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After a brief transactional affair with General Motors to take advantage of its Ultium electric vehicle platform, Honda is switching to its own dedicated EV architecture. The first car to be built on it will be teased during Monterey Car Week with the Acura Performance EV Concept.
Despite looking like something out of Rocket League, the Performance EV Concept is supposed to be a vision of what’s to come from Honda’s premium arm. It’s very clearly just for show, with its lack of door handles, side mirrors, and cartoonish proportions. The road car that it’s alluding to isn’t too far off, though, as Acura claims it will go into production in late 2025. So expect to see the real deal in between now and then.
Acura is leaning hard into its supposed sporty nature, though. With an aggressive vented hood, massive 23-inch wheels wearing 295/35R23 performance tires, and drilled brake discs with four-piston calipers, Acura’s EV concept leans into the “Performance” part of its name. The tall front end, with its pointy nose and angled front vents, is supposed to resemble hydrofoil super yachts. At the back, Acura is bold enough to claim that the rear decklid, full-width taillight bar, and big diffuser pay homage to the second-gen NSX. Blasphemy aside, this Performance EV Concept prepares us for the company’s future flagship model, as Acura Design Executive Dave Marek said it has “a number of design themes that will be seen on future Acura vehicles.”
When it goes into production, it will not only be the first car built on Honda’s new EV platform, but also the first car produced by Honda’s EV hub in Ohio. It’s unclear exactly how close the final production car will look to this concept, but considering the road car is only about a year away, it could be pretty close.
If you’re in Monterey, the Acura Performance EV Concept will make its debut at The Quail and then appear again at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. When it hits the road, this upcoming electric crossover will be sold alongside the Ultium-based ZDX.
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