Acura makes RSX an electric SUV

The name synonymous with Acura’s 2000s sport coupes will now represent an all-electric SUV due in early 2026

Acura has announced the comeback of the RSX, following the company’s launch of retro names like the Integra and Honda Prelude. What’s the gain? Well, it’s nothing like the RSX you might remember from your daydreams of the early 2000s.

This time, the new RSX adopts an SUV body and is Acura’s first model to be equipped with a new dedicated EV platform. Unlike the Acura ZDX, which borrows its underpinnings from General Motors, the RSX will use Honda’s newly developed in-house electric vehicle architecture, a major step forward in the automaker’s electrification plans.

Read: Acura plans electric future to reverse sales decline and reignite brand appeal

The launch of the RSX is part of Acura’s plan to return to the sales charts. The automaker lost market share to rivals in 2024 as multiple models posted double-digit sales declines in 2024. It will be the second production electric vehicle to bear the Acura badge, with executives stressing the need for more battery-electric products.

Honda’s new electric vehicle platform

The electric vehicle platform developed by Honda has been demonstrated at CES 2025, laying the foundation for Honda 0 Series sedan and SUV prototypes that will evolve into production models next year. Honda’s new EV platform aims to create lighter vehicles and reduce the overall height required for most EVs to house batteries within the floor.

The new Acura RSX will also be the first electric vehicle produced at Honda’s new “Electric Vehicle Center” in Ohio. Facilities at the Marysville Auto Plant, East Liberty Auto Plant and Anna Engine Plant are undergoing a $700 million renovation and reorganization. The Anna engine plant will be a large-scale casting site for Honda’s new Intelligent Power Unit (IPU).

The IPU is a big step forward for Honda and Acura’s EV ambitions and is an integral part of the new EV platform. It’s also significantly larger than anything Honda has die-cast before, and with initial development in North America using domestically and globally sourced parts, it’s a triumph for American manufacturing.

coupe dream dashed

When news broke that the RSX name would be trademarked first in Japan and then in the United States, many predicted that the reborn nameplate would be attached to a sporty coupe. Although the Integra nameplate has been resurrected, the fact that it’s attached to a four-door sedan rather than a sporty coupe has been a sore point for long-time fans of the brand. The fact that Honda is bringing back the Prelude name has even led some to wonder whether the new Acura RSX will be a more premium version of the new coupe.

2006 Acura RSX Type S

See: Honda Trademarks RSX Name in Japan, Is Another Icon Making a Return?

Instead, Acura followed Mitsubishi’s lead and transformed one of its beloved coupes into an SUV. when asked car spoon As for why the company chose to return to the RSX name to denote an electric SUV rather than a sports car, a spokesperson said: “We believe RSX is the right name for our new all-electric SUV. This is not a ‘revival’ of the previous RSX coupe. Globally range, the model is sold and marketed as the Integra and we have seen strong enthusiasm from fans for the fifth generation Integra, especially the Type S.”

The RSX is said to be inspired by a high-performance electric concept car that resembles a speedboat. Judging from an image we received, the new model appears to retain some elements from the concept car, but takes an overall more traditional approach.

The striking NSX-inspired rear appears to have given way to something more reminiscent of the BMW X6 or Tesla Model Y. Meanwhile, the coupe-like roofline has become less coupe-like. However, it’s still early days.

Acura has yet to confirm an exact release date, but prototypes of the all-electric RSX will begin real-world testing this week. All we know is that this will be the first car from either Honda or Acura to be built on the new EV platform at the Ohio Electric Vehicle Center, so expect to see the new RSX in showrooms in early 2026.