A new report claims that the MDX, RDX, and TLX will be reinvented as electric models in the second half of the decade.
Acura and its parent company Honda have been slow to embrace EVs in North America, but that's all set to change with the introduction of the Honda Prologue and its more upmarket sibling, the ZDX. But according to Automotive News, plans are on the horizon to electrify three additional Acura models.
The publication reports that the MDX, RDX, and TLX may adopt Honda's e:Architecture platform when moving to the next generation. Effectively, these mainstay Acura models would no longer be offered as gasoline-powered models and propel Acura into a mostly electric lineup. The e:Architecture platform is designed by Honda and will underpin several new models in the near future.
Neither Acura nor American Honda has shared details on the matter, so we must take this with a pinch of salt for now.
As per the report, the MDX will reportedly cross over to the e:Architecture platform in 2027, when the vehicle is expected to receive a complete redesign.
There are plans to launch a battery-powered compact crossover towards the end of 2025. This vehicle is expected to sit on the architecture mentioned above and arrive around the same time the current RDX concludes its lifecycle.
Finally, the TLX will reportedly undergo a redesign in 2026, with a similarly sized EV expected to replace it. However, it will retain the familiar TLX nomenclature.
Before then, Acura will release the all-electric ZDX and ZDX Type S, based on GM's Ultium electric architecture. These vehicles and the Honda Prologue are expected to arrive before the end of 2023.
The ZDX Type S is set to be the more exciting model, with Acura promising its EV Type S models will provide plenty of thrills for the driver. “Acura will continue to develop our vehicles in the electrified era with the goal of exciting and engaging drivers. Type S performance variants will take this a step further, beginning with an electrified ZDX Type S arriving in 2024,” said the company's national sales VP, Emile Korkor.
It's about time that Acura sprung into action and got serious about EVs. Aside from Tesla, European premium brands dominate the high-end electric vehicles market. Cadillac is getting very serious, too, and plans to launch a battery-powered version of the Escalade soon.
Even Lexus, owned by EV-hesitant Toyota, sells an electric vehicle in the United States. Let's not forget that Infiniti also has plans to introduce several new EVs in the coming years.
Keyword: Acura's Most Popular Models Going Electric Before 2030