For the first time in forty years, Honda's Acura brand will sell cars in Japan.

IT House, March 2nd: The US-Japan trade agreement enacted last year has paved the way for American-made cars to enter the Japanese market. Honda will be the first to respond: two Acura models manufactured in the US will soon be available in Japanese showrooms.

According to foreign media outlet motor1 today, starting in the second half of this year, Honda will introduce the Acura Integra Type S and Honda Passport TrailSport Elite, both produced in the US, to the Japanese market. This will be the first official sale of the Acura brand in Japan, coinciding with the brand’s 40th anniversary.

IT House note: Acura was founded by Honda in 1986, initially targeting the US and Canadian markets, and entered China in 2006.

The Integra model and its K20C engine are currently produced in Ohio, while the Passport and its 3.5-liter V6 engine are produced in Alabama. The TrailSport Elite introduced this time is the mid-high trim version of the model line, with a starting price of about $55,000 (approximately 378,000 RMB at current exchange rates).

Jun Jayaraman, Senior Vice President of Manufacturing and Management at Honda America, stated that since the brand’s inception, Honda has believed in the capabilities of its US manufacturing team. Today, being able to export vehicles produced in Alabama to the Japanese market demonstrates this trust.

In terms of sales, Acura sold a total of 20,178 Integra units in the US in 2025, a decrease of 17.3% year-over-year. Honda sold 55,231 Passport units in the US last year, a year-over-year increase of 70.4%.