Acura's First Electric SUV to be Named ZDX; Type S Version to be Created

Acura just unveiled its Precision EV Concept on Thursday morning, and now we know the name of the vehicle the concept will spawn. Acura's first electric SUV will revive the ZDX name and will also be offered in a performance version called the ZDX Type S, Honda's premium brand announced Thursday night at Monterey Car Week.

The return of the ZDX marks the first time since 2013 that it has graced a coupe-like version of the MDX midsize crossover. The original ZDX was a good-looking SUV, but its tiny back seat offered little practicality and led to its demise; it was the first vehicle designed by the Acura Design Studio, which opened in Los Angeles in 2007. The new Precision EV concept was also designed at the studio, and the final design of the ZDX will also be designed there.

Acura announced that the electric SUV will be called the ZDX and also reiterated that the car will be available in 2024. The car's styling was previewed by the Precision EV Concept, which Acura unveiled earlier in the day, and this look will then permeate the brand. The look is boat-inspired, with a bow-tip-like front end and a backlit face modeled after the diamond pentagon grille on gas-powered Acuras. The sides are smooth, flowing, and clean, with the greenhouse blacked out and floating chrome trim on the D-pillars.

Engineering for the ZDX will likely use components from GM's Ultium battery and powertrain toolset, as it will likely ride on GM's BEV3 platform on which the Cadillac Relic and Chevrolet Blazer EVs are based, This will be done through a partnership with General Motors.

"The Acura ZDX is an important part of the Acura brand's role in Honda's global goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 and its accelerated electrification path by the end of the decade," said Acura National Sales In 2021, Honda's global CEO Toshihiro Mibe announced Honda's plan to make its products and corporate activities carbon neutral by 2050 and to sell only battery electric and fuel cell electric vehicles by 2040. Honda's plan was announced.

After the ZDX, Acura will launch new EVs starting in 2026 based on its own global e:architecture.