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- Honda will permanently terminate production of the 2026 Acura ZDX.
- GM will continue to build the vehicles it is currently creating with Spring Hill Assembly Plant.
All-electric General Motors is set to be built for American Honda Motor at GM’s Spring Hill Assembly Factory in Tennessee, and learned by the Detroit Free Press, part of the USA Today Network.
The 2026 all-electric Acura ZDX Luxury SUV will no longer be produced, according to a memo to the workforce obtained by Detroit Free Press from GM Spring Hill Management. A Honda spokesperson confirmed the decision.
“Honda has decided to cancel all future productions of the Acura ZDX, which are scheduled to begin at Spring Hill this month,” read a note sent earlier this week. “We have a strong relationship with Honda that we have built over the years and look forward to working with Honda on future opportunities.”
GM spokesman Kevin Kelly declined to comment on the news, saying it was Honda’s decision.
In an email to the Detroit Free Press, Honda spokeswoman Jessica Fini said the decision to end the Acura ZDX was made “to better fit our product portfolio with customers and market needs and long-term strategic goals.”
According to the car and driver, the 2026 ZDX was expected to start at $66,000. However, demand for electric vehicles is not growing at the speed many automakers thought of it, prompting GM and others to reduce EV production. Soon, with a federal tax credit of up to $7,500 for qualifying EVs that expire on September 30, many experts are forecasting a significant decline in future EV sales.
“ZDX has played a valuable role in the Acura brand. With the arrival of the all-electric Acura RSX, which will be produced at an Ohio EV hub in late 2026, and the hybrid-electric Acura model currently under development, we will provide the foundation to build on next year,” Fini said. “Acura ZDX customers will continue to receive full product support through their dealer network, including services, parts and warranty coverage.”
Fini said it is still in production at GM, the Honda Prologue EV co-developed by Honda, and Honda has a fuel cell production facility operated at GM in Brownsville, Michigan.
GM’s memo ensured that the Spring Hill workforce was not a reflection on GM’s commitment to production capacity or Spring Hill.
“We are continuing production of the Cadillac XT5 and are on track to add production of gas-powered Chevrolet Blazers since 2027,” the memo said.
Additionally, the memo said GM will add a third shift to a nearby engine plant to support additional GEN V engine assembly capacity. GM uses its engine, the small block V-8, for trucks.
“The outlook is strong for the entire company,” the GM memo said. “GM Set EV sales record in July and August. And we are the second OEM in EVS. As we navigate the market dynamics, GM will continue to strategically adjust to the growth rate of the EV industry by leveraging customer demand and flexible manufacturing footprint.
As the Detroit Free Press reported earlier this month, GM plans weeks of downtime in Spring Hill over the coming months. GM also builds all-electric Cadillac-Like and Vistic SUVs. Downtime means a temporary decrease in staffing levels for approximately 700 employees in a layoff factory.
“By leveraging flexible ice and EV manufacturing footprint, General Motors is strategically adjusting the expected EV industry growth and the expected integrity of customer demand,” Kelly told the Free Press earlier this month in relation to the temporary idling of GM’s plant. “GM’s US manufacturing footprint remains our strength, and we will invest nearly $5 billion over the next two years to further increase domestic vehicle production, enabling our ability to assemble more than 2 million vehicles per year in the US.”
Honda’s second quarter sales release said it sold around 1,300 ZDX vehicles in June, and was sold in the highest sales quarter since launch despite its lean inventory in preparation for the 2026 model year. Throughout the first half, Honda said it sold 10,335 ZDX vehicles in the US, up from 338 in the same period last year.
However, it also greatly encouraged them to sell. A combination of federal tax credits, POW lease cash totaling $11,400, and local incentives up to $2,300 allows some customers to lease ZDX $5 more per month than the Honda CR-V Hybrid, according to a published report.
GM and Honda formed a partnership in April 2027 to develop a series of low-cost EVs on a new joint platform in 2022, with the goal of building millions of cars in 2027. The EV included a compact crossover vehicle built using GM’s Altium battery technology. The companies also discussed future EV battery technology collaborations to reduce electrification costs, improve performance and promote future EV sustainability.
However, in 2023, Honda CEO Toshihiro Mibe announced that the two automakers would end their plans.
“After studying this for a year, I decided that this would be difficult as a business, so I’m currently ending the development of affordable EVs,” Mibe said in October 2023.
Jamie L. Larrow is a senior Autos writer covering Ford Motor Company for the Detroit Free Press. Please contact Jamie at jlareau@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @Jarouan. Sign up for our car newsletter. Become a subscriber.
