What did the Integra replace?
The Integra effectively replaced the Honda CR-X in Acura’s lineup, serving as the brand’s compact, sporty model.
To understand what the Integra replaced, it helps to look at Acura’s strategy in the mid-1980s, when the brand sought a more premium compact sport coupe to complement its luxury sedans. The Honda CR-X remained in Honda’s lineup, creating an overlap in the market that Acura aimed to fill with a more upscale offering.
Historical context
The Integra was introduced in 1986 as Acura's first dedicated compact sport coupe, designed to offer more luxury and practicality than the smaller CR-X while sharing a common engineering base with Honda's Civic. This created a two-model approach to a similar segment.
Note: There was overlap in the market, with the CR-X continuing in production in some regions for several years after the Integra's debut.
Predecessor and market positioning
- The Honda CR-X as the closest predecessor in the compact sport coupe segment that Acura targeted with the Integra.
- Platform and design: The Integra drew from Honda's Civic engineering family, enabling practical packaging, front-wheel drive, and shared components.
- Market positioning: Acura positioned the Integra as a more premium, refined alternative to the CR-X, extending the brand's reach in the sport-compact niche.
- Transition dynamics: The CR-X remained in Honda's lineup for several years after the Integra's introduction, reflecting a gradual replacement rather than an immediate one.
In sum, the Integra filled the same compact sport coupe niche that the CR-X occupied within Honda's broader lineup, with a focus on refinement and space as a differentiator. The RSX would later serve as Acura’s direct successor to the Integra in the U.S. market.
Legacy and later developments
In 2002, Acura moved away from the Integra with the introduction of the RSX, a model that carried the same compact-sport ethos in a refreshed package. In markets outside North America, naming conventions varied, but the RSX effectively continued the Integra lineage in many regions.
The Integra name remains a milestone in Acura's history, symbolizing the brand’s early foray into combining performance with everyday practicality in a small luxury-focused coupe.
Summary
The Integra replaced the Honda CR-X in Acura’s lineup, establishing Acura's presence in the compact sport coupe category and setting the template for the brand’s early performance-oriented small cars. While the CR-X continued in Honda’s lineup for a time, the Integra became the core Acura alternative in that segment, with the RSX later succeeding it in the early 2000s.
Why was the TLX discontinued?
Acura discontinued the TLX due to declining sales, a shift in customer preference from sedans to SUVs and crossovers, and Acura's strategic pivot towards an electric vehicle (EV) future. The TLX's sales had been in a steady decline since its peak in 2015, and the production plant is being retooled for EV manufacturing.
- Declining sales: The TLX's sales have fallen significantly from a peak of 47,080 units in 2015 to just 7,748 in 2024. This lack of market interest made the sedan an unsustainable model for the company.
- Market shift to SUVs: Consumers are increasingly choosing SUVs and crossovers over sedans, leading to a broader market trend of sedans being discontinued. Acura's lineup now features only the Integra as a non-SUV option.
- Focus on electrification: Acura is retooling its production facilities to focus on the production of electric vehicles. The factory that built the TLX is being converted into an EV manufacturing hub, which is a major factor in the sedan's discontinuation.
- Strategic realignment: The decision is part of a larger strategy to align with customer needs and the changing automotive landscape, with Acura aiming to become a fully electric brand in the future.
Is Integra the same as ILX?
The 2023 Acura Integra is a deliberate shift away from the Acura ILX on behalf of the brand. The conscious decision to replace the ILX with the Integra is supported with updated features and contemporary conveniences for everyday driving. Keep reading to understand why.
What replaced the Integra?
| Honda Integra | |
|---|---|
| Layout | Front-engine, front-wheel drive Front-engine, four-wheel drive |
| Chronology | |
| Predecessor | Honda Quint |
| Successor | Acura RSX Acura EL (Canada) Acura ILX (US/Canada) |
What car did the Acura Integra replace?
The Acura Integra is a compact car manufactured by Honda and sold under the Acura brand since 2022. Succeeding the ILX (a sedan based upon the ninth-generation Honda Civic), the Integra is a five-door liftback based on the eleventh-generation Honda Civic.
