Upcoming Cadillac Lyriq Platform Mate, Acura ZDX, Caught With No Camo: Photos
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As GM Authority has extensively covered in the past, General Motors is co-developing the Acura ZDX fully electric crossover, which is expected to be revealed in the coming months. Recently caught testing alongside the Cadillac Lyriq, the ZDX has now been spotted again, but this time around, it’s testing nearly undisguised.
New images show an Acura ZDX EV prototype that appears to be almost production ready. Despite the placeholder headlights and taillights – along with other omissions to select trim pieces – we’re able to gather a better idea of what the Acura crossover will look like, which appears to draw heavily from Acura’s Precision EV concept, while sharing the Cadillac Lyriq’s overall shape and dimensions.
In addition to the undisguised ZDX EV example, a second prototype was spotted undergoing testing. While this particular unit is covered in camouflage, the taillights appear to be close to production-spec, further alluding that development of the electrified crossover is progressing.
It’s worth noting that there will also be an Ultium-based Honda electric crossover, the soon-to-be-released 2024 Honda Prologue.
Although no official timeline has been revealed as of the time of this writing, it’s expected that the Acura ZDX EV will make its official debut later this year, possibly at the Los Angeles Auto Show.
As a reminder, General Motors and Honda formed a strategic alliance back in 2020 that signaled that sharing of common vehicle platforms. With this in mind, the upcoming Honda Prologue and Acura ZDX EV will utilize GM Ultium battery and GM Ultium Drive motor technologies, and ride on the GM BEV3 platform.
Production of the Acura ZDX is expected to take place alongside the Cadillac Lyriq at the GM Spring Hill plant in Tennessee, while the Honda Prologue will be built at the GM Ramos Arizpe plant in Mexico, alongside the Chevy Blazer EV and Chevy Equinox EV.
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It’s going to be awkward once the Buick version gets here and everyone shows up to the party wearing the same outfit 😂😂
The Honda product is interesting to me…..
My purchased Lyriq (late April ’23) is the most disappointing car I’ve ever purchased – and it has nothing to do with it being an EV… From the constantly running ‘Choreographed Lighting’ in my attached garage, to the OBTUSE stockbroker dashboard, to the very poorly laid out controls – made this car a challenge to drive initially and a continuing battle just to drive down the street…
The only things I wanted from this car were:
1). Midsize SUV capability so that I could carry a fair amount.
2). 300-400 mile range so that I was not in fear of being stranded all the time.
Things I haven’t tried yet, such as hooking up a 3000 watt inverter to the 12 volt battery are yet in the future when I do a mini-camping exercise – although looking at the wiring it does not appear that it will not damage something – whereas it is a trivial exercise to run the inverter off my 2019 VOLT’s 12 volt battery. The owner’s manual talks about a procedure to jump start the LYRIQ from a good 12 volt gas car, but not jump starting a gas car – which again I’ve done many times to get other people out of a bind with my 2019 VOLT. The 2017 BOLT EV I had USED to be easy to use but my current 2022 BOLT EUV has mounting clamps all over the top of the battery and the easily accessible fuse box has too light wiring to support it.
So a VEHICLE this size with the basic Ultium powertrain, battery, and heat pump system is to me very attractive..
Hopefully it has no:
1). Non-Defeatable Choreographed Lighting.
2). No silly motors to freeze in the winter (which caused constant problems with the Tesla “S” and 1958 EDSAL) – the LYRIQ has 4 motors to push the passenger doors open (!!!!!), and also an oversized motorized cover for the Charging Port, a motorized hatch, and a motorized sun shade. How much of this stays working during cold February months remains to be seen.
3). High Price.
Most of those issues sound like a Bill problem tbh. You should have taken more time in making your purchase decision.
What makes your Lyriq “a continuing battle just to drive down the street”? None of the issues you mentioned should make this vehicle a battle to drive.
On other items of you rant, do you jump start other cars every day? Is the light show that annoying, you don’t have to stand there and watch it, do you?
Actually tried out today hooking up a large inverter to the 12 volt battery.
Works better than I feared. Some what minimal + doesn’t get too hot. Official gnd connection gets hotter but works better (cooler) than any other point in the area. Test load was 1800 watts on the 12o volt output. About 153 amps with 12 volt battery draining and 131 amps with DC/DC converter on.
Another thing better than the old bolt EVs which had 120 amp converters is that the Lyriq has a size more in line with the 170 amp Volts, in that they can recharge the 12 volt battery and overcome the initial 153 amp inverter loading.
During camping the bolts 12 volt state of charge varied greatly while cooking equipment cycled on temperature. Obviously this car can effectively handle even greater loading uneventfully, a pleasant surprise.
Second time I tried camping – the 12 volt battery went ‘almost’ dead – this is an independent trouble unrelated to the ‘software updates’ causing the main 12 volt battery troubles with the Lyriq – and it is obvious that GM is unaware of this problem as the battery goes dead with the vehicle being fully on.
Found a work around this – so no need to get GM involved. I never do any software updates on the vehicle, and fortunately – to date – the LYRIQ always asks permission which I always deny, so that I have yet to run into the usual LYRIQ battery trouble.
But for those who care, the alternator replacement module seems to be in the 200 ampere range, which is also a good sizing for the police version Blazer EV PPV.
To answer the question as to what things make the car difficult to drive – the controls are poorly located, – screen contrast is both poor and unadjustable, the rear view mirror mysteriously can only be viewed by me in its REAL position (think nightime mirror) which is very dim.. The Camera position I can see without eyeglasses but with my glasses on a stroboscopic effect seems to happen and I can’t use it.
The trip odometer at times takes me minutes to reset… Unbelievable.
GMA (Trey):
How can you tell those are “placeholder headlights and taillights” on the photo of the ZDX? To change them would appear to require changes to multiple body panels.
Mr. Howland:
Why did you buy it?
Robert Basil GMC/BUICK/Cadillac, a large dealership in suburban Buffalo, New York (Orchard Park).
The dealership itself was fine….. They added no ‘Market Adjustment’ such as many other dealerships did with new models. I never got past busy signals with the 2021 ‘ten minute’ order opportunity so, along with six other customers – I ordered mine May 19th , 2022. 2023 Luxury trim – only option Blue – now optional Black Paint. In the interim I was told that unless I wanted to wait until 2025 I would be forced from Blue Paint over to BLACK.
When I arrived April 28th, 2023 to actually purchase the car, I asked ‘where are the other other 5 customers?’. The Sales Manager said ‘You are the sole purchaser today… Everyone else ordered AWD which isn’t manufactured yet” (!!).
Megeebee:
Like everyone else – I never test drove the vehicle…. I just assumed nothing could be as bad as it is.
Hopefully Honda has far fewer Great Brains than GM does. I misread your original comment – I just glanced at it and thought you wanted to know where was a good dealership to buy it…. Robert Basil incidentally, is a good dealership. Can’t blame them.
Slight correction to the 5/19/22 order – there were obviously 5 others and six of us in total.
Awful.
Just a note. I ignore silly responses.
I honestly thought Honda/Acura styling couldn’t get worse, but this thing is fugly.