Who Makes Acura 2022 : Who Owns Acura?

 Who owns Acura? Who makes Acura Cars? who makes acura? Where are Acura Vehicles made? Does Honda Make Acura? These are some questions that most of us want an answer to.

However, when searching for Who Owns Acura? We still find no perfect answers about anything in detail. 

Therefore, we bring you this guide. This guide explains all about Acura in detail. 

Who Owns Acura?

Acura is an international brand. It makes luxury cars. 

To answer Who Owns Acura is none other than Honda. Yes, that’s true Honda owns Acura and is Acura’s Parent Company. 

Honda also makes Acura Cars. The Honda Motor Company, Ltd completely owns Acura and all vehicles of Acura are made under the Honda Motor Company, Ltd. 

Now that we know who owns Acura, Let us dive deep into the detailed information about Acura. 

What is Acura? and Who makes Acura?, Who makes Acura car?

• Started in 1986, and Launched in Canada and U.S.A on 27th March 1986, Acura is a luxury car brand. It is a subsidiary of Honda Company. Honda is a Japanese Car Maker and makes Acura a luxury, performance, and high-performance automobile.
• It was an introduction to various international markets in different years. For Instance, Hong Kong in 1991 (lasting until 2009), Mexico in 2004, China in 2006, Russia in 2014 (no longer available in Russia) and Kuwait in 2015, and was also sold in Ukraine (until 2018).
• Interestingly, In the 1980s, the Japanese government placed export prohibitions on cars to the US. This means that exporting higher-priced cars was more lucrative. Honda has therefore established its first Japanese luxury automobile firm, Acura, in 1986. 

Acura- A Honda Company

Okay, this is our first clue. Acura is a Honda Company, which means the Acura brands are actually a Honda brand.

However, Acura stands out as it’s making its own line of high performance vehicles. It is called Acura NSX and other performance models. It is Honda’s answer to the Porsche 911.

This is a strong indication that Honda is a little tired of the Acura problems. Acura has made a name for itself in the United States. It was created after the acquisition of the Honda Division of American Honda in 1988.

Acura was a huge success with the VT-x, VT-i and NSX products.

There were some hiccups, however, like the Acura TSX having quality issues, poorly made Honda Accords, and some recalls.

Now Acura has about half the sales of Honda.

Where are Acura made?

The Acura lineup of cars is currently built at three plants, with one in Ontario, Canada. All Acura models are assembled at the Marysville Auto Plant (MAP) in Ohio. The other two plants are in Japan and Mexico. Here, are some things you didn’t know about where Acuras are made.

1. At the Marysville Auto Plant in Ohio. Acura is headquartered in Ohio.

2. The second plant is the Honda Manufacturing of Indiana plant in Marysville, located northeast of Columbus. Acura’s light commercial vehicle line-up is built at the plant.

3. The third and newest Acura factory is the joint venture with General Motors in Tochigi Prefecture, Japan. It opened in April 2016. The Honda Manufacturing of Alabama plant is the fourth factory. It manufactures the RLX and the ILX. The fifth factory is located in Guanajuato, Mexico, and it produces the MDX.

The Future of the Japanese Automotive Industry

We will not reveal the answer of Who Owns Acura in a short and sweet description. However, we will give you some clues about what the future holds for this family of automaker.

Here are few of the most important clues that we will reveal about the future of the Japanese Automotive Industry and the brands owned by Honda Motor Company.

Every Detail Matters to Automakers

In my point of view, it is true. Every detail in a car matters to a automaker.

For example, all these models mentioned above had been developed and shaped in Japan. Honda may still own the right-hand-drive version of Civic, and only a few cars like Insight, NSX and Civic will ever be made in United States. But, in Japan, all these vehicles are sold.

The Acura lineup of cars

There are seven models in the Acura lineup—the MDX, the TLX, and three models from the ILX sub-brand, which are sedans. The TLX is the only model built at the Ohio plant; the ILX is made in Ohio, while the TLX is made in the nearby East Liberty Auto Plant (ELAP) in Ohio and in Mexico.

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Maple Leaf: Leaf (2011)

There are some similarities between the Japanese and American Acura models. The MDX and ILX were both sold at dealerships in Canada before being sold in the U.S. The MDX is assembled in Japan, while the ILX is made in Ohio.

Maple Leafs: All MDXs

Here’s a look at the Acura MDX in its home market of Japan.

A brief history of where Acuras were made

Acura was founded in 1973 by a group of Japanese investors to bring their engineering understanding to the United States. They named their company “Acura” from the Japanese word meaning “to strive.”

The Honda Firestone Tire Company became the original owner of Acura, leasing the former Honda Aircraft Company (HACO) facility in Columbus, Ohio, to Acura in 1975. Honda continued to rent the facility through 1985 when the two companies agreed to a partnership and ended Acura’s leasing agreement.

