News has started to spread that ARC International has filed bankruptcy and will no longer be accepting orders and all outstanding orders are cancelled. Currently it's being reported that the future of the company is uncertain, but it's truly sad to see such a premium and high quality parts manufacturer to succumb to the stress of today's economy. I have always been supportive of companies that stress quality over quantity and getting what you pay for. ARC was one of those companies that focused on research and development, fitment and making power with their products while looking good doing it.
It's always interesting to see how the industry copes with manufacturers that want to focus on high quality products, entering the market at a much higher price point than its competitors. Perhaps it was just marketing, or export costs, or even the conversion that hurt ARC, but nonetheless it's a little sad to see the constant demise of Japanese parts manufacturers in the current state of the industry.
We wish all the best to ARC and hopefully someone will carry on their tradition. This industry certainly needs more companies to step up to the plate to craft nice products. I ran an ARC airbox on my supercharged tC and it was certainly a nice piece.
ARC airbox on my TRD Supercharged Scion tC