For the first time in 40 years, JDM buyers will be able to get an Acura Integra Type S — imported from America.
Over the past few decades, we here in the U.S. have gotten comfortable with Japanese luxury brands like Lexus, Infiniti and indeed Acura. Each are their mainstream brand’s luxury marque (for Toyota, Nissan and Honda, respectively), and have each been around since the mid- to late-1980s. While all three build cars for their luxury marques in Japan, however, only Lexus has actually integrated its premium brand into the domestic market, with Infiniti and Acura models leaning on their original brand names at home. Now, though, Honda is also breaking the mold by exporting the Ohio-built Integra Type S to Japan.
It’s a major paradigm shift, as the brand celebrates its 40th anniversary. Acura was the first of the Japanese premium brands to launch in North America, but it’s mainly stuck there ever since. Japanese spectators at the Tokyo Auto Salon and Osaka Auto Messe this year were able to experience the latest Integra, and they’ll actually be able to buy one in the second half of 2026.
Here’s an odd little fun fact for you, if you weren’t already aware. Even before the car itself arrives, a piece of the Integra Type S has already been making its way across the Pacific to Japan. That is, of course, the 320-horsepower 2.0-liter turbocharged K20C engine, which is exported from Honda’s Anna, Ohio engine plant to its Yorii plant for installation in the Civic Type R.
Japanese customers have been able to buy the Civic, naturally, but there’s a fun element of global logistics. That also means the American-built engine for the CTR goes to Japan, where it’s installed in Honda’s hot hatch…then Honda ships it back across the Pacific to sell to U.S. buyers. At least, that’s been the situation since 2015.
Unlike the Civic Type R, however, Acura plans to sell the Integra Type S in the Japanese domestic market as a left-hand drive-only model.
Honda plans to export the Alabama-built Passport to Japan as well (with an asterisk).
The Acura Integra Type S isn’t the only U.S.-built car Japanese buyers are getting, either. Honda further announced Sunday it will export the Passport SUV to the automaker’s home market, as well. In order to “enhance its product lineup to meet the diverse needs of customers in Japan”, they’ll get the TrailSport Elite model folks in America have been able to buy for the past year or so. And the new Honda Passport has been an absolute sales sensation over the old model, with Honda dealers shifting more than 55,000 examples (a 70% yearly increase) last year alone.
Like the Passport making its way from Lincoln, Alabama to your local dealer, Honda will keep the same 3.5-liter V6 and 10-speed automatic transmission setup for Japan. This will be the first time folks in Japan will see the 285-horsepower unit in their home market. However, there is a caveat, much like the Integra: It will only be available in left-hand drive. Buyers over in Japan will also only be able to buy one in the top-spec TrailSport Elite trim, so they’ll have to pay top yen, however much Honda decides to charge for the privilege.
Honda did not mention how many of either model it wants to sell to JDM customers. That said, it’s likely they’ll have more of a niche presence in the market, if the decision to not convert the cars to right-hand drive is any indication. The Integra Type S and Passport come across as niche models that appeal to a certain kind of buyer, so we’ll have to wait and see how many grab the opportunity to pick up a Passport or Integra Type S. No doubt, they will be a relatively unique sight on Japanese roads.
If you do happen to be checking out our site from Japan, enjoy the video on the Passport below (it’s subtitled in Japanese, so folks in the American TFL community can still watch the video, as the audio is still in English).
