Honda Trademarks ADX Name for Acura Brand
Honda has filed to trademark ADX with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), presumably so it can use the name for an upcoming luxury model. While Honda has previously sold vehicles with alphanumeric monikers ending in the letter X, that’s literally Acura’s entire lineup and it’s supposed to be delivering a few new models to round out its rather limited selection.
Car and Driver, which initially shared the trademark news, speculated that the name could be used for the electric vehicle General Motors will be building for Honda Motor Co. We already know the Honda variant will be named Prologue, so there would be room for a prospective Acura ADX.
Both EVs are said to be manufactured by GM using its Ultium battery platform. But the Honda Prologue coming together at the Ramos Arizpe facility in Mexico in 2023, whereas the Acura model will be moving down the assembly line in Spring Hill, Tennessee, sometime in 2024. That should provide sufficient time for Honda to work with the USPTO to get the ADX name in order and have the necessary badging manufactured and shipped so it can be slapped on the back of the (so far as we know) midsized crossover.
Though there’s nothing guaranteeing the name actually gets used. Honda might simply like the way ADX sounds and wants to retain ownership in case it needs it for something else. There’s nothing prohibiting its luxury arm from attaching the moniker to other vehicle types, Car and Driver just noted that the EVs are on the docket and that the Acura version is as-of-yet unnamed:
Nevertheless, if we were the gambling type, we wager Acura pins the ADX name to its forthcoming electric SUV that’s due to be built by General Motors. Despite it likely sharing a platform, powertrain, and battery pack(s) with other GM EVs that use the company’s Ultium battery-electric vehicle bits, the electric Acura SUV still ought to wear distinct exterior and interior decor that reflects the luxury brand’s current design language.
Likewise, we believe Acura’s electric SUV will share few — if any — body panels with its Honda-badged kin that GM is also set to build for the Japanese automaker. Whereas Acura’s yet to formally reveal the name of its GM-built electric SUV, Honda confirmed its variant will sport the Prologue designation.
Considering that it’s nearly 2022, Honda Motor Co. probably won’t leave us guessing for much longer. The product in question has already been confirmed and it’s just a matter of time before the monthly teasers begin. Acura is going to need to have its upcoming EV named by then, as there’s not much marketing value in having the press continue calling it the “upcoming EV.”
[Image: Acura]
Consumer advocate tracking industry trends and regulations. Before joining TTAC, Matt spent a decade working for marketing and research firms based in NYC. Clients included several of the world’s largest automakers, global tire brands, and aftermarket part suppliers. Dissatisfied, he pivoted to writing about cars. Since then, he has become an ardent supporter of the right-to-repair movement, been interviewed about the automotive sector by national broadcasts, participated in a few amateur rallying events, and driven more rental cars than anyone ever should. Handy with a wrench, Matt grew up surrounded by Detroit auto workers and learned to drive by twelve. A contrarian, Matt claims to prefer understeer and motorcycles.
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Why would I buy a new Honda? If I want an unreliable vehicle I will get a VW.
Hilarious - first, they pick "RDX", which is a plastic explosive. Now it's "ADX", like the Federal Supermax prison ADX Florence in Colorado, which houses people like Ramzi Yousef, Ted Kaczynski, Terry Nichols, and Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman. Good going, Acura.