- MDX Type S production will pause after the 2026 model year.
- Acura expects dealers to have inventory into early 2027.
- The EPA has proposed delaying stricter emissions standards until 2029.
Acura’s performance lineup, if we can honestly still call it that, is about to get thinner. The automaker will pause MDX Type S production after the 2026 model year, leaving its three-row SUV without the 355-hp turbocharged V6 at the top of the range. Acura expects dealers to have enough inventory to keep selling the Type S into early 2027. This is also a sad indication of how much people care about it.
An Acura spokesperson confirmed the pause to Automotive News, citing uncertainty over upcoming U.S. emissions regulations. The company told Road & Track that it plans to bring some of the Type S model’s premium features and styling to other MDX trims. Those details may live on, but the regular MDX’s naturally aspirated 3.5-liter V6 won’t replace the Type S’s turbocharged 3.0-liter engine.
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The regulatory timing is odd. Stricter EPA Tier 4 pollutant standards are currently scheduled to begin with the 2027 model year. In May, the EPA proposed moving their start to 2029, but that change has yet to be finalized. The same organization has heavily blunted penalties for those who miss targets. Acura has chosen to pause the low-volume model rather than plan another year of production around rules that could change.
The Type S accounts for less than 10 percent of MDX sales. Still, it gives shoppers a reason to look at Acura when they want something quicker than a conventional family SUV. Its departure also follows the loss of the TLX sedan, the ZDX electric crossover, and the manual-transmission Integra.
Acura calls this a pause, so there’s room for the MDX Type S to return. For now, though, anyone set on the turbocharged version will have to shop the 2026 models dealers already have. Frankly, a much larger reset to Acura’s performance aspirations seems like a worthy reason to lose the MDX Type S for now.
