Acura Brings Santana to Fans Across the Country; Debuts ``Santana's San Francisco'' Weekend Getaway Promotions.

Entertainment Editors

TORRANCE, Calif.--(ENTERTAINMENT WIRE)--July 18, 2002

Acura today announced its 2002 concert series, which this year will bring the music of multi Grammy-winning artist Carlos Santana and his band across the country on this summer's "Acura Presents Santana" tour. Presenting 10 Santana performances in eight cities, the luxury performance automobile maker extends its support of American music and also offers music lovers an amazing prize package tailored to the tastes of Santana fans.

Through local media promotions in various markets across the country, Acura will give Santana fans the chance to win one of nine deluxe weekend getaways to Santana's home city of San Francisco. This grand-prize package includes airfare for two, along with two-night accommodations in the Triton Union Square Hotel's one-of-a-kind Santana Suite, which was inspired by the art, music and vision of Carlos Santana. Acura's prize package also includes ample pocket money, allowing winners to experience the sights and sounds of the San Francisco Bay area, such as a Napa Valley wine tasting trip, dinner at the city's best restaurants, nightclub hopping to San Francisco's choice hot spots, and shopping in the famous Haight/Ashbury district. In addition, the grand-prize winners will also receive two tickets to the "Acura Presents Santana" concert in their home city. Additional prizes will include premium tickets to the local concert, Paul Reed Smith guitars customized and autographed by Carlos Santana, and in some markets, lucky fans will get to meet music legend Santana.

"Acura's summer concert tour series is a natural outgrowth of Acura's ongoing commitment to support influential music," said Dick Colliver, Executive Vice President of Automobile Sales. "Carlos Santana's timeless music has inspired countless generations and we are proud to be associated with this exceptional artist." In the spirit of Acura's commitment to public service, the carmaker will present a generous donation to Santana's charity, the Milagro Foundation, at the San Francisco concert performance.

This is the third year that Acura has brought legendary musicians to cities around the country through its summer concert series. Last year, Paul Simon and Brian Wilson toured with Acura to nine cities, and in 2000, John Fogerty and Aaron Neville drew crowds from San Francisco to Long Island with a New Orleans themed celebration of food and music.

The "Acura Presents Santana" tour hits the road on August 4 at Philadelphia's Tweeter Center. The tour will travel with an assortment of Acura vehicles, including the MDX luxury SUV, RSX sports coupe and 3.2 TL luxury sedan, which will be on display at the concert venues.

Dates for the "Acura Presents Santana" are as follows (subject to change without notice):

    Date             City                 Venue
    ----             ----                 -----
    August 4         Philadelphia, PA     Tweeter Center
                                           at the Waterfront
    August 6         Boston, MA           Tweeter Center
    August 7         Holmdel, NJ          PNC Bank Arts Center
    August 9-10      New York, NY         Tommy Hilfinger
                                           at Jones Beach Theater
    August 19        Detroit, MI          DTE Energy Music Theatre
    August 23        Chicago, IL          Tweeter Center
    October 19-20    San Francisco, CA    Shoreline Amphitheater
    October 25       San Diego, CA        Coors Amphitheater

Acura offers a full line of premium performance vehicles through a nationwide network of dealers. The Acura line up features six distinct models, including the exotic NSX supercar, the RL flagship luxury sedan, the popular 3.2TL and TL Type-S luxury performance sedan, the 3.2 CL luxury performance coupe, the revolutionary MDX luxury sport utility vehicle and the 200 horsepower RSX sports coupe. For more information about Acura vehicles, please visit www.acura.com. For media inquiries, please visit www.acuranews.com.