More Than Half of Acura's Canadian Vehicle Sales in Brand's 30-year History Have Been Built in North America

Acura (CNW Group/Acura)

More than 99 percent of Acura models sold in Canada built in North America in 2016

MARKHAM, ON, Feb. 14, 2017 /CNW/ - In celebration of its 30^th anniversary in Canada today, the Acura brand announced that since its inception in 1987, more than 50 percent of the brand's cumulative Canadian sales have been built in North America.  Acura was the first luxury marque from a Japanese automaker to manufacture and sell vehicles in Canada.

Honda of Canada Mfg. in Alliston, Ontario has built more than 800,000 Acura vehicles, including the first generation MDX and ZDX models, as well as the Canadian-exclusive EL and CSX sedans. Acura currently produces the ILX and TLX sedans and the RDX five-passenger SUV in Ohio, and the MDX seven-passenger luxury SUV in Alabama.

"Acura was born in Canada 30 years ago and its North American roots run deep with many significant vehicles developed and built in this region," said Dave Gardner, Senior Vice President of Operations, Acura, a division of Honda Canada Inc.  "Our manufacturing and sales teams are proud to have played such a large role in the history of the Acura brand and our associates are now more focused than ever on delivering precision crafted performance to our Acura customers in Canada."

Created to bring performance, elegant design, advanced technology and higher levels of customer service to the luxury import market, Acura has grown from a small dealer network selling just two models in 1987 (Legend and Integra), to the current network of 51 retailers selling six distinctive Acura vehicles. The line up now includes two utility vehicles (MDX and RDX), three sedans (RLX, TLX and ILX) and one luxury supercar (NSX). To date, more than 500,000 Acura luxury cars and SUVs have been sold in Canada.

Early Acura vehicles were produced at the East Liberty, Ohio auto plant, beginning February 1996 (1997 Acura CL Coupe).  Since then, Acura has built more than 2.8 million cars and SUVs in North America.

Since developing the 1997 Acura CL Coupe, a number of Acura models have been designed and developed with leadership from the company's North American R&D operations, including the current Acura TLX, all three generations of the Acura MDX and the 2017 Acura NSX.

The 2017 Acura NSX is produced at the dedicated Performance Manufacturing Center (PMC) in Marysville, Ohio, with a unique blend of human craftsmanship and advanced technology.  This world-class manufacturing facility employs groundbreaking techniques in weld, body construction, body painting, final assembly and quality confirmation to ensure the highest levels of precision and craftsmanship. Further, the NSX's 3.5-litre twin-turbocharged V-6 engine is hand assembled by master builders at the nearby Anna, Ohio engine plant.

About Acura Canada
Acura is the luxury-performance division of Honda Canada Inc. and is a leading automotive luxury nameplate that delivers Precision Crafted Performance, an original approach to technology and design that creates a new driving experience. The Acura lineup features six distinctive models – the RLX luxury flagship sedan, the TLX performance luxury sedan, the ILX sport sedan, the 5-passenger RDX luxury crossover SUV, and the Acura MDX seven-passenger luxury SUV. Acura launched its next-generation, electrified NSX supercar as a new and pinnacle expression of Acura Precision Crafted Performance.  Acura entered the Canadian market in 1987 and has grown to include 51 locations in its dealer network across the country.

SOURCE Acura

Carol Susko [phone], Laura Heasman [phone]