Acura’s Meteoric Rise to Luxury King

Today’s Acura dealerships are full of beautiful, high-performance cars. These luxury vehicles compete well with more expensive brands like Aston Martin or Mercedes. The modern market for luxury cars is divided more-or-less evenly between American, Asian and European manufacturers. 

However, this was not always the case. There was a time when consumers had fewer options; a time when the market was not a very diverse or exciting place. Acura helped change that.

Since the beginning of the automobile, some consumers have sought a more distinguished product. Cars have always been a statement of prestige and personality, so the idea of a “luxury car” caught on quickly. Manufacturers began catering to these discerning clients by building faster, safer and more opulent automobiles.

The golden age of luxury autos was the 1920’s, when American dealerships began mass-importing European luxury cars. They were beautiful and effective, but terribly expensive. When the Great Depression hit, luxury cars almost vanished from the market.

After the war, it took some time for the market to recover. The dominant German brands faced a new type of competition from Italian startups like Ferrari. In the decades that followed, luxury cars became smaller and faster, but consumers were still looking for something different.

Finally, when it seemed the luxury car might finally be dead, Honda stunned the world by introducing a new luxury arm. They called it Acura. The first models hit American dealerships in 1986.

These new Japanese cars were revolutionary for the time, with safety features, design and performance that rivaled anything on the market. However, Acura wasn’t satisfied to simply make wave— they wanted to change the face of the industry.

In 1989, Acura unveiled a project that had been under secretive production for several years. The developmental code name was “NSX:” New Sport eXperimental. A small luxury car with blistering speed, the NSX was the first Japanese car to outperform brands like Ferrari both in sales and on the track. 

The NSX became a legend in the automobile community. Even today, decades after its release, the car remains a popular collector’s item for enthusiasts and street racers. The New Sport eXperimental cemented Acura’s reputation as one of luxury’s most innovative brands.

In the three decades since Acura dealerships began appearing, the brand has risen from an ambitious outsider to one of America’s favorite manufacturers. With exciting new models and a revamped NSX coming out soon, it doesn’t look like they’re going to slow down.

Tanner Wadsworth is a automative writer reporter for Fusion 360, an SEO and content marketing agency. Information provided by Mike Hale Acura. Follow on Twitter