TSX69

New Honda NSX Eco Concept on the Cards for Production in 2013

After years of delays, concepts and U-turns, Honda is adamant it really is replacing the original NSX – the chief executive even confirmed it would be launched within 3 years.

The new NSX has a big name to live up to – during the 80s, the original had an enormous impact on the supercar world, offering a stable and easy-to-handle car compared to the upper ranks of the sports car market. You could even argue that today’s Audi R8 and Ferrari 458 Italia wouldn’t be so road stable if the Honda NSX hadn’t been born.

2013 NSX

The 2013 NSX focuses just as much on high-tech as the original – NSX then and still does stand for New Sports Experimental and Honda is equipping its new version with a hybrid powertrain.

In the next few years, the big boys at McLaren, Ferrari, Porsche and Lamborghini are all in the hunt for building the most competitive part-electrified (hybrid) sports cars. Of course, now you can add giant killers Honda to the list.

The new NSX will feature its mid-engined application of its Super Handling All-Wheel Drive system, meaning the NSX will be 4WD, although the accurate workings of the petrol/electric motors on the production car have yet to be finalised. Honda will use 1 of its petrol engines from elsewhere in its global range, which leads to either their 3.0 or 3.5-litre petrol engine with direct injection to provide the motive power.

New Batteries

Although the European hybrid road car range use nickel metal hydride batteries, Honda will likely use lithium-ion batteries, as they bought into a Japanese specialist in lithium ion technology.

The hybrid setup consists of mid-mounted V6, sending power to the rear wheels and is augmented by an electric motor. The SH-AWD integrates 1 electric motor with a dual-clutch transmission. 2 more motors can send negative or positive torque to the front wheels during cornering for improved handling. Honda claims the new AWD system will offer super car acceleration whilst providing improved efficiency. Honda haven’t as yet disclosed how much horsepower its engine and 3 electric motors will produce, but I’m guessing it’ll be 450+.

When can we drive this Eco Beast?

So when will the all-new NSX be hitting the streets? Well, this is no longer a pie-in-the-sky concept, and Honda has confirmed the NSX is now a live project – they will want to regain their reputation for cutting-edge engineering after the demise (in Europe) of the S2000, and Type R models. Car Sales for this Honda have been predicted to hit an all-time high when this super electric model hits the streets in an estimated late 2013.

Steven Bell

iTrader: (2)

I hope late 2013 is correct-can't wait.

Meeyatch1

I know that the dyno numbers they pulled months ago from one of their prototypes had VERY impressive horsepower, and that they have already finalized things like ride height, and also have achieved very impressive 0 - 60 mph and top speed numbers, as well as some serious torque numbers. If the numbers I have end up hitting the streets, the new NSX is going to be one wicked beast. Not over the top obscene power like the ZR-1 Corvette or Lamborghini Aventador, but a ton of power in an arguably better car.

TSX69

http://ferrarinews.blog72.fc2.com/blog-entry-3754.html

ホンダNSXの追加画像が続々登場！
新世代の日本のスーパーカーがいよいよ初公開されます！

海外サイトでもここまでの画像は出ていないのでフェラーリランボルギーニニュース独占情報です ね

内装カッコイイですね日本車とは思えないくらいの出来だと思いますがどうでしょう？
恐らく1000万円以上するLFAに次ぐジャパニーズスーパーカーの登場にドキドキしますね

情報提供してくれた@yosuke_siatさんありがとうございました。

EL_PIC

I would like to see more interior pics and know more about the batteries...
Lith Ion ??? How Many and in what configuration ???
On the floor board or in trunk ???
How are they determined to fail and replaced ??
IFF this is a 2013 intro ... someone should know by now ..

Nukem

I was hearing on Prime that it got pushed back to 2015(3rd quarter 2014) with around 500 Hp.

I like the front end more than I did in 2012. I still think they should lengthen the rear by a few inches.(more trunk, more sleak look)

VeNeNo

iTrader: (1)

I see paddle shifters.. only automatic...?

