Acura, Honda’s premium Japanese brand, will no longer manufacture or sell cars in China. The information was officially announced by the company’s local partner, Guangzhou Automobile Group (GAC), which confirmed the closure of Acura in the People’s Republic of China.
In a statement sent to Reuters, GAC said it would continue to provide after-sales service to Acura customers in Indonesia and would use its own dealer network and services. Acura’s discontinuation in China will not affect operations of Honda, which will continue to manufacture and sell vehicles under its agreement with GAC.
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Acura initially launched in China in 2016 and its sales peaked in 2019 when a total of 14,701 cars were delivered to customers. We don’t have data for 2022 yet, but in 2021, the marque shifted just 6,554 cars in the country, down 45 percent compared to 2020. The only two Acuras available in China were the CDX and RDX SUV, both of which were sold out by their respective competitors. from a German premium brand.
We first heard about Acura potentially exiting the Chinese market back in April last year when the automaker sent a letter to its dealers and customers in the country notifying them of the impending shutdown. At the time, it was reported that Acura could return to China when new electric and electric products were launched, although there were no updates regarding this strategy.
The future of Acura employees in Indonesia is also unknown at this time, although previously it was reported that they would be integrated into Honda’s GAC business. Acura is not the only foreign brand coming out of the Chinese market as recently, Stellantis announced the termination of its joint venture with GAC to manufacture and sell Jeep vehicles in the country. Several Jeep models will continue to be imported directly by Stellantis.
Acura’s future looks even brighter in the United States. The automaker is putting the finishing touches on the new ZDX, which was teased for the first time late last year (see video below). The brand is currently evaluating the crossover in real-world environments and a full and official debut is coming later this year.
