Acura, the North American luxury division of Honda, has announced an ambitious future product expansion that could give a glimpse into what’s to come for its parent company’s lineup. Three new SUVs will enter Acura showrooms from 2028, potentially spawning equivalent Honda models and giving both brands access to segments they’ve not previously entered.

The announcement from Acura follows yesterday’s news that Honda is reportedly planning to launch its own version of the Mitsubishi Triton ute in Southeast Asian markets from 2028, and now we see that it’s planning to further expand its SUV range.

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While Acura is exclusive to North America and sadly isn’t sold in Australia, its vehicles share technology and platforms with Honda products, like Lexus does with Toyota. Leading the product expansion will be an all-new adventure-focused SUV from 2028, which will reportedly “combine off-road capability with premium styling”.

The announcement could be particularly interesting for Australia, where off-road SUVs remain quite popular. Honda currently offers the HR-V, ZR-V and CR-V locally, but doesn’t have a dedicated off-road SUV to compete with vehicles such as the Toyota Prado or Ford Everest. A Honda-badged version of Acura’s upcoming adventure SUV could potentially fill that gap, although no such model has been confirmed.

Acura has also announced development of its largest SUV yet, an eight-seater model that will be positioned above the existing seven-seat MDX large SUV. The fourth-generation Acura RDX – the brand’s rival to the BMW X3 and Mercedes-Benz GLC – has also been confirmed for 2028 and will be the first Acura product to adopt Honda’s ‘e:HEV’ two-motor hybrid system.

An all-new V6 hybrid drivetrain for the larger vehicles has also been confirmed as in development, promising improved performance, towing capability and fuel efficiency. Given the likely cost of developing an all-new hybrid drivetrain, it’s unlikely that Honda will keep it to just the Acura brand, especially as it has previously announced plans to introduce 15 new hybrid models globally by 2030.

Australians continue to buy SUVs in large numbers, particularly hybrids and larger family vehicles, so there’s certainly an opportunity for Honda to expand its local range beyond the HR-V, ZR-V and CR-V, especially with a seven-seat large SUV that would sit above the latter model.

Although none of Acura’s three upcoming SUVs has been confirmed for Australia under the Honda badge, the announcement provides an interesting indication of what we could see from the brand in the future.