23109VC

from the looks of the pic - it does look like paddle shifters... similar to what you get in Ferraris - it's an automatic... but it will shift as fast or faster than a manual... with the push of a paddle...

it's always possible they will offer a manual version..but given Honda's trend of keeping options minimal - it's entirely possible the car will be offered in ONE version - and the only option will be what color you want...

the new NSX looks absolutely amazing... any one have info on what the expected MSRP is going to be?

pohljm

They are lagging big time! Oh well more time to SAVE

FanaticFan

If someone ever drops huge sums of money on me, this will be my next car. Unlikely, so I'll have to stick with my TL SH-AWD, awww....

clawber

If someone ever drops huge sums of money on me, a TL SH-AWD will be my next car. Unlikely, so I'll have to stick with my Civic

FanaticFan

You know, that's not so terrible, either.

I could easily live the rest of my life with a Civic, too, and not feel haunted; they're fantastic cars. Si is another dream that should never die.

2011TL

New NSX race track debut 4 August 2013 in Ohio?

http://www.topgear.com/uk/car-news/h...rse-2013-07-26

marc1093280

I think we can all agree that the NSX would be a game changer for Acura. I also wish that Acura would make a big RWD flagship sedan.

SlimTL

SlimTL

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=wOKBYCp...ure%3Dyoutu.be

TSX69

Acura NSX Laps Mid-ohio

It didn't have the production engine, nor the production exhaust (it was gloriously loud) and because there were safety vehicles on the track it wasn't able to go flat-out, but by golly there it was, a bright blue 2015 Acura NSX lapping Mid-Ohio just before the start of the Honda Indy 200.

Being a production mule with any number of systems still under development, it couldn't be turned over to just any driver. So it was piloted by Jason Widmer, assistant large project leader for testing for the new NSX. Acura quoted Widmer after the drive saying it was, “great to drive the car as it broke cover for the 1st time in front of so many enthusiastic Honda and Acura associates and fans.”

Mid-Ohio is only about 60 miles away from Marysville, Ohio, where Honda designs and builds many cars. Thus about 20,000 “associates” (employees at any other company) were on hand for the NSX' running debut. With Mid Ohio's capacity of 75,000, that meant about 1-4th of the fans on hand worked for Honda, prompting Widmer to add that, “It felt good to open it up on the same Mid-Ohio track where the Honda-powered Indy cars would run only minutes later.”

Widmer took 2 laps around the 2.4-mile, 15-turn Sports Car Course, though because of the safety vehicles on the track and a group of Honda S2000s parked along the front straight to be used for the driver introductions and ride around, he couldn't run flat out. Nonetheless he ran pretty well. There were cheers reportedly heard.

Honda didn't release any new details officially but did make previous generalizations a little less general. We learned, for instance, that the starting price of the NSX is planned to be near that of the Audi R8, which starts at $115,000. Options will bring the price up from there.

Performance details were still vague, too, but in terms of relative performance, the development team is looking at cars like the Ferrari 458, Audi R8, Nissan GTR, Porsche 911 Carrera S and McLaren MP4-12C. So, based on that list of competitors, 1 could expect a power output from the mid-mounted V6 gasoline direct-injected engine and the 3 electric motors (1 at each front wheel and 1 assisting the V6 in driving the rears) to be in the very wide ballpark of between 400 and 616 hp. Likewise, look for 0-60 to come up somewhere in the 2.8 to 3.2-second range; again, a wide spectrum and by no means definite, the car is still 2 years out, remember.

A release added that Acura's Sport Hybrid SH-AWD and dual-clutch transmission will be on board the production model.

"The [SH-AWD] system enables instant delivery of negative or positive torque to the front wheels during cornering to achieve a new level of driving performance unparalleled by current AWD systems," Acura said.

Racing details are still undecided, except that Honda reiterated that racing the NSX is definitely in the plan.

And just as was the case with the original NSX, Honda promises this 1 will be easy to drive.

“We like to talk about the synergy between man and machine, how easy it is for the driver to live with, how well it fits them physically,” said company spokesman Sage Marie, a racer himself who drove a supercharged CR-Z at Pikes Peak this year. “There are some sports cars you get in where your leg is bumping against some beautiful piece of carbon-fiber that's unfortunately placed. [Other cars are] a handful at the limit or unapproachable at the limit. What the NSX did originally was become something that could be driven quickly and the majority of buyers could approach the limit. This new car has man-machine synergy, so the idea to stay true to the original is to have the driver get in the car and go out on the track and start turning laps or carving a canyon road and the car kind of falls away almost. It's so intuitive, so capable that it isn't forcing its will on you. It's doing exactly what you're asking of it. That's what the original car did and what we're trying to do here.”

