Acura. Who dares, wins
Acura is a standalone unit of the Japanese Honda, specialized in the premium-class cars. Honda Motor Co., Ltd. is a Japanese company, one of the top ten car manufacturers and world’s first in motorcycle production. Acura has been the first Japanese premium brand, challenging with long acknowledged luxury European brands in the US market. Acura creates world-class luxury cars, using technical innovations not only to improve road performance but also to help a driver enjoy his or her life.
Nothing stake, nothing draw! Who hesitates is lost! Every businessman knows this really well. But any risk must be considered and justified. That’s what Honda did – they thought it through, took a chance, and won! The risk of Honda has turned into a phenomenal success of a new and rather popular car brand – Acura. Acura engaged into the competition for the hearts and wallets of Americans with German premium and luxury brands through its latest engineering developments, the highest requirements for quality and level of production, but most importantly - through the maximum understanding of customer wishes.
Such an idea – to launch a new premium brand in the American market – came to the minds of other major Japanese carmakers. Thus, Nissan has Infiniti, and Toyota has Lexus, which are luxury divisions of these companies created especially for entering the American market. But Acura was the first!
The birth of the brand
In the mid-‘80s, Honda was already popular before Acura has appeared. It enjoyed great demand in the US due to its ideal quality-to-price ratio. Honda managed to gain a reputation of reliability, efficiency, and low price while national American brands failed to do so. But times were changing, people’s incomes were growing, owners of cheap and reliable Honda began to show interest in beautiful and high-quality cars from Europe, and Honda at some point simply ceased to match the increased level and ambitions. That’s when the luxury Acura brand appeared to fill this gap.
The history of Acura starts in 1981 when Honda designed a new big sedan Legend. Powerful injection 24-valve V6 engine, independent suspension, disc brakes on all wheels, and luxury equipment – all this made the image of a premium car. It was obviously more expensive than usual Honda cars with the existing stereotype of a cheap and reliable product. The Japanese soberly reasoned that it would be problematic to sell such an expensive car under the brand name Honda. And they risked to create a new independent division, focused on the needs and expectations of customers of expensive cars. Well, as in this class first of all they pay attention to prestige, and then to everything else, there should be their own representative offices and first-class customer service.
The name of the new brand, Acura, derived from ‘acu’, the Latin for ‘needle’. Thus, Acura can be translated as sharp and accurate or precision.
This way Acura officially began its activities in the US on March 27, 1986, opening 60 representative offices, offering customers a 3- and 5-door sports car Integra and luxury sedan Legend. The main task of Honda was to convince customers that they had something much more to offer than just a cost-saving Honda product line. The name of the new brand, Acura, derived from ‘acu’, the Latin for ‘needle’. Thus, Acura can be translated as sharp and accurate, or precision. Even the logo of the new brand corresponded to the name – the modification of the letter A in the form of the mathematical compasses – a tool for precise measurement of parts used by engineers.
The meaning of the name Acura was to demonstrate that the new cars are a product of hi-tech and the latest achievement of the cutting-edge engineering developments. Acura really brought to the market cars with completely new engines, including the company’s first V6 engine, with electronic fuel injection, with disc brakes on all wheels, with double top cams, and other technological innovations of the time.
By the end of the first year, Acura had sold almost 53,000 vehicles and had grown to 150 dealers. And a year later, sales amounted to almost 110,000 cars! In terms of sales, Acura surpassed every European luxury car brIn the United States! And silenced even the sharpest critics, clearly proving that Acura has become a major player in the market of expensive cars.
Awards and achievements
By the end of 1987, Acura received many automobile awards. Legend and Integra won the comparative tests one after another. Integra and the classic Legend Coupe added to the range in 1987, were in the list of 10 best cars by Car and Driver. The Legend Coupe won the 1987 Import Car of the Year title from Motor Trend, and Road and Track named the Legend Coupe one of the top 10 cars in the world. In December 1988, the number of Acura dealerships increased to 285, and the Legend became the best-selling foreign premium car in the United States.
In 1989, Acura presented a third car - exotic and sports Acura NSX, which received two awards from the magazine Automobile, as Best Car of the Year and for Best Design of the Year. Unusual novelty once again showed the technological leadership of Acura. NSX had the first production bodywork in the form of an aluminum monocoque, the first engine with VTEC (Variable Valve Timing and Lift Electronic Control), and the first titanium connecting rods.
Acura creates world-class luxury cars, using technical innovations not only to improve road performance but also to help a driver enjoy his or her life.
This is how Honda revolutionized the automotive world in the luxury class. Since Akura’s introduction, we now know that an expensive car doesn’t have to be European. Acura, with its strong reputation as a technological leader, has always won its customers focused on technological progress. Acura’s high and constant reputation for introducing new technologies has always been confirmed by new technological innovations.
Honda has obviously succeeded: The Acura brand is now one of the leaders in the US sales of prestigious cars. For a short period of time, the company has achieved a lot and, most importantly, it has managed to maintain its leading position. Acura reached its purpose – to create as high-tech and comfortable cars as possible – is achieved. Acura creates world-class luxury cars, using technical innovations not only to improve road performance but also to help a driver enjoy his or her life.
