The Story Behind Acura’s Unique Names
In the 90’s, Acura bucked the popular car-naming trend by giving their new models alphanumeric titles like NSX. Today, many car brands follow the same system, but is there method to the madness? Acura dealerships are full of ILX, TLX, and MDX vehicles. But what do these names mean?
The great eXperiment
Acura began in 1986 as the luxury arm of Honda. The first models had generic names like Legend, Integra, and Vigor, but in 1990 the company took a bold new direction by releasing the NSX: a sporty V6 designed to compete with Ferrari and Lamborghini. The letters stood for New Sport eXperimental, and the experiment turned out to be a terrific success for the company. The cars sold like hotcakes, and Acura decided to name all its cars in similar fashion.
The Test of Time
In the following years, Acura's three-letter names became more arbitrary and less like acronyms. For instance, current models featured at Acura dealerships include the TLX, (touring luxury experimental), MDX, (multi-dimensional luxury), and RLX, (road luxury experimental). But ILX, RDX and ZDX don't stand for anything.
A Foolproof Strategy
Theories abound for why Acura began naming its cars in this way. Some suggest it was a marketing tool. Cars with meaningful names can become distinct all on their own in consumers' minds: when someone says they own a Mustang, nobody asks if it's a Ford.
However, these three-letter names must be attached to the brand to be relevant, and as a result, every new owner will proudly tell their friends about the new Acura ILX they just bought. Another possible motivation for using alphanumeric names is the ease of selling to international markets. It's impossible to mispronounce or mistranslate MDX because it has no inherent meaning. The company can sell the cars anywhere without worrying about language or cultural issues.
Tanner Wadsworth is a automative writer reporter for Fusion 360, an SEO and content marketing agency. Information provided by Mike Hale Acura.
In the 90’s, Acura bucked the popular car-naming trend by giving their new models alphanumeric titles like NSX. Today, many car brands follow the same system, but is there method to the madness? Acura dealerships are full of ILX, TLX, and MDX vehicles. But what do these names mean?
The great eXperiment
Acura began in 1986 as the luxury arm of Honda. The first models had generic names like Legend, Integra, and Vigor, but in 1990 the company took a bold new direction by releasing the NSX: a sporty V6 designed to compete with Ferrari and Lamborghini. The letters stood for New Sport eXperimental, and the experiment turned out to be a terrific success for the company. The cars sold like hotcakes, and Acura decided to name all its cars in similar fashion.
The Test of Time
In the following years, Acura's three-letter names became more arbitrary and less like acronyms. For instance, current models featured at Acura dealerships include the TLX, (touring luxury experimental), MDX, (multi-dimensional luxury), and RLX, (road luxury experimental). But ILX, RDX and ZDX don't stand for anything.
A Foolproof Strategy
Theories abound for why Acura began naming its cars in this way. Some suggest it was a marketing tool. Cars with meaningful names can become distinct all on their own in consumers' minds: when someone says they own a Mustang, nobody asks if it's a Ford.
However, these three-letter names must be attached to the brand to be relevant, and as a result, every new owner will proudly tell their friends about the new Acura ILX they just bought. Another possible motivation for using alphanumeric names is the ease of selling to international markets. It's impossible to mispronounce or mistranslate MDX because it has no inherent meaning. The company can sell the cars anywhere without worrying about language or cultural issues.
Tanner Wadsworth is a automative writer reporter for Fusion 360, an SEO and content marketing agency. Information provided by Mike Hale Acura.