Acura is a brand that is now well known across America for over 30 years and many people don’t know who makes them.
Acura is a luxury and performance division of Honda for the North American, Mexico, Panama, and Kuwait markets.
This article will explain who makes Acuras and where they are manufactured.
Who makes Acura cars?
Acura is a luxury and performance division of Honda that was established in 1986 to make it the first luxury Japanese brand to enter North America.
The first Acura to be sold in America was the Legend, it was actually mechanically related to a Rover 800 which might not have been the best idea Honda ever had, but at least it worked out for them.
In the first year of production, the Legend and Integra Acura sold 109 000 cars while their competitors like Mercedes-Benz only sold 78 000 cars.
Where are Acura cars made?
Most of the current Acura models are assembled in North America while most of the parts are imported from Japan.
The discontinued models are mostly from Japan with very few that were assembled in North America.
Current models:
- Acura MDX
was assembled in Alliston, Ontario, Canada up until 2013, after 2013 it was assembled in Lincoln, Alabama, USA (up until 2017) and East Liberty, Ohio, USA ever since.
- Acura RDX
was assembled in Marysville, Ohio, USA up until 2012, after 2012 it was assembled in East Liberty, Ohio ever since and Acura also started an assembly plant in Guangzhou, China in 2018.
- Acura Integra
was assembled in Suzuka, Mie, Japan from 1985 to 2006.
The Integra name was dormant up until 2022 and started assembly again in Marysville, Ohio, USA till now.
- Acura TLX
is still assembled in Marysville, Ohio, USA from 2014 until now, the Chinese assembly plant in Guangzhou only assembled the TLX up until 2020.
Discontinued models:
- Acura Legend
Was related to the Rover 800 series and Sterling 825/827 for the first generation of production and was assembled in Sayama, Saitama, Japan from 1985 to 1995 and went through 2 generations.
- Acura NSX
It is really a shame the second generation of the NSX was not as popular as the first but the few people who did buy them should hold on to them and keep them safe from harm like being scratched at a local mall parking lot. The NSX was assembled in Takanezawa, Tochigi, Japan from 1990 to 2004 and in 2005 it was in Suzuka, Japan.
Production of the second generation started in 2016 in Marysville, Ohio, USA, and ran up until 2021.
- Acura Vigor
Was assembled in Sayama, Saitama, Japan from 1991 to 1994.
- Acura SLX
Was actually an Isuzu Trooper and was assembled in Zhanjiang, China / Fujisawa, Japan / Pekan, Malaysia / Biñan, Philippines, and Xinzhauang District, Taiwan from 1991 to 2002.
- Acura TL
Was assembled in Sayama, Saitama, Japan from 1995 to 1998 and from 1999 to 2008 in Marysville, Ohio, USA.
- Acura RL
Was assembled in Sayama, Saitama, Japan from 1995 to 2012.
- Acura CL
Was assembled in Marysville, Ohio, USA from 1996 to 2003.
- Acura EL
Was assembled in Alliston, Ontario, Canada from 2001 to 2005.
- Acura RSX
Was assembled in Suzuka, Mie, Japan from 2001 to 2006.
- Acura TSX
Was assembled in Sayama, Japan from 2003 to 2014.
- Acura CSX
Was assembled in Alliston, Ontario, Canada from 2005 to 2011.
- Acura ZDX
Was assembled in Alliston, Ontario, Canada from 2009 to 2013.
- Acura RLX
Was assembled in Sayama, Saitama, Japan from 2012 to 2020.
- Acura ILX
Was assembled in Greensburg, Indiana, USA from 2012 to 2014 and from 2015 to 2022 in Marysville, Ohio, USA.
- Acura CDX
Was assembled in Guangzhou, China from 2016 to 2022.
Final thoughts on who made Acura cars
Acura is a subsidiary of Honda and all of the current cars are made in North America.
The company has been around for over three decades and produces some of the most popular luxury cars on the market.
If you are looking for a reliable, top-of-the-line car that is made in the USA, an Acura should be at the top of your list.
FAQ’s
Is Acura a good brand?
Since Acura is a division of Honda they are really reliable and good value for money so, yes they are indeed a very good brand.
Is Acura as reliable as Lexus?
With the ratings of quality and reliability on J.D. Power, the Lexus is only ahead of Acura with at the most 10 points out of 100.
This doesn’t mean that the Acura is not reliable, it just isn’t as reliable as a Lexus.
Do Acura’s hold their value?
Yes, Acura holds its value really well compared to its rivals, for example, a 2013 Acura TSX with 100 000 miles now sells for around $13 000, and the MSRP when it was new was $31 500.
While an Audi A4 with the same miles now also sells for $13 000 and sold new for $32 500 and a BMW 328i now sells for $11 000 with an MSRP of $36 850.
Is Acura a luxury brand?
Yes, it is the luxury and performance division of Honda for Noth America, Mexico, Panama, and Kuwait. You can see them as the equivalent of Lexus for Toyota.
Are Acura cars expensive to maintain?
Compared to other luxury car brands they are very inexpensive to maintain with an average yearly cost of $501.
For comparison, the average maintenance cost for a Lexus is $551, BMW is $1 350, Cadillac is $783, and a Lincoln is $879 per year.
Are Honda And Acura the same car?
Yes, underneath Hona and Acura use the same chassis and powerplants, there might be minor body differences and Acura will have the most premium interior.