New Acura CDX Compact SUV Exposed In China, Rivals Mercedes GLA

These are the first pictures of Acura’s brand-new CDX compact SUV that will have its world premiere at next week’s 2016 Beijing Auto Show in China.

The CDX is the production version of Acura’s SUV-X Concept from the 2013 Auto China Show in Shanghai.

It’s not clear yet if it’s based on Honda’s HR-V or another platform, as Chinese media is reporting that it’s 4,495mm (179 in) long, 1,840mm (72.4 in) wide and 1,600mm (63 in) tall, riding on a 2,660mm (104.7 in) wheelbase.

If accurate, this makes it notably bigger than the Honda model that measures 4,295 mm (169.1 in) long, 1,770 mm (69.7 in) wide, and 1,605 mm (63.2 in) tall, with a wheelbase of 2,610 mm (102.8 in), but we’ll have to wait for Acura to release official specifications to be on the safe side.

On the outside, the new CDX combines a dynamic profile with a swoopy roofline and a front that borrows its aesthetics from the facelifted 2017 MDX, including Acura’s new ‘beakless’ corporate grille.

Power for the Chinese model reportedly comes from Honda’s 1.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder gasoline engine rated for 182hp and 240Nm (178 lb-ft) paired to an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission driving the front or all-four wheels.

The CDX will be the first Acura to be produced in China by Honda’s local joint-venture with Guangzhou Automobile, with sales to begin in the third quarter of the year.

Back in 2014, Honda’s chief engineer for the HR-V’s drivetrain, Naohisa Morishita, told reporters that the company was studying a similar vehicle for the Acura brand in North America. “There is a market for it worldwide, not just in China,” he told Autonews. “Personally, I think Acura needs it.”