Honda’s CEO says what’s coming Acura RSX Luxury electric vehicles (EVs) could be manufactured for Japan with right-hand drive, potentially opening the door to markets such as Australia.
Toshihiro Mibe – director, president and representative of Honda Motor Co – said at the Japanese brand’s press conference at the Japan Mobility Show 2025 in Tokyo that the presence of the RSX prototype at the company’s stand was the intention to gauge interest in the domestic market.
In addition, Mibe-san said that Honda would consider bringing the right-hand drive production version of the RSX to the domestic market if there was enough demand from potential Japanese customers. Such a move could also open up luxury electric powertrains to other RHD markets such as Australia and the UK.
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In a follow-up interview with the RSX product specialist and its designer, company officials reiterated Mr. Mibe’s comments about the RSX’s potential for Japan and suggested that the car could be badged as a Honda rather than an Acura should it be introduced in the brand’s home market.
“Just as Mibe-san mentioned yesterday, we see demand for the Acura model in Japan,” the Acura product specialist told Australian media through an interpreter, “if everyone wants it, maybe there is a possibility that we will launch it in Japan.”
“Originally, of course, we were more focused on the North American market for the Acura brand, but we also have a history of selling (Acuras) in the Middle East and also in China…We don’t focus on the branding – whether it’s an Acura or not – but we focus more on the product itself.”
When asked about the Australian prospects, the product specialist cheekily replied: “We haven’t decided which side we’ll be served on yet,” joking that right-hand drive production hasn’t been confirmed yet.
Unveiled in August at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, the Acura RSX is a high-riding five-door SUV with an “expressive coupe-like silhouette” that will launch in the North American market in the second half of 2026.
Acura said at the RSX’s debut that the production model would be the “first model developed internally on Honda’s global EV platform” and would lead the brand’s transition “into the era of software-defined vehicles” with ASIMO OS, Honda’s new vehicle operating system that controls automated driving and driver assistance systems, in-car infotainment and “other vehicle systems.”
Honda has also confirmed ASIMO OS for its upcoming 0-series electric vehicle range, which will launch in Japan from 2027.
The electric crossover revives the RSX nameplate that was last worn by the Honda Integra available on the American market under the Acura brand. It will be the first electric vehicle to be produced at the new Honda EV Hub in Ohio, USA, on the same production line as the American-market Acura Integra – a redesigned premium version of the current Civic aimed primarily at the USA.
While Acura has not had a presence in Australia, Honda has sold some Acura products under the Honda name in the past. The NSX supercar was only sold in Australia in 2020, with the second-generation model in particular being an Acura-developed model sold as Honda in other parts of the world.
Honda also sold the first-generation Acura MDX in Australia between 2003 and 2006, a three-row premium SUV designed to compete with the then BMW X5 and Mercedes-Benz ML (now GLE), and also offered vehicles sold as Acuras elsewhere, including the Legend.
Currently, the first Honda electric vehicle confirmed for Australia is the Super-One, a tiny electric vehicle based on the N-One e: Electric Kei Car. The new model will land Down Under in the second half of 2026.
Slightly widened and lengthened compared to the JDM kei car, the Super-One – also known as the Super-N in some markets – is designed to be a driving car for the city, suggesting a more powerful electric motor than the N-One EV’s paltry 47kW/165Nm and helped by the larger contact patch.
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MORE: 2026 Honda Super-One – Kei-class electric vehicle confirmed for Australia
