Honda Inspire

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Honda Inspire
Manufacturer	Honda
Also called	Acura TL (1995-2002) Honda Accord (2003-present)
Production	1990-present
Class	Mid-size
Body style(s)	4-door sedan
Related	Acura TL

The Honda Inspire is a luxury sedan introduced by Honda in 1990 and based on the Honda Accord chassis.

[edit] Acura Vigor/TL

The first Inspire debuted in 1990 as the Accord Inspire, a sister nameplate to the Honda Vigor, then exported to the US as the Acura Vigor. They were the same car headed for different retail channels in Japan. This Vigor was a departure in itself; whereas 1980s Vigors were badge-engineered Accords, from this generation on the Vigor moved upmarket and received its own platform, in which the engine sits longitudinally like the Generation II Acura Legend. In Japan there would be four sedans between the Civic and the Legend: the Honda Accord and Honda Ascot with 4-cylinder engines mounted transversely, and the Vigor and Inspire with 5-cylinder engines mounted longitudinally.

In 1995 the Inspire was replaced by a new model, exported to the US as the Acura TL, while the Vigor nameplate was dropped altogether. The longitudinal engine layout remained, but a 3.2-liter V6 became available for the first time.

In 1999 these cars were replaced by a new TL that was based on the Accord platform, and largely designed and engineered in the US by Honda R&D Americas, Inc. in Raymond, Ohio. Manufactured in the US, these were imported into Japan as the new Inspire and Saber.

[edit] Honda Accord

In June 2003, a new Inspire was introduced in Japan. This car is not the Acura TL that was redesigned at the same time, rather, it was the redesigned North American Accord. This Inspire marks the first time Honda introduced a variable displacement engine in Japan.

In October 2005, a freshened Inspire with new headlights, new taillights, revised interior and new colors arrived in the market. The Inspire targets the Teana from Nissan, the Mark X from Toyota and numerous other luxurious cars from Japan.

In October 2007, the newest generation of the Inspire was previewed at the Tokyo Auto Show. It is essentially a rebadged 2008 USDM Accord with minor exterior and interior modifications.

[edit] External links

• (Japanese) Official Japanese site

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