Looking at the screen cap above, you might be wondering why a 1991 Acura commercial looks like it was made in the 1960s. One of the reasons is that the YouTube video I captured it from seems to have been converted over from an old VHS tape. The other is that the ad is actually trying to portray a vintage theme, and the new Vigor is meant to be Acura’s “latest expression of new world thinking.”
The commercial looks like it’s set in Munich, where German luxury cars rule and Acura is mainly unheard of. After a ride in a Vigor, the question is asked, “Is that a German Car?” The man looks off into the distance and responds, “Nein, Acura.” The conversations heard throughout is entirely in German, but I laugh every time I hear their pronunciation of “Acura”.
The 5-cylinder Acura Vigor was positioned between the Integra and Legend, and was produced for a short 3 year run from 1992-1994. It was eventually replaced with one of the best selling Acuras ever, the TL.
Enjoy this week’s Flashback Friday video clip below. Next week: Acura in Italy.
“I laugh every time I hear their pronunciation of ‘Acura’.”
It actually sounds like the two German actors were dubbed by Americans when they said “Acura” (or were coached to pronounce it like an American). I don’t know what part of the US you live in, but the guys in this ad pronounce it exactly the way Pacific Northwesterners do: “ACK-you-ruh”. I know a little German and I think they’d say something more like “AHK-you-ruh”.
Thanks for finding these neat commercials.