A promise that quickly resonated with consumers

When Acura first appeared in the United States and in Canada in 1986, its branding was crystal clear: luxury and high performance were about to quickly become the two main characteristics of this now world-famous brand. Following its introduction on the North American market, Acura was then launched in China, Mexico, Russia and Kuwait. Ironically, the introduction of the brand on the Japanese market happened only years later, in part because of the financial crisis of 2008. Acura’s success was almost immediate and inspired other Japanese manufacturers (Nissan and Toyota) to create their own luxury segment (Infiniti and Lexus). The Legend, Acura’s very first model, immediately conquered the market. Introduced in 1990, the NSX was the first serious Japanese rival to European sport cars and the beginning of a series of innovations signed by Acura: the VTEC technology, the 6-speed manual transmission, a Type R version (for the coupe Integra, the Acura RSX predecessor), etc.

The 21st century: innovation after innovation

Capitalizing on its incredible success, Acura introduced now well-known models in the first decade of the new century, namely the MDX, TSX, RSX and TL and CL versions, innovating at the same time with the creation of new all-wheels drive systems and the first turbocharged engine developed by Honda. The last models to come to the market, the RLX, ILX and TLX, also brought their fair share of innovations on design (LED headlights) and mechanical engineering (twin turbo engine, dual-clutch transmission, 9-speed gearboxes, etc.) The story of Acura is about a manufacturer’s vision (Honda) that succeeded in making a dent in a market unexploited by its local competitors (the luxury segment of the automotive industry), inspired them to follow its example and innovated to remain attractive in a highly competitive industry.



Acura brand’s image should make its manufacturer proud, and if you’re not familiar with these vehicles, go at once at Acura de Laval, your Acura car dealer located on the North Shore, only a few minutes away from Montreal, to discover and test them.