Are Acura Vehicles Made In Japan Or The USA?

It's logical to think that Acura cars are made in Japan. After all, it's Honda's luxury division, and Honda is one of Japan's most powerful motor exports. However, it might surprise you to know that Acura vehicles are in fact made in the United States — in Ohio.

It began in 1981 when Honda executives were mulling the idea of injecting some luxury and Western manufacturing into Honda. The obvious thing may have been to add a new luxurious and powerful sedan to the Honda lineup, and the suits considered that. The issue, though, was that the Japanese brand had built a reputation for reliability and cost-effectiveness but didn't have a strong enough presence in luxury. They feared customers would balk at buying a high-end car wearing a Honda badge.

So, in 1984, American Honda president Yoshihide Munekuni, a few other high-level executives, and interested potential dealers met to discuss creating a new channel for the new brand. The idea was essentially new dealerships, networks, and sales systems separate from Honda. About two years later, on March 27, 1986, the Acura dealerships went live in the United States.

There are Acura manufacturing plants in Ohio in four different locations: Marysville, Anna, East Liberty, and Russells Point. The oldest and largest is Marysville Auto Plant, where Honda's U.S. manufacturing operations began in 1979. It first started with motorcycles, but in 1982, while Honda was ruminating the Acura line, it started automobile production, making Honda Accords for the U.S. market.

• The Marysville Auto Plant is where the Acura ILX and TLX come from. It also contains a Performance Manufacturing Center where performance cars like the Acura NSX, Integra, TLX, and TLX Type S come from.

• The East Liberty Auto Plant and Performance Manufacturing Center is responsible for the Acura RDX and MDX SUVs.

• The Russells Point plant is where Honda produces the transmissions, transmission components, and four-wheel drive systems in the Acura cars that roll out of the other plants.

• The Anna Engine Plant makes engines and other unspecified drivetrains.

Despite the skepticism Acura might have faced when it first started, these cars are currently doing well in the U.S. market and rank among the best luxury car brands you can get today.