Acura Is Adding Three SUVs, Including Its First Eight-Seater and an Off-Road Model
Acura has told its dealers to expect an adventure-ready SUV in early 2028, a hybrid RDX the same year, and an eight-passenger flagship above the MDX — plus a new V6 hybrid to power the big ones.
Acura is about to get bigger — literally. The brand has laid out a product roadmap for its U.S. dealers that adds three SUVs over the next few years: an adventure-ready model arriving in the first part of 2028, a fourth-generation RDX Hybrid the same year, and an eight-passenger flagship positioned above the MDX, the largest vehicle Acura has ever built.
Today's Acura lineup is four cars deep — Integra, ADX, RDX, and MDX — and none of them tackles the two segments where Honda's own showroom has been busiest. That changes with this plan. The RDX will also be the first Acura to use Honda's next-generation hybrid system, which the parent company says will spread across 15 models by 2030.
What's coming, and when
The adventure-ready SUV is the firm date: Acura says it lands in the first part of 2028 with the kind of capability that outdoor buyers want, wrapped in what it calls modern, premium styling. The company hasn't said what it's based on. Automotive News and Car and Driver report it will share bones with the Honda Passport, but that's their reporting, not Acura's. The lifted Passport TrailSport starts at $49,995 before a $1,595 destination fee, and a premium badge, a nicer cabin, and Acura's usual markup over Honda suggests this one will sit comfortably in the $50,000s — though that's our estimate, not a published price.
The eight-seater has no date at all; Acura only says it is in development and will slot above the seven-passenger MDX to chase families who have outgrown it. A new V6 hybrid is being developed alongside it for what Acura calls its D-segment models, with the company promising sporty performance, better towing, and lower emissions. That powertrain is the quiet headline here: the MDX and the future flagship are the only Acuras large enough to need it.
The RDX redesign was announced earlier and is the one with a hard commitment to electrification. It arrives in 2028 as a hybrid first, using the two-motor system that has carried Honda's CR-V and Accord to record sales.
Why now
Acura is expanding from a position of strength it hasn't had in years. Through the first nine months of 2026, brand sales are up 4.4%, and the third quarter alone grew 9.9%. SUV sales jumped 17.9% in the quarter — the best Q3 for Acura's SUVs since 2023 — and the MDX has topped 4,000 units for seven straight months, up 63.5% in Q3 and 25% year to date, according to the American Honda sales report.
The entry models are carrying their weight too. The ADX crossover reached 25,211 units through September and holds roughly 30% of retail sales in its segment, while the Integra tops 20,000 units for the year with around 40% of its class. All three — ADX, Integra, and MDX — get what Acura calls "meaningful enhancements" for the 2027 model year.
That performance stands out against the third-quarter sales picture across the industry, where affordability has become the deciding factor. Jessika Laudermilk, assistant vice president of Acura National Sales, put it plainly: there has never been a better time to have strong gateway models bringing new buyers in.
Who it's aimed at
The off-road model walks into a crowd. The 2027 Lexus GX opens at $69,085 with delivery and is body-on-frame; Land Rover's Defender starts in a similar neighborhood. A unibody Acura priced $15,000 to $20,000 below them would mirror exactly how the Passport TrailSport competes against the Toyota 4Runner — more road manners, less rock-crawling pedigree, a lot less money.
The eight-seater has a thinner field. Among mainstream luxury brands, only Infiniti's QX80 and a handful of full-size domestic SUVs seat eight; Lexus caps the TX at seven. Acura says the new flagship is meant to capture growing demand for family-friendly premium vehicles, and an eighth seat is a straightforward way to stand out from the MDX's current rivals.
What Acura didn't share: pricing for any of the three, the name of the adventure model, output figures for the V6 hybrid, or a timeline for the flagship. The company also made no mention of the electric ZDX, which no longer appears in its four-model lineup. Roughly 85% of the Acuras sold in America last year were built here, and the company says the new models will keep its speed to market up — which, read between the lines, is a promise not to let 2028 slip.