Acura President and CEO John Mendelsohn said the company had financial problems and struggled to stay afloat during its early years. “Our sales were so bad in those days that even if we made every car in the factory, we’d still be losing money.

What is the Marysville Auto Plant (MAP)?

Located in Ohio, MAP has initially been a Chevrolet facility that General Motors operated. When it was established, it was the third GM facility to be powered by electricity. Today, it’s owned by Honda, and all Acura models are assembled here. It’s the largest single auto plant in the world.

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1. That Big Building Behind You

When Acura was established, Acura’s roots were built around the Civic sedan. But that sedan was getting old, and Honda decided to expand and revitalize its lineup. So they built a new plant called the Marysville Auto Plant (MAP) on 549 acres of land.

2. No Fun, Just Work

To build that new plant, Honda had to make everything from scratch.

Why is the MAP plant important to the company? 

The Acura engine lineup was not designed in Ohio, the first-generation RDX was never built there, and Acura only started to manufacture automobiles at MAP in 2002. To more closely control the designs and refinement of their automotive products, Acura gradually started the transition of their automobile manufacturing operations from Columbus, Ohio, to the original suppliers for their engines, transmissions, and chassis.

However, in 2006, Acura purchased American Honda’s battery plant in Marysville, Ohio, from TRW, which was one of the five first plants in the United States for battery manufacturing. The plant also manufactured engines for Honda, while TRW was part of American Honda.

What models are made at MAP plant? 

There are currently five models currently made at the Marysville Auto Plant:

2015 Acura TLX

2015 Acura RLX

2017 Acura MDX

2017 Acura ILX

2009 Acura TSX

What models are built at the TLX plant?

Each year the TLX is assembled in Japan and shipped to the TLX plant in Ohio. The TLX was made at the TLX plant before the redesign of the TLX, which took place in 2015.

Where do the ILX, MDX, and TSX come from?

These three models were built at the ILX plant in East Liberty, Ohio. The MDX and TSX were also produced at the Marysville Auto Plant.

When is the TLX made?

The TLX is made in Japan and shipped to MAP each year. The TLX began production in 2014.

What models are made at MDX and TSX plants?

The MDX and TSX are also built at the ILX plant in East Liberty.

A timeline of events that occurred at MAP plant

2003: Acura was sold to Japanese carmaker Honda in 1998, which formed Acura Motorsports and Honda North America. Both companies were in charge of Acura’s production. Acura debuted the Acura TL with support from Federal stimulus dollars and the Ohio Department of Transportation. Acura has received some awards for its pioneering of hybrid technology.

1969: MAP begins production of the Honda Legend.

1986: Honda brings its first Acura-derived vehicle, the NSX, to the world. The NSX won the North American Car of the Year and Motor Trend’s Car of the Year award in 1987.

2004: Honda Odyssey debuts at MAP, the first vehicle built on a P-chip.

2007: Honda 3.2 TSX debuts, sharing styling with the Acura NSX.

2013: Honda Ridgeline makes its debut at MAP.

Why does Acura not make cars in Mexico? 

Acura started making cars in Mexico because of lower labour costs. In 1994, the company tried building a luxury car there, but the launch was derailed when protests by Japanese manufacturers over unfair competition caused production to stop. A year later, Acura launched its first U.S. vehicle, the luxury TL. In 1999, the luxury division of Honda launched its RDX SUV and launched two more Acura models in 2001, the TLX and the MDX. In 2002, Acura’s Honda Precision Parts Manufacturing (HPPM) plant in Guadalajara, Mexico, was inaugurated, and it began to build Acuras for the North American market.

“In 2019, Acura’s MDX and TLX sedans, as well as Acura Precision Parts (AP) using GM and Mercedes-Benz-engineered architectures,” according to CNBC.

Why does Acura not make cars in Ohio? 

This is a short answer and a much more complex answer.

The short answer is that the Marysville Auto Plant is the only one in the U.S. that builds both the MDX crossover and the ILX compact sedan. And since it’s Honda’s only engine plant in North America, it makes sense for the company to have more than one plant in the region.

The complicated answer is that Marysville Auto Plant was announced in 1993 as the “Model A” of Honda’s future manufacturing strategy in the U.S. A few years ago, it was decided that the plant would be retooled to build the HR-V and RDX crossover utility vehicles for North America and the Odyssey minivan for the rest of the world.

Why does Acura not make cars in Japan?

While the corporation is based in Ohio, Honda is also headquartered in Japan. Acura didn’t choose to build its vehicles in Japan; and instead, it decided to make its cars in a North American factory. Acura makes a 3-year/36,000-mile warranty on most of its vehicles. However, Acura does import some parts from Japan to keep the vehicle’s cost as low as possible. Also, Acura has a powerful Canadian presence, and the company makes many of its cars in Windsor, Ontario.

