Acura History
Honda introduced Acura to the US in early 1986; around the same time that competitors Lexus and Infiniti also entered the market. Acura's 1986 entry to the US market preceded those of Lexus and Infiniti, and therefore pioneered the entrance of Japanese luxury cars to the States. Acura's efforts in the US started with just 18 new dealerships, but quickly grew to offer a nationwide dealer network. What differentiated Acura from either of the two other captive luxury brands is that Acura also produced high-performance sports cars. The most notable to date was the Acura NSX, released in 1990. The NSX was designed by Pininfarina, a company better known for its involvement with Ferrari. The NSX not only introduced exotic styling to a Japanese import, but also Honda's Variable Valve Timing and Lift Electronic Control (VTEC) technology, drive-by-wire throttle and other technology achievements.
Acura's first vehicles in the US were the Acura Legend and Acura Integra. The Legend was available as either a coupe or sedan, while the Integra was available as a hatchback or sedan. The Legend would be dropped in 1995, while the Integra would hang on until 2001, when it was replaced with a car based on the Honda Civic. During their time, the Legend and Integra won multiple awards and added fuel to the import car tuner movement.
The Acura Legend won Motor Trend's "Import Car of the Year" award in 1991. This would not be Acura's last "best of" award. In 2001 the newly introduced Acura MDX sport utility vehicle would take Motor Trend's "Sport Utility of the Year" honor.
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