With the Monterey Car Week debut of the Acura Performance EV fastback SUV concept, the company is giving onlookers a peek at its electric future. Previewing a production model that will be based on a Honda-developed EV platform – as opposed to the 2024 ZDX’s General Motors Ultium bones – the Performance EV shows the way forward for Acura design.
The Acura Performance EV’s tweaked styling largely does away with the “Diamond Pentagon” grille shape that’s been a staple of the Japanese luxury brand for the last seven years. You can still see shades of it in the front diffuser’s beveled upper edge, whose Batman-like contours are flanked by triangular corner vents. The high, pointed front bumper calls a speedboat to mind, and Acura’s caliper logo now resides on the hood rather than the front end.
The Performance EV’s flanks are as deeply sculpted as the fascia, with blade-like vents on the front doors and a beltline that kicks up sharply on the C-pillar. The sloping roofline and subtle rear spoiler recall the original ZDX coupe-crossover – if only Acura had applied that name here instead of on the company’s current electric SUV. Around back, a full-width taillight supposedly recalls the late, lamented NSX supercar, and the “ACURA” wordmark splayed across the rear end will become a hallmark of the company’s electric vehicles.
To the Performance EV concept’s credit, the shape is generally clean, appealing, and tasteful, but unfortunately, it’s also a bit derivative. The softly contoured headlights look like they came from a Buick Envista, while the vented hood, sharp front end, and kinky beltline are pure Lotus Eletre. There are even shades of the Lotus Emira sports car in the slim taillight shape and blacked-out canopy. It’s hard to complain, since all of those are rather attractive designs – Acura might even have the Lotus SUV in its sights with its forthcoming fastback EV crossover.
But unfortunately, the most distinctive part of the Performance EV’s design is arguably its worst. The lower front fascia gives off a permanent glower, with none of the sleek, tiger shark sophistication of the company’s current products. If the Performance EV is any indicator, it’ll be a shame to see Acura moving away from its Diamond Pentagon front end, which debuted in 2017 to turn the previously homely MDX into an attractive luxury SUV. In fact, the Acura Integra Type S is possibly the best application of the company’s current design theme, and the 2024 ZDX’s appealing styling proves it can be applied to an EV as well.
The Performance EV concept foretells Acura’s in-house electric architecture, which should eventually replace the Ultium platform under both the ZDX and Honda Prologue. The production model based on the concept will be built at the Honda EV Hub in Ohio. Leveraging its manufacturing facilities in Marysville, Anna, and East Liberty, Honda plans to make Ohio the epicenter of its EV expansion, investing at least $700 million in those plants to bring its electric cars to production.
Details on the Performance EV concept’s underpinnings and propulsion are non-existent. The current ZDX, which is Acura’s first electric vehicle, has a 102-kilowatt-hour battery and 190-kilowatt DC fast charge rate, with up to 313 miles of range per charge. Even the 499-horsepower Type S trim is capable of a still-respectable 278 miles. Plan on the Performance EV’s production followup to beat most, if not all, of those numbers.
