In recessionary times, Acura looks to synergy, not luxury
 

http://www.montrealgazette.com/cars/6002906.bin

Acura is about to celebrate its 25th anniversary in Canada, but the Japanese automaker is not resting on its laurels as it heads into its next quarter-century of business in our country.

Instead, Honda Canada executive vice-president Jerry Chenkin says the Acura brand is seeking to create a unique image for itself moving forward.

That future is represented by the all-new ILX sedan, the return of the NSX, unveiled at the Detroit auto show, and the new RDX, which made its Canadian debut at the 44th edition of the Montreal International Auto Show that wrapped up yesterday (EDS: JAN. 22).

The current path for Acura wasn’t always the intended one, but circumstances dictated a change.

“One of the original plans back in pre-2008 was for Acura to really move upscale and get into the Tier 1 luxury stratosphere,” Chenkin said. “Based on what happened in 2008, with the huge impact of the economy, and the fact that people’s taste changed to less conspicuous kind of situation, that Acura decided to reset the future direction of the product.”

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