What is Acura Canada, and why do the Canadians love Acuras so much?

Acura Canada is based in Toronto, Ontario. It’s the largest single manufacturing plant of any Japanese manufacturer in Canada and one of the largest outside Japan. Acura Canada assembles four models, all for the North American market.

Interesting Facts About Acura

• Acura is the first premium automobile brand in Japan. 
• The birth of Acura coincided with the launch of the Honda sales company, JDM Honda, which marketed premium automobiles to Honda VERNO, and the next year Honda Primo. 
• Acura was one of the best-selling luxury brands in the United States in its first few years of existence. Despite the decrease in sales during the mid-and late 1990s, the brand had a comeback in the early 2000s, with dramatic renovations and new models.
  
• Although it is true that Honda produces Acura automobiles, the Acura brand has its own range of dealerships such as Fisher Acura, where all the Acura models are available.
• The brand was established in parallel to the development of its Infiniti and Lexus Premium marks by Japanese competitors Nissan and Toyota. The Acura brand got design in conjunction with Japanese opponent Nissan and Toyota’s Premium brands Infiniti and Lexus.
• After a decade of study, by 1986, Honda launched 60 new showrooms for its Acura automotive business in North America.
• Acura’s Slogan “Acura. Precision Crafted Automobiles.” clearly symbolizes Who Owns Acura.

History of Acura Cars

• The first offering included two models: the Legend Executive and the Integra Compact. Both these Acura Cars were offering in five-door and three-door hatchbacks. Project XX, a joint effort between Honda and the UK’s Austin Rover Group, was the outcome. It was connecting to the Rover 800 series mechanically and the Integra was an improved hatchback for Honda Quint. 
• In the first year of the History of Acura Cars, the company sold almost One lakh cars. By 1990, Acura was selling as many cars like Mercedes Benz, BMW and Lexus. 
• Acura debuted NSX “New Sports eXperimental”, a V6 mid-ship driven, rear-drive sports vehicle, in 1990, five years after Legend and Integra’s debut. 
• In 1990, The NSX was the first Japanese automobile that could compete with Ferrari and Porsche. 
• The NSX was the first all-aluminium manufacturing car in the world. Consequently, The NSX also got promotion by some as the “Everyday Supercar,” partly because of its simplicity of use, quality and dependability, features that were unprecedented in the supercar sector at the time. However, in the late 1990s, it started suffering a decline in sales as well. 
• Thus, Acura saw a revival from around 2000, accelerated by the release of numerous new models. The first model was the Acura 3,2 TL, a high-end sedan in 1999.
• A new TL, measured in accordance with then-current SAE standards, was launching for the model year 2004 with a 270 hp (200 kW) V6. The redesigned TL significantly improved sales for Acura.

At present, Who owns Acura? What’s the situation with Acura now?

Even now, Honda Owns Acura. The company is making success via Acura’s sleek cabin, the excellent suspension and high-quality engineering turn into an incredible car.  

Anyone with an Acura vehicle can tell you that you’re on an unbelievable journey. Various models are available and they are all of the highest standards. 

Acura Racing – A must-know story for every car lover

• Acura was having a deep interest in Car Racing from the beginning. The Acura made links to the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) and IMSA GT Championship series and plays an important role in the history of American Motorsports.
• Similarly, from 1991, with the Camel Lights Spice prototype at Comptech, Acura entered into a deal with Comptech Racing to employ the V6 engine of the new Acura NSX.
• In his first year, Acura would take on the Lights title, including a class triumph at Daytona’s 24 Hours.
• However, due to some changes in the IMSA rules, the Camel Lights would be phased out, and Acura shifted to touring car racing, joining Realtime Racing in the SCCA World Challenge with the NSX in 1996, winning the final two races of the season.
• Lastly, In 1997, Acura brought Acura Integras to the lower classes and won both classes successfully.

Marketing of Acura

According to Honda, the Acura logo is a calliper. Calliper is a design tool used in measuring, which may alternatively be read as a skewed H (for Honda) or as a stylized “A” (for Acura). The design, which initially didn’t have Soichiro Honda’s permission, did not have the thin horizontal bar attaching the 2 vertical pillars—thus, the letter “H” was not yet there. Soichiro Honda was commanded to remove the 5.000 badges, including the emblems previously used on 309 automobiles (US-spec Integra, Legend, and NSX models).

Summary – Who owns Acura

To answer who owns Acura, it is Honda. Honda is a Japanese public conglomerate of cars, motorbikes and power equipment manufacturers with its headquarters in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Honda has made Acura it’s another subsidiary company. 

Our blog itsknows tells you who owns what so that it may help you in increasing your awareness and general knowledge.

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Want to buy Acura Cars? Visit the official website here – Acura.com