Honda's badge engineering and the impact it has on the consumer

Valerie Raskovic

Sep 02, 2025

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As EVs solidify their place in today’s highly competitive car market, Honda and their premium brand Acura find themselves seriously behind on in-house EV development. This is the precise reason why they have chosen to partner up with other companies on developing fully electric vehicles.

In March of 2024 Honda unveiled a fully electric crossover called the Honda Prologue. The issue with this new model was not so much that it was not well received; it has more to do with the fact that it was not much of a Honda underneath the Honda badge. Just like the Acura ZDX released in the same year, the Prologue was built on General Motors’ Ultium platform. This is the same foundation behind the Cadillac Lyriq and Chevrolet Blazer EV. The issue arose when people started to notice that the Prologue and the ZDX shared far more than just the electric drivetrain with GM models. They shared components ranging from the steering wheel and climate controls to the door handles and infotainment layout.

In essence, buyers expecting a quintessentially Japanese Acura and Honda product received nothing more than a rebadged GM vehicle instead. What this means is that the consumers that buy a fully electric Honda or Acura vehicle expecting Honda level quality may be in for a rude awakening, as even little electrical components like switches, actuators, modules and mechanical components have all been sourced from GM’s parts bin. Especially in the case of a premium car brand like Acura, the ZDX’s $70k price tag simply cannot justify the use of cheaper hard GM plastic interior components and switchgear. Although the ZDX delivers more potent performance through the use of different software and slightly modified battery tech, it still feels misaligned with Acura’s historic build quality reputation.

The interesting part of this entire GM-Honda partnership is the fact that while GM has had some early success in the EV market, the newly released electric Honda models are currently outselling their GM counterparts. What this can only mean is the fact that a lot of consumers buying these new Honda EVs may not know they are buying essentially badge engineered Chevrolets and Cadillacs.

Why It Matters: Honda’s EV Strategy & Shifting Partnerships

The ZDX's GM foundation is a symptom of broader challenges Honda faces in electrification. The reason for this can be credited to Honda’s focus on building hybrid vehicles in the near future, rather than pushing full EVs. They have cut EV development and spending, making it harder and more costly for them to develop a ground-up EV.

As a result, Honda needed a strategic partner in the EV space. Partnering with GM has allowed the brand to release EVs targeted at the sub $30,000 segment and slated for 2027, but the initiative was officially scrapped in late 2023. Despite this setback, the GM-based Prologue and Acura ZDX moved forward under their original shared platform plans.

At the same time, Honda is exploring new electrified ventures—most notably with Sony. Through the Sony Honda Mobility joint venture, the new Afeela EV is set for pre-orders in late 2025. This vehicle will be built on a proprietary platform developed in-house by Honda using electrification technology developed by Sony. This move signals a decisive shift away from reliance on outside platforms, as Honda looks to rebuild its EV credibility.

For buyers expecting a Japanese-crafted EV from Acura, the ZDX may feel like a letdown. However, this GM partnership is nothing more than a temporary workaround in Honda’s slow pivot to electrification. With internal investment now recalibrated and new alliances like Sony Honda Mobility emerging, there’s hope that future Acura EVs will better reclaim the brand’s legacy of reliability and forward-thinking design.