In March 2006, the Honda Motor Firm celebrated an essential milestone: the twentieth anniversary of their luxury brand, Acura. Created to give Honda aficionados an opulent make that they could possibly be proud of, Acura has efficiently expanded the corporate's reach far beyond extra prosaic models such as the Civic and the Accord. Right this moment, Acura is a really completely different model than the company that was birthed in 1986. Let's take a glimpse at Acura's previous, their present line up, and what the subsequent 20 years might convey for this esteemed Japanese automaker.
Back in 1981, Honda noticed an opportunity opening up for itself that no one in Honda's headquarters needed to miss out on: building and selling luxurious vehicles to American consumers. Mercedes and BMW have been both gaining traction within the U.S. as American luxury brands Cadillac and Lincoln sputtered and misplaced market share. Honda was already receiving widespread consumer acceptance and important approval for the three fashions it was then selling in the U.S., so the decision to market dearer and upscale cars was considered as a robust possibility.
When Honda administration determined to go with the upscale model, they did this realizing that the cars would finally have to stand apart from Honda with a view to command the upper prices. Simply promoting up market Hondas as Acuras would not work. As a substitute, every automotive was outfitted and retuned to compete instantly in opposition to the leading luxury automobiles of that time.
The first two fashions to be sold as Acuras had been the Legend, a V6 powered sedan and coupe, and the Integra, which was basically a 3 door coupe based mostly on a Honda Civic platform. Later, the NSX two seat roadster was brought out to battle Porsche and the Vigor sedan was launched to fill the hole between the Integra and the Legend.
Over time, the varied mannequin names had been dropped and replaced by autos with 2 or three letter designations. The Vigor grew to become the TL, the Legend became the RL, and the Integra the RSX. Today, the MDX SUV, RSX sport compact, and TSX sedan, be a part of the three other models to comprise the current Acura line up. A slightly smaller SUV, the RDX, can be joining Acura's line up later in 2006.
The future of Acura looks bright regardless of strong worldwide competition. Although Honda jumped into the market a number of years earlier than Nissan rolled out it Infiniti division and Toyota its Lexus line, Acura has trailed its Japanese opponents for over a decade now. Some critics have contended that this misstep has damage Acura, while others see it as a typical conservative Honda decision to increase the Honda model instead.
Future adjustments for Acura are sketchy, but model adjustments will possible include the introduction of diesel powered vehicles and more hybrid offerings. Some auto critics have urged that Honda has the capability of outflanking BMW and Mercedes by producing super luxury sedans and sports cars. Famend Honda quality mixed with European styling, luxury, and engineering have fueled Acura's success so far. An enlargement of this theme to even larger and/or sportier models might vault Acura forward.
Really, Acura has helped reshape the original perception that many motorists had concerning the Japanese brands, by delivering autos that are excessive in luxury, tops in engineering, and robust in refinement. If the final 20 years have proved something it is that lovers can expect rather more from Acura over the next two decades. Kudos to the Honda Motor Firm for developing a model that has been so well received.
