Acura is finally heading to Japan, but it won’t be a full-throated assault on Lexus and the German luxury brands.
Instead, a single model is due to go on sale in the second half of 2026: the US-made Acura Integra Type S hot hatch. It will be joined by another US-made model, the Honda Passport TrailSport Elite.
Even though Japan drives on the left-hand side of the road, both models will be sold in Japan in left-hand drive.
Despite the inconvenience, and potential danger, left-hand drive vehicles have a small but notable cult following in Japan, where some drivers preferring left-hand drive versions of European luxury vehicles over their otherwise identical right-hand drive siblings.
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The Acura Integra is basically a redesigned Honda Civic with a new nose and liftback. Both the Integra and North American editions of the Civic are made in Marysville, Ohio.
For Japan only the range-topping Type S will be sold. It features the same 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine as the Civic Type R, but outputs have been modestly raised to 239kW and 420Nm. Like the Type R, power is sent to the front wheels exclusively via a six-speed manual transmission.
To match the turbocharged mill under the bonnet, the Integra S has a wider track with pumped up wheel-arches, upgraded brakes, and an adaptive suspension setup that’s more compliant than the Type R’s.
The Integra Type S will likely command a premium over the Civic Type R, which is priced from ¥5 million (A$45,000). In the States, the Integra Type S starts at US$53,400 (A$75,000) or a US$6505 (A$9200) premium over the Type R.
Launched in 2024, the fourth-generation Honda Passport is essentially a shortened version of the unibody Pilot SUV with much tougher, off-road focused styling.
Measuring a smidge over 5m long, the Passport is powered by a 3.5-litre petrol V6 making 213kW and 355Nm, hooked up to a 10-speed auto and a standard all-wheel drive system.
Only the range-topping TrailSport Elite is making the journey to Japan, and it leans into the Passport’s off-road aesthetic with bash plates, chunkier all-terrain tyres, orange tow hooks, and retuned suspension.
In the US, the Passport TrailSport Elite is priced at US$52,650 (A$74,500). In Japan it will definitely be priced well beyond the CR-V that kicks off at ¥5.1 million (A$46,000), and is at present is the largest SUV in Honda Japan’s lineup.
This is not the first time Honda has sold North American-made vehicles in Japan, although all previous exports were right-hand drive.
These include the second-generation Odyssey, which was marketed in Japan as the LaGreat to differentiate it from the smaller international Odyssey.
There have also been two Acura models, the first-generation MDX and second-generation NSX, both of which were rebranded as Hondas prior to their trip across the Pacific Ocean.
Honda’s decision to export US-made models to Japan comes after a period of tariff uncertainty sparked by US President Donald Trump, who unilaterally raised duties on made-in-Japan vehicles to 27.5 per cent, kicking off a tariff war between the two nations.
Negotiations between the two countries concluded in September 2025 with US lowering the car tariff to 15 per cent, and Japan agreeing to ease restrictions for importing US-made vehicles.
At the end of 2025 Toyota announced it was preparing to sell the US-made Camry sedan, Highlander SUV (known in Australia as the Kluger) and the Tundra pickup in Japan.