Acura slows transition to EV: hybrids are making a comeback
Acura has long talked about an all-electric future, but now has been forced to revise its plans. The company admits that it will have to rely on hybrids again before making the full transition to EVs. This was confirmed by Mike Langel, vice president of national sales for Acura, in an interview with Automotive News.
Here's What We Know
A few years ago, Acura predicted that 60 percent of sales would be electric vehicles by 2030. Now the projections are more flexible: "Our long-term plan is to sell all electric vehicles, but we are very flexible on what that path looks like," said Lengyel.
This decision seems logical against the backdrop of a general slowdown in electrification. Buyers are in no hurry to make the mass transition to battery electric vehicles, and hybrids may be a temporary compromise.
Acura has yet to announce new hybrid models, but according to AutoForecast Solutions analyst Sam Fiorani, they should be expected soon. He explained that the market is "not moving fast enough for Acura to go all electric as quickly as it planned and they’re going to have to fall back on hybrids."
There's also speculation that parent Honda is rethinking its powertrain strategy in general. For example, the RDX crossover was previously planned to be phased out by 2026, but it may now be kept in the lineup alongside a similarly sized electric car.
Acura's electric cars aren't going anywhere. The company continues to develop the ZDX, which is built on GM's Ultium platform, and is also gearing up for the compact RSX EV, which will arrive later this year. Acura also recently launched the ADX, a crossover with a 1.5-litre turbo engine.
Source: Automotive News
