Acura pulls back the curtain on its new ZDX EV

Acura posted its own spy photos of its upcoming 2024 ZDX Type S, the brand’s first all-electric vehicle. The new model anticipates Acura’s latest design direction.

First unveiled during Monterey Car Week in the form of the Acura Precision EV concept, the ZDX is being co-developed with GM using its global EV Ultium platform. The new Acura model is a convenient placeholder until Acura’s release of its own EV models in 2026 based on the company’s own global electronic architecture.

“The Acura ZDX represents the start of what will be an accelerated path to electrification by the end of the decade and the key role the Acura brand will play in our company’s global goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050,” said Emile. Korkor, Assistant Vice President. president of Acura National Sales. “Acura will continue to focus on performance in the electrified age, and the Type S will continue to represent the pinnacle of this direction.”

The return of a failed plate

The ZDX is named after a short-lived and completely forgettable coupe-like SUV which was introduced in 2013.

Acura clearly hopes bad luck doesn’t repeat itself, even if the name isn’t as beloved as the Integra, another old Acura nameplate revived for 2023. For Acura, the name has sentimentality since it was the first vehicle designed in the Acura Design Studio in Los Angeles in 2007.

It also marks a turning point for the brand, which is expected to go fully electric by 2040, a bit later than most other car brands. But the latest deadline reveals a common sentiment among Japanese automakers to resist going all-in on electric development until absolutely necessary.

That’s why, despite being a trailblazer for electrification (its quirky two-seat Insight hybrid outperformed the Toyota Prius in US showrooms), Acura’s parent company Honda has stayed very behind its competitors around the world when it comes to transitioning to pure electric power. So Acura’s parent company, Honda Motors, turned to General Motors for help in starting its transition.

The new ZDX, like the upcoming honda prologue, it will use GM’s new Ultium architecture that also underpins the Cadillac Lyriq and Chevrolet Blazer EV. Both the Prologue and ZDX will launch in 2024 with Detroit hardware and batteries, which should help them score federal tax credits. Don’t be surprised if the new Acura looks a bit like the new Lyriq, albeit with its own unique Acura flair. Certainly its proportions are pure GM, not Acura. It remains to be seen how well Acura’s design heritage translates to a GM platform, a first for both companies.

details to come

But Acura hasn’t released any in-depth details about its new models, though it says the information is forthcoming.

However, given the origin of its platform, it can be expected to have a battery pack with up to 100 kilowatt-hours of power, although Acura could offer various packs as well. Note that the Cadillac Lyriq launched with a single rear-wheel drive electric motor that makes 340 horsepower and 325 pound-feet of torque.

No doubt Acura would go for twins, at least with the ZDX Type S. And it wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility, either, if it were equipped with the powertrain from the Chevy Blazer SS that makes 557 hp and 684 lb-ft. torsion feet.

While Acura hasn’t announced pricing, don’t be surprised if it starts in the low-to-mid $40,000 range for the base Acura ZDX, with the Type S at around $66,000, as we previously informed.