What should have been a potentially big volume addition to the Acura line-up has arrived at a possibly inopportune moment for American Honda. The US being far and away the upscale brand’s number one market, uncertainty suddenly hangs over the new-for-2025 ADX. Why? Unlike all other Acura models, this additional SUV is manufactured outside the United States, hailing from the Celaya factory in Mexico.
Honda is at least lucky enough to build almost every other Acura model in Ohio (MDX, RDX, TLX and Integra) while General Motors manufactures the ZDX, a big electric SUV, at the former Saturn plant in Spring Hill, Tennessee. So there could well be an opportunity for sales conquests from the likes of Lexus, Infiniti, Cadillac, Volvo, Jeep, Lincoln, Audi, BMW and Mercedes.
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Revealed last November, the new point of entry for Acura SUVs packs a standard 190 horsepower and 179 pound-feet of torque four-cylinder engine. This is the same 1.5-litre turbo which features under the hood of the Integra as well as the Honda Civic Si. Its internal code is L15BE. Drive is to the front or both axles via a CVT.
ADX production moving to the US?
There is a chance that ADX production may eventually shift out of Mexico and into one of American Honda’s plants in Ohio. Marysville seems more likely than East Liberty but until the dust settles on Donald Trump’s tariffs – how long they will be enforced for, is the deal with China just the first, and so on – it’s difficult to say when this may (or may not) happen.
One reason for the likelihood of Marysville is it being where the Integra is manufactured: the ADX is effectively an SUV version of that car. The interiors for example look similar. And when it comes to life cycles, the Integra will receive a facelift for the 2026 model year and a successor in mid-2028 for MY29.
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By GlobalDataThe ADX won’t have its makeover until early 2028 with the second generation stepping in for model year 2031. The latter should be available in EV form but IC power should also feature.
RSX – another EV arriving in early 2026
A sports SUV-coupe will be the next addition to the Acura range. Due later this year, it will revive the RSX badge (see image). Build is due to start in Ohio just before Christmas.
Honda now calls its manufacturing complex, with newly added electric vehicles and drive systems, the ‘EV Hub’. That includes not only the Marysville cars and SUVs production site but the East Liberty operations plus the Anna powertrain plant.
Unlike the brand’s existing sole electric model, the RSX will use a Honda architecture. GM and Honda stated last year that whilst the agreement for the former to supply the ZDX (7,391 vehicles in 2024) continues, this part of their alliance will not be expanded.
Honda platform for next ZDX
The Volvo EX90-sized electric SUV was new one year ago this month and is due for its mid-life update in 2027 with a Honda-engineered follow-up possible at the turn of the decade. The ZDX is the twin of the Cadillac Lyriq, with a Honda (Prologue) and a Chevy (Blazer) also based off the same BEV3 Ultium platform.
Generation five MDX
Looking at other SUVs, the MDX remains the largest ICE-powered model. The brand’s best seller (US total for 2024: 50,112) is now into the second half of its life, having been slightly restyled one year ago. The 3.0-litre and 3.5-litre engine choices remain, as does a standard ten-speed automatic transmission.
MDX generation five is due to premiere in the latter half of 2027 and be in production by early 2028. East Liberty in Ohio seems the logical place for production though there should be a retooling as a fresh platform is expected.
The next RDX
One step down from the MDX is another long-lived badge, this being the RDX. Aimed at the Volvo XC60 and Lexus RX, this model has a four-cylinder engine (K20C4, a 2.0-litre turbo). It too is produced in East Liberty on a FWD-AWD platform and was the number two vehicle for the brand in 2024 (US sales: 42,988).
In spite of its age, RDX generation three remains a good seller, which may be why Honda is taking its time to launch a new model. This should arrive in 2026 or 2027, lasting until 2033 after a facelift in 2030. Power will likely come from a 1.5-litre turbocharged engine as well as a hybrid of the same capacity. Platform-wise, the same one on which the latest Accord is based will almost certainly feature.
Roughly the same size as the RDX is the TLX, though the second of the pair is a sedan not an SUV. Facelifted for the 2024 model year, the present generation has a 272 hp 2.0-litre turbo engine and can be ordered in front- or all-wheel drive forms. There is also a Type S. This too is turbocharged but the engine is a V6. Power and torque are 355 hp and 354 lb-ft. The successor is due in 2027.
Electric supercar
Will there ever be a new NSX? The perhaps surprising answer is yes. Surprising in that the previous ones were not thought to be profitable. Certainly, volumes were very small. Nonetheless, speaking during one of last August’s Monterey Week events, Shinji Aoyama stated an electric supercar would arrive “in 2027 or 2028”.
We won’t be hearing any further official updates on the future NSX from this now former senior executive: the Honda board member resigned in early April due to allegations of inappropriate conduct. And that model name is not confirmed, merely likely. The platform will be Honda Motor’s imminent 0 Series, which is native-electric.
Outlook for Acura – a big sales rise ahead?
As at the end of Q1, Acura remains steady and unexciting, its US market sales being 30,766, placing it in 22nd position amongst all brands, ahead of Land Rover (29,200) and behind Volvo (33,285).
Tariffs may however soon cause all manner of chaos. If that does happen, having almost all of its vehicles and powertrains built in the United States could prove to be a huge advantage. What then happens for the year in total? Might Chrysler (35,069), Cadillac (41,756), Audi (42,710) and even Buick (61,822) – all with much foreign production in every case – be in real trouble? Acura sales, theoretically at least, could instead soar. Last year’s total was 132,367 (-9.1% year on year). Will it be quite a different story in 2025?
Part two of a future models series for Honda Motor will be published on 19 May.
