The Acura RSX Returns in 2026, But Only in Name

After a nearly two-decade hiatus, the Acura RSX is coming back and should be on sale by early next year. Of course, like all comebacks in this day and age, it won’t be the Acura RSX you and I remember. This time around it’ll be a coupe-like crossover that’s—drumroll, please—an EV.

Acura released just one image of a camouflaged prototype and remained tight-lipped on any specifications that could give away its performance. But without diving into that yet, let’s discuss what we can see. The obvious: It’s not the low-to-the-ground coupe that became synonymous with the import tuner scene of the early 2000s. The new RSX rides slightly higher like a sporty crossover, and most definitely has four full-size doors. Perhaps its only resemblance to the RSX of yore will be the badge and its rear hatch.

Take a deep breath and look closely, and you’ll see a rather handsome design come to life around the rear bumper, taillights, front doors, and a very Integra-like Hofmeister Kink. I get some Audi e-tron vibes, but even better-looking. Again, the prototype is wearing camo designed to trick our eyes, and even the angle of the photo seems deceptive. It’s a bit low and distant, which I believe might make the EV look taller than it really is.

There were a few things The Drive was able to find out during a media call with Honda executives, however. For starters, the RSX will be based on the sleek Acura Performance EV Concept unveiled during Monterey Car Week last year and will be smaller than the current ZDX. This EV concept is a looker with some serious McLaren vibes, so while we can’t see the prototype’s front end in this photo, there’s a solid chance it’ll be a handsome one. Also, it sounds like its size might be comparable to the current RDX, which means it won’t be too big.

Acura confirmed that the upcoming RSX will be built on its proprietary EV platform (unlike the GM Ultium-derived Acura ZDX and Honda Prologue) and assembled at Honda’s new EV hub in Ohio. It’ll also debut the automaker’s new operating system, cleverly called Asimo OS. A fleet of camoed models will begin real-world testing this week, and production is set to begin later this year with models hitting dealerships nationwide in early 2026.

We can (and will) decry the fact that another enthusiast nameplate is making a comeback as something that it never was before, but that won’t change anything. Seeing the RSX badge on an electric crossover isn’t exactly what we had in mind; then again, many people felt the same way when the Integra returned in 2021, and the world has more or less accepted it since.

When asked if there was ever a consideration to bring the RSX back with a pure-ICE or hybrid powertrain instead of going the EV route, American Honda’s vice president of sales Lance Woelfer essentially said, not really.

“When we’re looking at designing a vehicle like the RSX, that’s a discussion that’s had several years before [confirming production],” Woelfer told The Drive. “We constantly evaluate the market, but the RSX was designed to bring an EV to market to meet the demands of what we’re seeing from an Acura standpoint. But we’re always evaluating the market and seeing what opportunities there are out there.”

Another thought: With the U.S. return of the Honda Prelude as a sporty coupe (hooray!), why not use that as a base for an Acura-badged version called, I don’t know, the RSX?

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