The RDX compact crossover has been a mainstay of Acura’s lineup for nearly two decades, but you won’t be able to buy a new one next year. The current, third-gen RDX will bow out in just a few months, the automaker has confirmed. And while a fourth generation is planned—with optional hybrid power on offer—we won’t see it earlier than 2028.
Acura broke the news alongside a profile rendering of the future RDX, which you can see below, perhaps to soften the blow. It certainly looks sharper, closely mirroring the proportions of the current Honda CR-V with what looks like an RSX-inspired nose and prominent decklid. The upcoming RDX will offer Honda’s two-motor hybrid system, a first for any Acura.
But it’s the sudden disappearance of the existing RDX that’s a bit of a head-scratcher. The SUV isn’t exactly new on the scene, having been introduced to the market in 2019. However, automakers prefer to avoid years-long gaps in model availability if possible, especially in high-volume segments like small crossovers. It seems Acura couldn’t in this instance.
“We have several suppliers that are no longer in position to continue supplying key parts for the current RDX,” a spokesperson said. That means 2026 will be the last model year for the third-gen RDX. Production is scheduled to end in the spring, but Acura expects to have enough inventory to last most of 2026. We asked the company if it could be a little more specific about the next-gen’s timing, but all they could tell us is that it’s due “in a couple of years.”
The RDX logged its best year on record in 2018, with 63,580 units sold, per Good Car Bad Car. In fact, from 2015 all the way until 2021, Acura moved no fewer than 51,000 examples of the SUV. The chip shortage lingering from the pandemic definitively ended that streak in 2022, resulting in sales just under 25,000 vehicles, and the nameplate hasn’t fully recovered since. Acura sold 30,235 of them last year, with the cheaper, new-for-2025 Acura ADX likely encroaching on its turf.
The ADX is a serviceable entry-level luxury crossover, but doesn’t particularly excel in any respect, and isn’t representative of what Acura’s capable of when its firing on all cylinders. We’ll have to wait and see if the next RDX can bring the momentum back for the brand’s smaller SUVs.
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