- Acura’s second EV will be the RSX
- The RSX will be a fastback crossover SUV built in Ohio
- The RSX will feature Honda and Acura’s next-gen operating system called Asimo
Acura will add a second electric SUV to its lineup this year, this time designed in-house, and once again recycling a name from the brand’s past.
The automaker announced Wednesday that its next electric vehicle will be called the RSX, a name previously attached to a sporty coupe sold in the U.S. from model years 2002 to 2006. The original RSX was actually the fourth-generation Acura Integra, and was sold under that name in other markets. Acura has since brought back the Integra name in the U.S. for a gasoline compact hatchback, freeing up the RSX name for other uses.
Acura explained the use of the RSX name as being appropriate thanks to the coupe-like styling of the new electric SUV—inspired by the Acura Performance EV concept first shown during 2024 Monterey Car Week. A teaser image of a camouflaged prototype, released ahead of the start of public-road testing, does indeed show sleeker-than-average styling.
The new RSX joins the Acura ZDX, a larger electric SUV that recycles the name of a short-lived gasoline model that was one of the first “SUV coupes.” But where the ZDX is based on a General Motors architecture, the RSX is slated to be the first production model based on a dedicated EV platform that will also underpin the Honda 0 Series EVs from Acura’s parent brand.
In addition to the EV architecture—which is designed for slimmed-down packaging—the RSX will also mark the production launch of a new operating system called Asimo for future Acura and Honda EVs. Named after the humanoid robot that provided trade-show entertainment starting in the early 2000s, it’s intended to enable more sophisticated infotainment and driver-assist features.
The electric Acura RSX is scheduled to enter production in Ohio later this year. Honda has long had a presence in the Buckeye State, but it’s retooling and reconfiguring facilities there to build large numbers of EVs. That includes not only the RSX and future Honda 0 Series models (the first of which is scheduled to arrive in 2026) but also the Afeela 1 from the Sony Honda Mobility joint venture.