The Acura Performance EV Concept Looks Great, But Does It Look Like An Acura?

When you set foot on the lawn at Pebble Beach, expect to see cars from some of the finest names under the sun. We’re talking brands like Bugatti, Pininfarina, and…Acura. Alright, so that last name might not immediately come to mind when you think about billionaires and golf courses, but Pebble Beach has been a historically important show for Acura. From the NSX concept to the ZDX Type-S, various models have debuted at Car Week over the past few years, and the Acura Performance EV Concept is the latest look at where the brand’s going.

The automaker claims the Acura Performance EV Concept is a preview of what’s to come when Acura starts cranking out EVs of its own next year, all made in Ohio without any of GM’s help. And you know what? As far as coupe-style SUVs go, this one looks pretty handsome. It cuts a sleek silhouette, with the peak of the roof being in the correct place, leading to a surprisingly graceful rear end. On a macro level, it’s really, really, ridiculously good-looking, which should mean that if anything were to look like this, it’d sell like hotcakes, right? However, zoom in a bit, and things get somewhat derivative.

Let’s start with the headlights, because they’re some of the most expensive things an automaker develops for a production model, so setting a unique styling direction with new headlights is critical. While the illumination on these units is tremendously even in a way only concept cars can manage, don’t they look like the housings came from a $25,000 Buick Envista?

It’s a similar deal at the back. The blade-like taillight and wraparound glass is undeniably handsome, but is it just me, or does it conjure up shades of recent Lotus models? Acura claims the taillight, decklid, and diffuser treatment are meant to echo the second-generation NSX, but it almost feels like the former and latter elements the mick out of the Emira and Eletre, which is objectively hilarious, and the one in the middle, the taillight, just feels a bit common. It’ll take a while for it to stick as an Acura taillight, and for a brand that’s trying to re-establish its identity, that’s a bit of a problem.

Perhaps part of this derivative look is because the last time Acura stuck its neck out and went with a really out-there styling direction, people hated it. I’ve heard the “Power Plenum” grille on the 2009 TL sedan compared to everything from a beak to a vegetable slicer, and even though that was 15 years ago, it still feels like Acura’s trying to find its footing.

I’m sure the electric vehicle that the Acura Performance EV Concept previews will be perfectly cromulent. Quite likely, even good. However, in the electric age, where a brand is more frequently an image rather than a set of distinct engineering differences, Acura’s new direction just doesn’t set itself apart. That wouldn’t be a problem in a mainstream product, but getting consumers to pay premium pricing for derivative styling may prove challenging. Is the Derek Zoolander approach enough without a clearly unique styling identity? I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.

(Photo credits: Acura)

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