Acura’s New Concept Previews a Performance SUV

• Acura has released a concept previewing its second all-electric vehicle, dubbed the Performance EV Concept.
• There are gigantic wheels, sticky tires, and big brakes, indicating this is very much a performance-minded vehicle.
• Like the ZDX before it, we expect Acura to turn this concept into a production vehicle sometime next year.

The ZDX was Acura’s first foray into electrification. But at this year’s Monterey Car Week, the luxury brand is showing an electric SUV concept that previews its next production EV. Unlike the ZDX, this one will use a totally unique EV platform.

Acura calls it the Performance EV concept. The coupe-like SUV has a long wheelbase with short overhangs, introducing an entirely new design language for the brand. The front end has a pointed nose, a vented hood, and extra-wide headlights. If you squint, it looks like some modern Buicks (sorry).

In sticking with trends, the Performance EV concept has a sleek coupe-like profile and a full-width light bar on the rear. Sizeable 23-inch wheels wrapped in 295/35R23 performance tires hide four-piston brakes with neon green accents.

This concept has no specs, but as mentioned, this will be Acura’s first electric vehicle on the brand’s first dedicated EV platform. So it won’t use GM’s Ultium platform. This SUV will also be manufactured at Honda’s EV Hub in Marysville, Ohio.

“The Acura Performance EV Concept is the archetype of Acura Performance in the electrified era, taking full advantage of the extreme design freedom of stance and proportion offered by our next-generation EV platform to push the boundaries of Acura design even further,” said Dave Marek, Acura Design Executive. “As with our previous Acura concept vehicles, the Acura Performance EV Concept introduces a number of design themes that will be seen on future Acura vehicles.”

Acura

This is the fifth concept Acura has debuted during Monterey Car Week. The original NSX concept showed up to Monterey in 2013, the Precision concept in 2016, the Type S concept in 2019, and the Precision EV concept in 2022. And like all of those concepts prior, we fully expect this one to reach production.