This article will compare Acura and Mercedes Benz and answer the question: is Acura better than Mercedes Benz? When was Acura launched? What are the sub-brands of Mercedes Benz?. This article will also explain how both the companies were established. Where are the production factories located and which are the flagship models?

Is Acura Better than Mercedes Benz?

No, Acura is not better than Mercedes Benz. The following table lists some of the key information of Acura and Mercedes Benz.

It is a sub-brand of the Japanese car maker honda and sells rebadge products in the American and North American markets. The main focus of Acura is on luxury but there are only 4 models on sale in the international markets. Mercedes Benz on the other hand is the global market leader in the sales of luxury passenger cars.

When was Acura launched?

Acura was launched in international markets like America, and Canada in 1986 and later it was also launched in countries like China, Mexica, Kuwait and Russia. Acura helped Honda to break away from its image as a small Japanese car manufacturer and sell high-performance luxury sports cars.

Other Japanese manufacturers like Toyota and Nissan quickly followed suit and Launched sub-brands like Lexus and Infiniti to sell expensive premium cars. The product lineup of Acura is very small and the company only sells four to five models in the international market. Honda also wanted to introduce the Acura brand into its domestic market but the financial crisis and government restrictions delayed the launch. 

What are the sub-brands of Mercedes Benz?

Mercedes Benz has Sub- brands like AMG, Mercedes- Maybach and EQ. Mercedes AMG is focused on manufacturing high-performance versions of ongoing models while Mercedes Maybach makes a long wheelbase and more premium versions of models like S Class and GLS. 

The EQ brand of Mercedes Benz stands for emotion and intelligence. Full electric cars like EQC, EQB & EQS are sold under the EQ badge. Toyota is also well known for plug-in hybrids and green energy vehicles.

Mercedes Benz is also into manufacturing commercial vehicles like trucks and Sprinter vans. Acura only manufactures luxury passenger cars and SUVs.

Where are the Mercedes Benz factories located?

Mercedes Benz has production factories all over the world but the main manufacturing factories are located only in Germany. Another location does not manufacture cars but only assembles from knockdown kits. The company has factories in 17 countries across 4 continents. 

The factory in Stuttgart, Germany is the mother factory, all the development, production and shipment of engines, transmissions and CKDs are shipped from this location. It is also the headquarters of Daimler AG, recently named Mercedes Benz group AG. The Stuttgart factory has a history extending back over 115 years and it is the highest tech location for the production of cars and hybrid drive systems. 

The plant has six total facilities, Untertürkheim and Bad Cannstatt are responsible for the production of engines and the forge is also located there. The transmissions are manufactured in Hedelfingen. Mettingen has the foundry for axle production

Where are Acura production factories located?

The headquarters of Acura is located in North America. The brand was also first launched in America and Canada. The success of Acura in the American and Canadian markets also helped the company to sell the car in other international markets. Unlike Mercedes Benz, Acura only manufactures a few models like ILX, TLX, RDX, and MDX.

Most of the production Factories are largely located in the state of Ohio. The largest production factory is located in  Marysville and other factories are in East Liberty, Anna, and Russells Point, Ohio

The factories in Anna and Russel point are mainly focused on the production of engines and transmission and a few 4-wheeled drive systems are also manufactured in the Russel point factory. Honda also sells the rebadged NSX in the North American Market and it is manufactured in the Marysville plant.

How was Mercedes Benz Established?

In 1886, Karl Benz invented the modern-day car with the petrol engine and during the same period, Gottlieb Daimler and his business partner William Maybach were in the business of converting stagecoaches by adding petrol engines.

European automobile entrepreneur Emil Jellinek first marketed the automobile by naming it after his daughter Mercedes Jellinek. 1901 Mercedes powered by a 35 brake horsepower engine became known as 1901 Mercedes. 

The production of the first Branded Mercedes Benz started in 1926 when the two companies of Karl Benz and Gottlieb Daimler merged and created the Daimler Benz company.

How was Acura Established?

Originally known as Channel II, Acura is a sister company of Honda. Honda is a Japanese car manufacturer that started Acura to export cars to the North American market and later set up factories in the United States. 

The name Acura means done with precision and the Japanese automaker opened more than 60 dealerships in the North American market to grow its luxury car division. The company initially launched with the Legend and Integra models which are five-door and three-door hatchback cars but it was the two-door mid-engined NSX launched in the 1990s that propelled the Acura brand to success. Acura managed to build upon the popularity of its 1990 models and later also launched fresh SUVs and crossover SUVs models like MDX and RDX. 

Which is the flagship model sold by Acura?

The Acura NSX is the current flagship model sold by Acura. It is a rebadged Honda NSX and its second generation was launched in 2016. 2022 will be the last production year for the model. Acura also sold a premium sedan RLX but the car was discontinued in 2020.

Acura NSX, also known as Honda NSX, is a two-door hybrid mid-engined sports car. It is the spiritual successor of the Honda NSX launched in the 1990s. The second generation of NSX is powered by a 3.5 litres V6 petrol-engined coupled to a 9-speed dual-clutch gearbox.

The power output is 500 horsepower and the combined power output is close to 600 horsepower. Two electric motors are located on the front wheel while the third electric motor is installed between the engine and the transmission. 

Which is the flagship model sold by Mercedes Benz?

The Mercedes Benz S class is the Flagship model sold by Mercedes Benz, it focuses on comfort and luxury. There are inline 6 and V8 petrol engines making around 600 horsepower. The S class is currently in the seventh generation and has the most advanced driver assistance systems on board. 

The driver assistance systems are capable of driving the S Class without any inputs from the driver. S class also sets a benchmark in safety by featuring a first-in-class rear passenger airbag located on the backside of the front seats. 

S class uses AIRMATIC suspension with sports and comfort modes, the suspension has active body control systems and can vary the damping rates based on the mode selected. This gives more versatility to the handling characteristics of the S class.

Other articles about Mercedes Benz you may be interested in

Why does Mercedes Depreciate so fast?

What are the types of compressors used in Mercedes Benz?

What are the modifications for a Mercedes Benz C Class?

Conclusion

Acura is a smaller brand compared to Mercedes Benz but its parent company Honda is also one of the oldest and most reliable car manufacturers in the world. Acura also allows Honda to launch more expensive models in the international market and rebadging the cars keeps the development cost to a minimum.