If you don’t know much about Sterling’s fall down of a four year presence in US car marketyou’re not alone. brother car manufacturer Lounger tried and failed to enter the US auto market twice before disguising itself as a new brand called PoundRover has partnered with Honda’s motobike to develop Sterling models based on the then new model Acura Legend, in the hope that some Honda Rover’s reputation for reliability may be taking its toll.
Unfortunately that is not the case, as Rovers and Sterlings are poorly built in Oxford, England, while Hondas and Acuras are expertly built in Sayama, Japan. Despite using Honda engines, the British manufacturing quality of the first Sterlings brought to the United States in 1987 was poor, and tarnished the brand’s reputation with American consumers, leading to its demise in 1991.
The 1989 Sterling 827 SLi is an updated, more powerful version. back door The Sterling was intended to be a bit more upscale than Acura’s hugely successful Legend, but the Sterling’s early reliability problems prevented the brand from achieving any of the sales success of the Acura Legend.
Sterling sold more than 14,000 vehicles in 1987, its first year in the United States. In 1988, Sterling sold just under 9,000 vehicles, while Acura has sold over 70,000 Legendary in the same year. 1989 saw an increase in engine size and power output as noted in Motorweek’s Retro Review, but sales continued to decline to under 6,000 units. Sales continued to decline in 1990 with just over 4,000 units sold, and only 2,700 Sterlings were sold in 1991 before Rover announced it would discontinue the Sterling in the United States after the 1991 model year.
A combination of factors contributed to Sterling’s demise, including the introduction of other entry-level luxury brands into the US auto market such as Lexus Cars And Infinity. With the Sterling’s platform mate, the Acura Legend, offering consumers a level of quality, reliability, and affordability never seen before, and Lexus and Infiniti offering more, the Sterling can’t keep up. They may not be particularly sought-after cars when they become classics, but it’s a fun bit of automotive information you now know.
