Acura Ends Production of Electric ZDX SUV

Goodbye, ZDX

According to new reports from multiple outlets, including Car Dealership Guy and CNBC, Honda’s luxury arm, Acura, has concluded production of the ZDX, its first all-electric SUV. In a statement, a spokesperson for the brand confirmed the discontinuation, citing market conditions for electric vehicles and the need to adjust its model lineup to meet the needs of consumers.

“To better align our product portfolio with the needs of our customers and market conditions, as well as our long-term strategic goals, we can confirm the Acura ZDX has ended production,” an Acura spokesperson said in a statement to CNBC. In addition, the brand has confirmed that the end of the ZDX will not be the end of the brand’s electric vehicle foray. “ZDX has played a valuable role for the Acura brand, and will provide a foundation we will build on next year with the arrival of the all-electric Acura RSX, which will be produced at the EV Hub in Ohio in the second half of 2026, as well as with hybrid-electric Acura models now in development.”

The ZDX was a product of a previous partnership between Honda and GM

Alongside its Honda-badged stablemate, the Prologue SUV, the ZDX was a product underpinned by GM Ultium battery technology as part of a partnership that the Japanese brand previously entered into with General Motors. While the Honda-badged SUV was built at the same Ramos Arizpe Assembly Plant in Mexico as the Cadillac Optiq, Chevrolet Blazer EV, and Equinox EV, production of the Acura ZDX took place in the United States at the Spring Hill Manufacturing plant in Tennessee alongside the Cadillac Lyriq. Per Acura and Honda, production of the Honda Prologue will continue as normal.

Production of the ZDX was previously stalled due to low sales, which had temporarily removed it from the 2025 model year. However, Acura’s plans to restart production of the 2026 model year ZDX are now no more. In addition, the message to the Spring Hill plant workers also said Honda and GM are adjusting production to better match the slower demand for electric cars and that this has nothing to do with the relationship between the Detroit automaker and Honda. 

“We have a strong relationship with Honda that we’ve built over many years, and we look forward to working with Honda on future opportunities,” the message said. “Honda’s decision isn’t a reflection on the capabilities of the Spring Hill workforce or GM’s commitment to Spring Hill.”

Honda and Acura are shifting their electrified strategy

Sales reflective of cooling EV demand have threatened the livelihood of the Acura SUV. In 2024, Acura sold just 7,391 ZDXs in the U.S., and in total, it sold roughly 19,000 ZDX models since the vehicle was released last year; numbers that were only possible with heavy incentives. According to industry marketing promotion data from Motor Intelligence cited by Automotive News, Honda spent an average of more than $21,000 on discounts and incentives on each ZDX that it moved during the April-June 2025 quarter.

Though it still plans to release the all-electric RSX in 2026, Acura signaled last month in a press conference at Monterey Car Week that it will pivot from its prior commitments toward an electric vehicle lineup and add hybrid-electric vehicles, as American Honda CEO Kazuhiro Takizawa noted that consumer preferences made full electrification “not realistic.”

“Our speed towards electrification was much slower than we had expected, so we have to change our plan. We need to be very flexible,” said Takizawa. “Our initial plan was to go straight to electrification, but looking at the customer demands, it is not realistic.”

Final thoughts

While Acura has noted that the ZDX has “played a valuable role” in its electric journey as the “foundation” that will be filled by the upcoming RSX crossover, the timing of this move is impossible to ignore, as the $7,500 Federal EV Tax Credit is set to end on September 30.

Although this follows some pretty recent EV cancellations like the Nissan Ariya and the Ram 1500 REV, it isn’t exactly the end of the line for Acura’s EVs, as the Ohio-made Acura RSX crossover is set to launch in late 2026.