The Honda NSX, and/or the Acura NSX to U.S. folks, was a sought-after sports car that Honda produced from 1990 up until 2005. The Japanese car maker deemed the NSX a wrap due to the low sales — a few hundred vehicles per year worldwide — and added that it wasn’t “economically viable” to continue its manufacturing.
Nearly six years later, it seems the NSX is making a comeback.
According to Auto Express, a new version of the sport car was spotted in New York’s Central Park, during filming of the new “Avengers” film, and is confirmed as the Acura NSX super-car.
Honda CEO Takanobu Ito recently hinted at the NSX’s revival, revealing that the company are “making progress with plans for an exotic sports car.”
While details regarding the new version of the NSX are scarce, a few small things have been confirmed. A Honda source said the prototype spotted by paparazzi will boast a VTEC V6 engine of between 3.5 to 3.7 liters, with a twin electric motor set-up, which will be powered by lithium-ion batteries and employ a plug-in recharge system for a small electric-only range.
The NSX will also have a weight-saving aluminum body, and is set to go on sale by 2014 at a retail cost of £65,000 EUR (approximately $87,367 USD).
Acura made big moves at the Detroit Auto Show, debuting three all-new anxiously awaited models and some notable next-generation efficiency technology that should help revitalize a brand with sagging sales. Here’s the complete rundown.
This is the car Acura needs. A halo car to bring buyers gawking into showrooms. A technology showpiece and a boldly styled successor to the NSX, the brand’s most storied model. This is the new Acura NSX Concept, a hybrid supercar with a mid-mounted V6 and electric motor sending power to the rear wheels, and two more electric motors sending positive or negative torque to the front wheels in a new performance-tuned SH-AWD system. A hybrid V6 setup in a featherweight, aerodynamic and carbon-heavy supercar could easily return 30 mpg with world-class acceleration. Let’s hope Acura prices it closer to the $89,950 Nissan GT-R than the $375,000 Lexus LFA.
The next-generation NSX will be available in 2-3 years.
Acura has built its new ILX premium compact sedan using a modified version of the Honda Civic platform, positioning the car as an attainable luxurious option with fuel efficiency, driving joy and style at the forefront. Power will come from 2.0- and 2.4-liter four-cylinder engines, with Acura’s first-ever hybrid to follow using Honda’s Integrated Motor Assist. The 2013 ILX will go on sale with a release date this spring. Base pricing has not been revealed but should undercut the current TSX’s $29,610 by at least $2,000. Acura luxury and driving dynamics for well under $30k? Sign us up.While Acura is calling the new RDX luxury crossover debuting at the Detroit Auto Show a “prototype,” you are essentially looking at the 2013 RDX production version that will go on sale later this year. The RDX makes the switch from turbo-four-cylinder to V6 power this year, with both horsepower and fuel economy rising significantly, now 273 ponies and 20 city/28 highway mpg. As for styling, the car looks decent from every angle, but there is something a little plain about it we can’t quite place.
