Acura Cars Photos and Desktop Wallpapers Page 4

Acura is a performance brand of Japanese automaker Honda Motor Company. It has been used in the US, Canada and Hong Kong since March 1986 to market Honda's performance automobiles and near-performance vehicles. The brand was introduced to Mexico in 2004 and to the Chinese market in 2006. It is also planned to extend Acura to the Japanese domestic market two years from 2008 or so. With the Acura brand, Honda is credited with being the first to tap into a market for luxury Japanese cars outside Japan. Before Acura, automobiles exported from Japan were primarily economical in design and largely targeted at low-cost consumers. Advanced Sedan, Advanced Sports Car, ALMS, FCX 2020 Le Mans, MD-X, NSX, RD-X, RL-A, RSX, TL. In 1986, following a decade of research, Honda opened 18 all-new dealerships in North America to support its Acura automobile division. Acura was the first Japanese luxury brand to appear, and its initial offerings consisted of four models: the Legend, a V6-powered coupe and sedan, and the Integra, available as a five-door and three-door hatchback, as well as a sedan. The success of these models led to competing Japanese luxury brand ventures (Toyota's Lexus and Nissan's Infiniti).

A new TL debuted for the 2004 model year, featuring sharp, Italianate styling and a 270-hp V6 (measured by then-current SAE, standards) — and was offered with a 6-speed manual transmission. The new TL increased sales dramatically to 70,943 American units in 2005, trumping competitors such as the C-Class, G35, CTS, ES 300, and A4. That same year, Acura introduced the TSX, a European-market Honda Accord loaded with features, as a cheaper alternative to the BMW 3-series. This model became the only 4-cylinder sedan in Acura's line-up. A new RL debuted in 2005, this time with a 300-hp V6, improved styling, and Super Handling All-Wheel Drive (SH-AWD), a system capable of sending almost all of the RL's power to just one wheel in a turn.

Acura's new models—particularly the TL and TSX—have been well received by the motoring press. For example, the TSX has been on Car and Driver's Ten Best list in all three years of production (2004 – 2006). The TL, TSX, and MDX have become Acura's top selling vehicles. The US Big Three recently re-introduced sport sedans with rear wheel drive and V8 engines, making Acura, along with SAAB the only luxury manufacturers not to offer V8s. Aditionally, Acura, SAAB, and Volvo are the only luxury manufacturers to use front wheel drive only.

At the Detroit Auto Show in 2006, Acura announced their plans to enter the American Le Mans Series with multiple teams of Le Mans prototypes in the LMP2 class starting in 2007 season. The cars would be purchased chassis from existing manufacturers, but use American-built Acura V8s (a first for Acura and Honda). Acura also announced their initiative to take the cars to the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2008 and eventually move to the superior LMP1 class with cars built by Acura themselves in 2009. Later in 2006, Acura announced that the three factory teams would be Andretti Green Racing, Fernández Racing, and Highcroft Racing, and that the chassis would be built by Lola Cars of the UK and Courage Compétition of France.

The three Acura-powered prototypes debuted at the 2007 12 Hours of Sebring, opening round of the ALMS season, and were successful in their debut. Andretti Green's Acura took second place overall and first in the LMP2 class, while Fernández Racing took third overall, and Highcroft sixth, beating a series of established Porsche teams in their class. At the same time, Acura began development of their own chassis by heavily modifying their purchased Courage chassis. The cars now have been so radically changed from their original orientation that they are now named Acura ARX-01a. Acura will introduce evolved B-spec cars in the 2008 season, with Gil de Ferran launching a fourth Acura team in the ALMS.

A completely redesigned MDX became available in the fall of 2006 with a 300-hp V6 engine and Super Handling All-Wheel Drive. Acura also re-introduced the TL Type-S for the 2007 model year. Although the slow-selling NSX was discontinued in December 2005, Acura has promised a successor with a V10 engine for the 2010 model year.