A Commitment To Innovation And Progress.
Select few companies are truly synonymous with the word "pioneering," and Acura is one of them. Acura has constantly adhered to Soichiro Honda's passionate ethic of "proceeding with ambition and youthfulness." In addition to the advances of the NSX, Acura was the first automaker in North America with an electronic "drive-by-wire" throttle system and with creature comforts like an in-dash satellite navigation system, a DVD-Audio surround sound, and a standard Bluetooth hands-free phone system. Much of this innovation is due to the racing heritage behind the Acura label-many of the engineers responsible for these advancements are same ones that helped bring home six Formula 1 Constructors world championships.
Acura has continually refined and expanded its vehicle line too. In 1991, Acura added the roomy and luxurious Vigor sedan between the Legend and the Integra. The CL, a sleek, American-designed two-door coupe, made its debut in 1997. And in 2001, Acura unveiled the MDX luxury SUV, a machine that promptly won Motor Trend's Sport/Utility of the Year award. The last few years have seen Acura succeed in the performance sedan market as well, with the all-new TSX, TL, and innovative RL.
With winning rides like those in its stable, it didn't take Acura long to celebrate sales milestones. By 2002, Acura had sold more than two million vehicles in the U.S. In 2004, Acura posted its best-ever year, selling nearly 199,000 vehicles.
A Proud Past. A promising Future.
As successful as the first two decades of Acura proved to be, Acura insists that the next 20 years look even more promising. Acura remains on the forefront of new performance-enhancing and environmentally friendly technologies, while designers and engineers are continuing to work to enhance the Acura model range.
In fact, Acura celebrated their 20th anniversary by breaking ground on a brand new design studio. The $15 million Acura Design Center, scheduled to open in summer 2007, will play a critical role in the development of new concepts and designs that will lead directly to future Acura products developed in North America. This studio will be the first design studio exclusively devoted to Acura product development and will be located adjacent to Honda R&D America's existing Los Angeles center.
In the next few months, two new Acura products will make their debut-the redesigned Acura MDX SUV and its new sibling, the RDX. Although neither fall directly within the scope of this magazine, they both offer hints into Acura's future. Most compelling is the RDX's 240-bhp 2.3-liter turbocharged engine-the first production turbocharged passenger car engine produced by Honda/Acura for the United States. Coupled with Acura's Super-Handling All-Wheel-Drive System, the RDX looks to be another winner. Could it also be a hint at what Acura has in store for their next-generation NSX?
We can't say for sure, but we do know there are exciting times ahead for Acura and its enthusiasts. Stay tuned.
Memories of Acura's First 20Years
To commemorate 20 years of Acura performance, we asked eight Acura performance pioneers to reflect on their best experiences with the brand. Here's what they had to say.
Tony Fuchs
Pioneering import drag racer, first to drive an Acura to a 10-second e.t.
"Back in 1997, I was one of four import racers invited to appear for the first time at the NHRA Winternationals at Pomona Raceway in Pomona, California. It was a very scary feeling being there with an import car. All of the fans were into domestic cars and let us know how they felt about our 'rice rockets'; they called us sellouts, gave us the middle finger or threw their cups at us.
"As I lined up in the staging lanes next to Steph Papadakis with everyone booing, Don Prudhomme and John Force walked by my car. Don stopped, looked at my car, and said with a laugh, "You got the slicks on backwards. They should be on the rear!"
"Later, I was waiting nervously in the burnout box for Tony Pedregon to go down the track ahead of me. But after I ran down the 1320 in 10.61 seconds and 135 mph, I became the fastest Honda/Acura in the world and all of the fans were cheering me on. Now we were the stars. Men and their young kids came over, got our autographs and made us feel like we where a part of their family. After my record run, I remember looking in the stands at all of the people that were now smiling and cheering for me."