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Acura trotted the RSX prototype out at Monterey Car Week as a bold stylistic statement — and yes, the RSX name is officially back after a long absence. The prototype is clearly meant to signal a new era for the brand, leaning into electric propulsion and dramatic styling rather than the compact sport-hatch roots many remember. This was not a quiet reveal tucked in a press release; Acura made a point of putting the RSX front-and-center at one of the auto world’s biggest stages.
Design chief Yasutake Tsuchida leans into a coupe-like silhouette and “timeless beauty,” which explains the RSX’s stretched, muscular profile and fastback roofline. Acura’s messaging is all about electrified simplicity — shaved grilles, flush handles, and a new lighting signature meant to read high-tech at a glance. For car lovers who prize function, that kind of styling can be compelling, but it’s largely a visual promise until the performance numbers back it up.
Under the gloss, the RSX marks a real technical shift: it’s built on Honda’s new in-house EV architecture and will run the company’s Asimo software platform, with production slated for the Ohio EV Hub in the latter half of 2026. That matters — moving from badge-engineered, partner-built EVs to a homegrown platform gives Honda and Acura room to control performance, supply chains, and software updates. It also hands a talking point to critics of one-size-fits-all EV strategies: this is an automaker trying to own its future rather than outsource it.
Conservatives should welcome the emphasis on domestic production and engineering, because a strong manufacturing base is a pillar of real national strength. Still, welcome doesn’t mean blind faith; government mandates and industry subsidies have pushed automakers into a high-stakes race where optics sometimes trump deliverables. If Acura and Honda want genuine market support they’ll earn it by building durable, repairable vehicles that stand the test of time, not just by unveiling flashy concepts at concours events.
Behind the photography-heavy headlines, crucial specs remain unknown — battery size, EPA range, charging speeds, and pricing were conspicuously absent from the initial reveal. That’s business as usual in the EV era: reveal the look, tease the software, and delay the meat-and-potatoes details until later. Consumers should be skeptical of design-first reveals because without hard numbers, these concepts are more marketing than product.
It’s important to note the RSX is also an attempt to reclaim sporty credibility after Acura’s recent reliance on partnerships for electric hardware. The RSX being engineered on Honda’s own platform — not GM’s Ultium architecture used for the ZDX — suggests Acura wants its performance identity back on its own terms. That’s smart for brand integrity, but it raises the bar: delivering thrill and utility from a homegrown EV platform is harder and more expensive than sketches make it look.
We should also confront the software-first playbook head-on: Asimo and other vehicle operating systems promise over-the-air updates and personalization, but they also lock buyers into ecosystems and raise questions about cybersecurity, repair access, and long-term ownership costs. Conservatives who value consumer choice and property rights ought to demand clarity on who controls the software, how much dealerships can legally repair, and what happens when a manufacturer decides a three-year-old car is obsolete. Those are policy and marketplace fights worth having now, not after the photo ops.
In the end, the RSX prototype is exactly what Acura wants it to be: a vision statement that revives a storied name and points toward an electrified future. That vision deserves scrutiny — not only for its style, but for the performance, pricing, and pragmatic details every buyer will need. The sensible position is to applaud genuine commitments to domestic engineering while insisting automakers deliver measurable substance before we surrender the road to software and style alone.