Sure, Honda is going to dribble out bits and pieces of teasers for the next 2 years, just like every other great sports-car maker has done recently, and, as we have done with every other sports-car maker, we are going to reveal them here. But the NSX looks like it may be worth the irritation. Here's hoping it will be worth the wait.

Acura NSX on-track video from the Transportation Research Center

The New Acura NSX Prototype - YouTube

Tonyware

The video starts with the quote: "the purpose creates the machine". So, what is the "purpose"? Is it to take a bit of Lamborghini Gallardo, a bit of Audi R8, throw some Prius in the mix and a hint of Lexus LFA and try to sell the brand? How stupid is that? The brand was already there, it is the original NSX and still people stop and pay attention when one is near by just like the good old days!

Sorry Acura but you should stick with the heritage of the original NSX by improving what you have, not copying what everyone else is doing. That should be the "purpose" that creates the machine... and promotes the heritage.

A bit disappointed but good luck anyways.

(my 2 cents)

Nukem

"a bit of Prius mixed in" Acura/Honda isn't using the hybrid motors for MPGs They are using it for extra power, and torque vectoring. People hear hybrid or electric motors and automatically assume they are only for Gas mileage.

Acura_Swag

Woow dat looks like a monster i wud like to c this beast in person

TSX69

Everything you need to know about the Acura NSX hybrid supercar

When an Acura NSX prototype did a couple of unofficial laps at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio last weekend, just before an IndyCar race, car fans took notice, just as they did when a topless NSX had a cameo in Avengers last year.

Normally, Acuras don’t inspire this kind of excitement, but the NSX is different.

When Japan’s 1st mass production mid-engined supercar was unveiled in 1990, it signaled that the Japanese car industry had arrived. It took on the best, from Ferrari to Porsche, and won, combining extreme performance with Honda’s legendary reliability.

Now, Acura is trying to recapture that magic with a 21st century twist. 1st shown as a concept car at the 2012 Detroit auto show, the new NSX will be a hybrid, and is set to go on sale next year. There was another sneak peek in this hilarious 2012 Superbowl ad.

In the meantime, we’ve gathered everything there is to know about the NSX in 1 convenient dossier, and checked out the hybrid supercar competition. Read on for all of the juicy details.

Specs

Like the 1st NSX, the reincarnation will have a V6 engine mounted in the middle, but the similarities end there.

The V6 displaces 3.5 liters and has 2 turbochargers. It produces 450 horsepower and 450 pound-feet of torque, but it also gets a little help from 3 electric motors. 1 motor is attached to the car’s 7-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, helping to drive the rear wheels. The other 2 drive 1 front wheel each.

Combined, the V6 and 3 electric motors produce 560 hp and 650 lb-ft. Acura calls the system Sport Hybrid Super Handling-All Wheel Drive, and like the non-hybrid variant found in many of the brand’s regular cars, it should be able to vector torque side-to-side, helping to accelerate the NSX out of corners more quickly.

All of those mechanical bits are wrapped in svelte styling that makes all of Acura’s recent angular sedans and SUVs make sense. This is what Acura’s stylists must have envisioned when the boss told them to design a car with a totally unique design language, but before they were told that car had to be the 2012 TSX.

Unlike the questionably-styled cars we’ve seen over the past few years, the NSX looks amazing. All of those sharp edges make it look like a stealth fighter.

Acura has also shown a concept interior for the NSX. The “Human Support Cockpit” theme features a raised center stack (moving the controls closer to the driver) a large central screen (in case the driver wants to read Facebook statuses at 180 mph), and plenty of carbon fiber. It looks like a wonderful place to be.

The long and winding road

Since the original NSX went out of production in 2005, Honda has dragged its feet about finding a replacement.

In 2007, Acura showed the Advanced Sports Car Concept in Detroit. While it featured a front-mounted V10, it was hailed as the NSX’s replacement. After its development was interrupted by the 2008 financial crisis, Honda built 1 prototype, dubbed HSV-010 GT, and campaigned it in the Japanese Super GT series.

