Designers of the Ultium-based Cadillac and Acura SUVs also didn’t see each others’ work until their debuts.
Eyebrows were raised when Honda announced it would partner with General Motors to produce its first EVs for the Honda and Acura brands using GM’s Ultium architecture and battery system and have them built at a GM plant. Considering General Motors’ unsavory (now-ancient) history with poorly differentiated “badge-engineered” cars that shared platforms, styling, and, well, everything but their names and badging, would the Hondas look like Chevys wearing “H” logos?
Not exactly. The designers from each brand had no idea what their counterparts were up to. Andrew Foster was exterior design lead on the 2024 Acura ZDX electric SUV, which goes on sale in early 2024, and says he anxiously awaited the unveiling of the Cadillac Lyriq—which competes in the same midsize luxury EV SUV segment as the ZDX—for comparison.
“I was ecstatic how different [the ZDX] was from the Lyriq. I had no idea what it would look like,” Foster says.
Establishing A New Look For Acura
Foster said the ZDX was designed to take past Acura style cues such as the headlights and pentagon grilles and incorporate them into a single fascia for a new look that would appease long-time buyers seeking familiarity while telegraphing this is the future.
Foster said the GM platform did not constrain design at all. But in 2026 when Acura introduces electric vehicles on its own bespoke e-architecture, the new vehicles will build on the ZDX while taking advantage of the opportunities that a clean sheet of paper and new platform afford. The design can be more polarizing going forward if it appears that is what consumers want, he said. Keep in mind the original ZDX fell squarely in the “polarizing” category, so Acura’s been there before.
The ZDX and Honda Prologue saw a lot of development in Detroit—where GM was working on Ultium. Honda engineers from Japan and Ohio worked on the ZDX.
Honda’s Hands Free Cruise is based on GM’s Super Cruise drive-assist system. By the time the ZDX launches, it will mirror Super Cruise in that it will also have automated lane changes.
No Plans To Drop Apple CarPlay
One key area where GM and Honda differ: while GM is dropping Apple CarPlay from EVs in favor of an integrated Google-based system, Acura will offer the Google suite while continuing to offer CarPlay. “It is important to keep it,” said Acura vice president Jon Ikeda. The smartphone is a key driver for EVs and people depend on it in everyday life, using it to lock their homes and operate their appliances. He does not want buyers to ask why their coffee maker can talk to their phone, but their car cannot.
Reservations For Acura ZDX
A reservation system for the 2024 Acura ZDX will launch later this year. The SUV will be offered in base A-Spec and performance Type S when it goes on sale in early 2024.
Honda will offer the ZDX with a Combined Charging System (CCS) as well as an adaptor to use Tesla’s North American Charging Standard (NACS), recognizing charging can be a pain point for customers, Ikeda says. Starting in 2025, all future Honda and Acura EVs will adopt NACS.
