The second Acura EV is on its way, giving the ZDX a smaller, cheaper sibling. The new crossover revives the long-dormant RSX nameplate (though on an edgy crossover rather than a two-door coupe). The automaker teased the RSX Prototype today, and it looks a whole lot like the Performance EV concept from last year’s Monterey Car Week. It’s appropriate, then, that the RSX Prototype will take its first public bow at the same event next week.

Alterations from the 2024 concept seem minor, with the nose still sporting the same beak-like prominence on the leading edge of the hood – it’s almost an homage to the polarizing “Power Plenum” Acura design scheme from the late-2000s and early-2010s. The high-mounted LED daytime running lights are slightly slimmer, and the front bumper corners now incorporate headlight openings and air curtain generators. A lightened version of the teaser image, seen below, seems to show that the Performance EV concept’s aggressive hood vents have been smoothed out, however.

Acura’s First In-House Electric Car

The RSX Prototype, which will likely be a very close preview of the production version given Acura’s past experience with that nomenclature, is going to be the first Acura built on parent company Honda’s new, proprietary electric vehicle platform. While the aforementioned ZDX rides on a version of GM’s Ultium platform, the RSX will be an in-house affair, hopefully offering improved efficiency and reduced cost compared to current luxury EVs.

Previewed by Honda’s 0 Saloon and 0 SUV concepts from CES 2025, the new platform will streamline multiple electric and electronic systems into a single ECU, which will be more efficient and quicker to operate. The platform (and by extension, the RSX) will also feature Honda’s new ASIMO operating system, which will integrate control over the advanced driver assistance systems, infotainment, and other vehicle functions for a more seamless user experience.

The RSX Will Be Built In America

Acura has promised that a production version of the RSX Prototype will arrive sometime in mid-2026 – formerly thought to be later this year — and like the Honda 0 Series electric cars, it will be built in Ohio at the company’s EV Hub in Marysville. But the EV Hub won’t merely perform final assembly of the Japanese-branded cars, it will also put together several different components, including battery packs, body structures, and more. The RSX will be the first vehicle to roll off the EV Hub’s assembly line, which incidentally will be shared with Honda’s other Marysville products like the internal-combustion Acura Integra.

The 2024 Acura Performance EV Concept

The Acura RSX prototype will be revealed in full next Thursday or Friday, almost certainly making an appearance at The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering. Acura has used Monterey Car Week to preview all of its electric vehicles, starting the trend with 2023’s Precision EV concept. That thinly veiled ZDX design study went into production about six months later; it seems the RDX will have a slightly longer lead time.

Source: Acura