The Acura Integra debuted for the 1986 model year as one of the two vehicles that launched the Acura brand in North America, alongside the Legend. Positioned as Acura’s accessible, sport-oriented model, the first generation was offered in three-door and five-door hatchback forms. Its responsive handling, practical packaging and engineering-focused character helped establish Acura as more than a conventional luxury marque.
A second generation arrived for 1990, with three-door hatchback and four-door sedan body styles. During this era, the Integra became closely associated with Honda’s high-revving engine technology, particularly through VTEC-equipped performance versions. The third generation followed for 1994, again combining compact dimensions and everyday usability with a strong enthusiast focus. Its most historically important derivative was the Integra Type R, introduced by Acura for 1997. Developed with extensive weight reduction and chassis revisions around a specialized VTEC engine, the Type R became an influential benchmark among front-wheel-drive performance cars. Integra models also built notable reputations in professional road racing, grassroots motorsports and the import-tuning culture of the 1990s and early 2000s.
The original Acura Integra production period ended after the 2001 model year. Acura introduced the RSX as its replacement for 2002. Although the RSX is connected to the broader global Honda Integra lineage, it was marketed by Acura under a different name; therefore, the Acura Integra nameplate itself was absent for more than two decades.
Acura revived the Integra for the 2023 model year as a five-door liftback serving as the brand’s entry-level premium sport compact. The new model deliberately restored a traditional name within an Acura lineup that had largely adopted alphanumeric designations. A high-performance Integra Type S joined for 2024, reconnecting the revived car with the nameplate’s enthusiast heritage while adopting a modern turbocharged approach. The Integra remains in production, making its history two distinct periods: 1986–2001 and 2023–present.