"Happy Birthday"

TranceSpeeder

Keep It Clean Yo!
Remember what you were doing 20 years ago? Getting out of grad school? Proposing marriage to your sweetheart? Getting divorced?

Honda was having a child. On March 27, 1986, Honda launched its Acura division, and in so doing changed forever the automotive landscape both in the United States and worldwide.

Never before had a Japanese car company attempted to compete head to head at the high-line luxury level. Never before had American car executives contemplated that “their” luxury segments were in jeopardy of being infringed upon—and today they still smart from that market-share lesson. (Almost as blindly, never before had the Germans thought their “rightful” luxury import position could be usurped by Japanese competitors.)

True story: One executive from a regal German company that shall remain named Mer-cedes-Benz not only scoffed at the idea of a luxury Japanese company, he said it was arrogant Honda was presumptuous enough to name the car Legend.

In Legend, Acura gave the world an affordable luxury sedan with European driving characteristics. It then gave the United States a smart and sassy Integra that pushed the fun and driving quotient to the edges. And let us not forget the NSX, a supercar that only had going for it great looks, incredible performance, creature comfort and high value in the segment. Oh, and because it was a Honda, a buyer knew it would run reliably. Take that Maranello.

You can argue whether Acura was the out-of-the-park success other high-line Japanese companies, namely Lexus and Infiniti, have become. I would suggest it had and has success written all over it. Acura was the pioneer, the trendsetter. It established a model that the Koreans (and dare we say the Chinese) include in their long-term business plans.

Not every Japanese carmaker made a go of this second-channel launch. Remember Amati, the Mazda luxury division that shortly after its announced launch was stillborn? There’s a trivia answer for you.

The point is that Honda, a staid and traditional car company borne out of engineering expertise, tried something so extraordinary that it did not merely start a trend, it grew tremendously as a result. It took chances and filled a market void. That move demanded supreme confidence and account- ability on the part of its executives. And it worked.

Not to sound too trite, but those kinds of chances now face many carmakers, among them the floundering domestics. With risk comes reward. This could be the start of a brave new automo- tive world.
Click to expand...
Happy Birthday ACURA
 

tisguy

New Member
wow how cool. acura was born just a few weeks before me. i wish "honda" was my first word. that would be so freakin awesome =)
 

LStegg

1 bad LS
Happy B-Day !

Good work man ! I'm very impressed w/ that, look's like you've done your home work. It's been 20yrs. of Honda taking a chunk of the Germans money, no wonder they compete so much. Besides Merc. Benz or BMW have'nt made a car yet to look as good as the NS-X. The M3 is hot but not even close, and Merc. Benz's 2drs. often look more like space ships than a fast car. Now a days the RL and TL are the hottest sellers too. Let em' hate. Again good lookin' out on that bit of info. :rocker: :clap:
 

dc2GS-R

Super Moderator
wow! that makes me feel old. GO ACURA! (even though i don't have one now! :angryfire)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top