Acura's RSX makes a dramatic return, but not how you'd expect

Honda’s first foray into the electric vehicle market is going well, with the Prologue selling 33,000 units in 2024.

The Prologue is based on the Chevrolet Blazer EV, a crossover that uses Ultium batteries supplied by General Motors. Not only did Honda’s first EV outsell its own Passport, but it also managed to sell more units than every EV made by GM. Now, Honda is back with an EV of its own design, and it will wear an Acura badge on the grille.

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Hello, electric crossovers

Acura is no stranger to reviving dead nameplates. The Integra made a comeback after more than two decades, and the ZDX transitioned from one crossover to another, also built on GM underpinnings. Next in line is the RSX, reemerging as an EV.

“The RSX nameplate returns to the Acura brand in our next-generation RSX with its coupe-like silhouette, and it truly represents a forward-looking approach to fun-to-drive performance,” said Mike Langel, assistant vice president of Acura National Sales. “Our second all-electric SUV will solidify our EV credentials even as its ICE stablemates, the all-new ADX, RDX, MDX, TLX, and Integra, continue to attract new buyers to the Acura brand.”

As the RSX begins its real-world testing phase, Acura also unveiled the new EV’s design, which wears a unique camouflage wrap created by its global design team.

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Coupe? Try coupe-like

That same design team says the camo wrap “emphasizes the sleek, coupe-like silhouette with sophisticated patterns that emulate light emerging through the camouflage to convey calmness, strength, and inner power.”

The original RSX was launched in the U.S. as a spinoff of the Acura Integra from 2001 to 2006. It was a front-drive sports coupe that competed with the Mustang, Toyota Celica, and Mitsubishi Eclipse. True to industry trends and to the disappointment of purists, the reborn RSX will compete with the Ford Mustang Mach-E and the Tesla Model Y.

No specifics have been given regarding performance or battery figures just yet.

Honda’s bigger picture on EVs

The Acura RSX is the first EV developed in-house by Honda. It rides on a brand new platform and will debut the company’s ASIMO OS operating system, which was showcased at this year’s CES tech event. At the same time, the company is building its EV Hub, split between three factories located in Ohio, which will help with the development of the RSX and future EV models.

“We are excited to make the Acura RSX the first EV we build at the Honda EV Hub,” said Mike Fischer, executive chief engineer and leader of the Honda North American BEV Project. “The establishment of the Honda EV Hub represents not only the start of EV production but the complete reimagining of our approach to manufacturing that will establish our global standard for EV production.”

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Final thoughts

If the Prologue is the preamble, then the Acura RSX is the first chapter of the Honda EV Hub. Its announcement also explains the changes at the Ohio plant that Honda referenced to explain the lower sales of the Honda Accord in 2024.

Acura says the RSX is slated for production “later this year.” As we get closer to the RSX’s official launch date, more details should come to light in terms of what the sporty SUV coupe thing is capable of. 

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