From ZDX Flop to RSX Dream: Acura’s Canceled Electric Crossover

From ZDX Flop to RSX Dream: Acura’s Canceled Electric Crossover

Acura's first mass-produced electric car, the ZDX crossover, was a flop. Based on the same electrical architecture as the Chevrolet Blazer EV and Honda Prologue and built by General Motors, it survived more than a year in production before Acura pulled the plug on it. In 2024 and 2025, American automakers sold less than 20,000 ZDX EVs in the United States, but this was not very profitable. Now that $7,500 tax credit has ended and the EV partnership between GM and Honda looks like a dead end, it's time to call it.  But Acura's EV dream was bigger than that.

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Despite a disappointing start, the American premium brand was set to debut a whole new, homemade electric crossover this year, which promised to correct all the mistakes of ZDX. The EV, known as the Acura RSX, was based on an entirely new, bespoke platform developed in-house by Honda, known as the 0 series. Honda had also been set to build two models on the same architecture – the 0–series SUV and the 0-series saloon - but the Acura has not been able to build the assembly line this year.

Both models will be manufactured at Honda's EV hub in Ohio, making it the automaker's first U.S.-made EV. In other words, they were quite a big deal, but all of them were canceled after Honda determined that the US EV market was slowing too much. With all this being said, let's see what the Acura RSX might have been.

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New, Super Efficient Platform and Lots of Tech Goodies

Like Honda's relatives, the Acura RSX was designed to ride on the Japanese automaker's new 0-series platform, which was developed in-house. Acura's parent company said that by using lightweight materials and mega-casting technology between assembly and structural battery packs, the new EV should provide longer driving range and higher energy efficiency than previous generation models. A lot of aerodynamic work was also done to make sure cars including the Acura RSX could go the extra mile. For this effect, the American electric crossover has a muscular accent and a coupe-like profile similar to the Ford Mustang Mach-E and Tesla Model Y.

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All this is said, but not much is known about RSX yet. Honda said that the 0-series platform can accommodate an 800-volt battery pack, but the first model to debut has this technology 800V battery allows EVs to charge faster with a compatible DC fast charger because they require lower current compared to 400V EVs. Therefore, it creates less heat. However, the company suggests that this may not come to an early vehicle on the platform. Internally, the Acura RSX was expected to greet drivers and passengers with many screens and an all-new AI-enabled infotainment system called Asimo OS. Expectations were high as it would return to Honda's legendary robot. Honda has promised that the new EV will be able to receive true wireless software updates while providing the latest user experience. But AI will be at the heart of the experience, the brand says.

Performance

The Acura RSX was advertised as having a standard dual-motor all-wheel drive, but Honda was the most powerful version of the new electric drive unit when Kevin Williams went to Japan to test the two 0 series test Mule which EVs would have had when it hit dealers later this year. He said the new version would deliver 241 horsepower (180 kW). If it were applied to the Acura, that would mean that the most powerful version of the RSX could deliver a combined 482 horsepower, that's more than enough. However, the power supply can be a limiting factor, so the combined output figures are lower than the sum of the 2 motors.

Brembo's front brakes and double wishbone front suspension were also on the menu of Acura's new electric crossover, which was a good sign for driving enthusiasts, but other details were kept under wraps. This includes battery capacity, estimated range, and acceleration time. The new base also supports the load (V2L) into the vehicle and allows the owner to export energy from the main battery to power tools and appliances. Native Tesla style NACS charging ports were also installed from the factory.

Competitors

The obsolete Acura ZDX was bigger and more expensive than the Tesla Model Y, but the upcoming RSX could have taken things a step down in both categories. With a slightly smaller footprint, the Acura RSX should have been closer in size to its biggest competitors, the Tesla model Y and the Ford Mustang Mach-E. The Cadillac Optiq is also on the list, along with the Kia EV6, Hyundai Ioniq5 and Volvo EX60.

Availability and Pricing

The Acura RSX should start rolling off this year's assembly line at Honda's Ohio EV hub, and sales are expected to kick off in the second half of 2026. Initially it was planned to roll off the assembly line in 2025, but Honda and Acura delayed the launch of the next-generation EV and eventually canned the project entirely. The RSX was set to debut for the first time, following the Honda 0 series SUV towards the end of the year. Meanwhile, the Honda 0 series saloon was pushed to 2027 before it was canceled. The price was not announced. The company said the 0-series saloon will be located just below the 8 Tesla model S, which starts at about 87,000. The starting price for ZDX was about $66,000, so it was expected that RSX would fit under that.