Acura is planning a flagship three-row SUV, called “Acura XL” internally, for late 2029.
The RDX returns in 2028 as a hybrid with a new design language.
Acura’s lineup shrinks to three nameplates before expanding again.
Acura is planning a new three-row flagship SUV for late 2029, according to a planning document reported by Automotive News that identifies the model as “Acura XL.” The vehicle would sit above the current MDX midsize crossover, giving the brand a larger, more spacious option as it leans further into hybrids and crossovers through the early 2030s.
American Honda planning chief Gary Robinson declined to discuss specific future products but acknowledged the opportunity in the segment. The MDX already covers three-row demand, he said, but “there’s opportunity in different places, and SUV is the biggest part of the premium market today.”
Lineup Shrinks Before It Grows
The flagship plan comes as Acura’s lineup contracts in the near term. The brand discontinued the TLX midsize sedan and the ZDX electric midsize crossover in 2025, reducing the portfolio from six nameplates. In April, Acura paused production of the RDX compact crossover as part of the same pullback, leaving the brand with three nameplates for now.
RDX Returns as Hybrid in 2028
The RDX is set to return in 2028 as a fourth-generation model built around hybrid power. It will also debut Acura’s new design language, marked by ultraslim headlights and taillights and a new lighting signature.
The ADX and MDX crossovers will carry on in their current forms in the meantime. Both are due for full redesigns in early next decade, after the RDX’s reintroduction and ahead of the planned flagship SUV’s arrival.
Integra’s Future Remains Unclear
Acura‘s sole remaining sedan, the Integra, has an uncertain long-term path, though executives maintain the brand isn’t stepping away from the segment. Sedans are a “core part of our identity as Acura,” Robinson said at Monterey Car Week in California.
“There’s so much more stability [in sedans] than people thought that there was going to be a few years ago.”
Robinson made the remark despite the broader market’s continued shift toward utility vehicles, pointing to steadier sedan demand than the industry expected a few years earlier.