That seemed to be the end of that, until an unusual Acura-badged sports car was spotted on the set of Avengers, with Robert Downey Jr. at the wheel. This convertible morphed into the hardtop NSX concept shown at Detroit in early 2012. Since then, it’s been a waiting game.

The wait is almost over, though: Acura will put the NSX on sale on 2015. It will be built at a new “Performance Manufacturing Center” in Marysville, Ohio, adjacent to 2 existing Honda facilities.

Competition

When it finally goes on sale, the NSX won’t be the only hybrid supercar game in town. The international cast of rivals includes the Ferrari LaFerrari, McLaren P1, and Porsche 918 Spyder.

So how does the NSX stack up?

On paper, not very well. The least powerful of the trio, the Porsche, has 887 hp and 940 lb-ft of torque, courtesy of a 4.6-liter V8 and 2 electric motors. That’s 327 horsepower and 380 pound-feet more than the Acura.

The Ferrari and McLaren are even farther ahead: LaFerrari has a 6.3-liter V12 and a single electric motor, good for a combined 950 hp and 664 lb-ft, while the P1 has a 3.8-liter twin-turbocharged V8 and a single electric motor, together producing 903 hp and 723 lb-ft.

At 3,350 pounds, the NSX is the lightest of the group; curb weights are 3,450 lbs, 3,400 lbs, and 3,700 lbs for the Ferrari, McLaren, and Porsche respectively. Still, that power gap means the NSX will probably be left in the dust (official performance figures haven’t been released).

That other important performance metric, fuel economy, is also a tossup. Acura has said that it could give the NSX an electric-only operating mode, but hasn’t confirmed whether it will actually do that. The LaFerrari cannot operate solely on electricity, while the P1 and 918 have EV ranges of 6 miles and 18 miles, respectively, with the 918 reportedly able to top 80mph in EV mode.

However, direct comparisons between the NSX and other hybrid supercars aren’t really fair, because the Acura will be much cheaper. Whereas the 918 Spyder is on sale now for $845,000, and the LaFerrari and P1 are expected to cost over $1 million each, the NSX is expected to cost under $200,000.

That puts the NSX in the “entry level” supercar category alongside the Audi R8, Ferrari 458 Italia, and McLaren MP4-12C. Its hybrid powertrain will make it 1-of-a-kind in that class.

Of course, to be truly faithful to its predecessor, the new NSX needs to be more than competitive. It needs to set a new standard for automotive excellence. Does this all-wheel drive hybrid have what it takes? We’ll find out in 2015.

George Knighton

I confess to being very confused.

Are we for sure getting a Super NSX, R8 Killer and that's the only thing going on?

Or are they also talking about a Baby NSX with a non-turbo J Motor + Hybrid SH-AWD, to come in at a much lower price point?

Will there be two cars, one around 85 grand and another around 125 grand?

Nukem

They are (supposively) coming out with a non-hybrid V6 RWD but only around 375 - 400hp. Though Acura/Honda hasn't comfirmed it.

aIRpeACE

iTrader: (2)

will be a 2015 model

ScottBjorn3D

I hope it is under 200K, I think it should be under 125K if they really want to sell them.

EvilVirus

iTrader: (8)

Interesting thread

EL_PIC

The new auto game changer is the BMW I8 @ $135 K !!!
Too little Too late Too pricey Acura .. So what else is new ??

http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/...e-drive-review

kurtatx

the doors are terrible.

Steven Bell

iTrader: (2)

LOVE the interior though......

Nukem

BMW I8 will be overpriced and under powered. The NSX would kill the BMW.

s4play

i8 is NOT the NSX competitor ~ BMW has a totally different target market and from my understanding every one of the i8 allocations has been taken so BMW knows what they are doing.

The new Acura NSX is going up against some big names so we only can hope Acura has their act together. Most NSX owners including myself have no plans to get the new car, lacks a lot of what the old car was/is. I also have a R8 v10 and that car easily beats out the new NSX and it's an old chassis platform.

Acura has a big uphill battle to climb if they expect their target audience clientele to step up. Too many awesome cars in the $130k plus price tag these days.