The Breakdown
- Honda 0 SUV and 0 Sedan development has stopped.
- The Acura NSX won't reach production either.
- Honda cites low demand for EVs in the United States.
It was less than a year ago when Honda reinvented the Acura RSX as an electric crossover, but the EV died before it could live. It was scheduled to go on sale later this year, but that’s no longer happening. Along with two Honda-badged electric vehicles, the RSX has officially been axed. Development has stopped, and the market launch has been canceled altogether.
Honda’s wedge-shaped 0 SUV and 0 Sedan are also going the way of the dodo due to slower-than-expected adoption of electric vehicles in North America. All three models were supposed to be sold in the United States, but that’s no longer the case. The company says other options were considered before the decision to pull the plug on all three EVs was made. Essentially, Honda wants to cut its losses, assuming the three models wouldn’t have been popular enough to justify the investment.
'Honda determined that starting production and sales of these three models in current business environment where the demand for EVs is declining significantly would likely result in further losses over the long term.'
Following the three-model cancellation, Honda is predictably taking a huge hit. It estimates losses of up to ¥2.5 trillion, which works out to almost $15.8 billion at current exchange rates. All three models were supposed to be assembled at the Marysville Auto Plant in Ohio and to sit on a platform developed in-house, rather than cooperating with General Motors, as was the case with the Acura ZDX. The latter went out of production last year.
As for what comes next, Honda will invest more in next-generation hybrids, with large SUVs already confirmed to receive a new V6 engine. The company cites a “slowdown in the growth of the EV market in the U.S.” as the reason for its decision to allocate more resources toward hybrids. Engineers are targeting a 30-percent boost in fuel efficiency for large hybrids compared to today's equivalent gas models.
Motor1's Take: Radical decisions like this one don’t come often, but it’s probably for the better. While EVs continue to gain traction in Europe and other parts of the world, demand is cooling in the U.S.
Purists are likely happy that the Acura RSX isn’t morphing into an electric crossover anymore, which would’ve marked a radical departure from its origins as a replacement for the Integra.