HISTORY OF ACCURA

acura history in americaAcura's penchant for building high performance, innovative and meticulously crafted vehicles began just under 20 years ago, in 1986. With nearly a decade of research and development to pull from, Acura introduced the Legend to the US. It was the first Japanese luxury car on the market, and its debut combined the best of the best-the handling virtues, performance and comfort features that grace upscale European and America luxury marques, and the reliability, quality and user-friendly design drivers expect from Japanese automobiles.

Innovation reached a historic peak when the NSX debuted in 1990. With it came Variable Valve Timing and Lift Electronic Control (VTEC™), the use of a hand-assembled all-aluminum body, a drive-by-wire throttle, and a 4-channel Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS).

Later that same year, the Acura Integra debuted. It was modestly priced, yet filled with technological innovations that would come to distinguish the Acura brand as an innovator. Its racecar style performance would also set the pace among enthusiasts, with its good-looks, crisp-handling yet reliable sports performance.

Excellence has enjoyed several incarnations since then. The RL was introduced in 1996 in honor of Acura's 10th anniversary. Hailed as their flagship, the RL was well received as a technologically advanced touring sedan.

From its debut in 2001, the MDX introduced the notion an SUV could have the road feel of a performance luxury car. And it worked. A couple years later, the TSX was born, and it immediately caught the eye of those wanting the space and safety of a sedan, but the power and performance of a sports car. The TSX gave them both.

2003 brought the redesign of the popular TL. Its new incarnation struck a chord with the tech-savvy consumer, featuring innovations like Bluetooth and DVD-Audio. And in 2004, the all-new 2005 RL made its much-anticipated arrival with the most powerful Acura engine to date, the revolutionary Super Handling All-Wheel Drive™ (SH-AWD™)-the world's most advanced all-wheel-drive system, and North America's first real-time traffic feature. The RL's myriad of technological innovations are, indeed, proof that the luxury performance sedan was truly reinvented.