-to-Canada luxury car (1997 Acura EL) |
| 1996 | First luxury import brand to design, engineer and assemble a model in North America (1997 Acura CL Coupe) |
| 2003 | First standard DVD-Audio surround sound system (2004 Acura TL) |
| 2003 | First standard Bluetooth wireless telephone interface (2004 Acura TL) |
| 2003 | First use of ‘acoustic’ windshield glass (2004 Acura MDX) |
| 2004 | First application of Super-Handling All-Weel Drive™ system (2005 Acura RL) |
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:
| 1987 | Acura Legend and Integra go on sale; Legend sedan voted the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC) ‘Best New Import Sedan’ and Legend Coupe voted AJAC’s ‘Best New Sports Coupe’ |
| 1990 | Second-generation Integra introduced; NSX exotic sports car launched and voted AJAC’s ‘Best New Sport/Performance Car’; second-generation Legend coupe and sedan introduced |
| 1991 | Vigor sports sedan added to the Acura product lineup |
| 1993 | Third-generation Integra sport coupe and sedan introduced; Integra coupe voted AJAC’s ‘Best New Sports Coupe’ |
| 1994 | Removable-top NSX-T added to lineup |
| 1996 | All-new TL sedan replaces Vigor; all-new RL launched as flagship model; all-new Canadian-exclusive 1.6 EL luxury compact sedan introduced; 1.6 EL voted AJAC’s ‘Best New Family Car;’ all-new CL sports coupe introduced (first model to be designed, developed and built in North America by a luxury import car company); Integra Type R introduced and voted AJAC’s ‘Best New Sport Coupe’ |
| 1998 | Redesigned second-generation TL introduced and voted AJAC’s ‘Best New Sports Sedan’ and ‘Canadian Car of The Year’ for the 1999 model year |
| 2000 | All-new 2001 MDX luxury sport-utility vehicle introduced and voted AJAC’s ‘Best New Luxury SUV’; second-generation EL introduced; Type-S version of CL luxury-performance coup introduced |
| 2001 | All-new RSX sports coupe replaces Integra and is voted AJAC’s ‘Best New Sports Coupe’ |
| 2003 | Debut of all-new TSX sports sedan; complete redesign of TL |
| 2004 | All-new 2005 RL introduced, featuring Super Handling All-Wheel Drive™ system |
| 2006 | All-new turbocharged RDX crossover-utility vehicle introduced and voted AJAC’s ‘Best New CUV Between $35,000 and $60,000;’ second-generation MDX luxury SUV introduced; Super Handling All-Wheel Drive™ introduced on both RDX and MDX; all-new, Canadian-exclusive Acura CSX compact luxury sedan introduced; Type-S versions of CSX and TL introduced; and RL Elite Package featuring Collision Mitigation Braking System™ and Adaptive Cruise Control added to lineup |
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.