Honda NSX production start delayed until 2016 – report
The commencement of production of the second-generation Honda NSX, at new dedicated facility in Ohio, has been pushed back by around half-a-year.
When the production car was revealed in January this year, left-hand drive production was scheduled to commence during the third quarter of 2015, with right-hand vehicles following them down the line in 2016.
Showroom-bound left-hand drive cars will now, according to sources who have spoken to Automobile, begin trundling down the factory line in the second quarter of 2016.
This delay is being blamed on a decision late in the development phase to switch from a naturally aspirated V6 to a turbocharged unit. This necessitated the development of a new bespoke V6 engine and the switch to a longitudinal mounting. All of these developments have reportedly required extra engineering and testing time.
Mounted behind the driver and passenger is a 3.5-litre 75-degree twin-turbocharged dry-sump V6 engine connected to the rear wheels via a nine-speed dual-clutch automated transmission.
The twin-turbo V6 is aided by three electric motors: one for each of the front wheels, and one at the rear that, in Honda's words, “applies its torque directly to the crankshaft for higher output with immediate power delivery to the rear wheels”.
The second-generation NSX made its public debut in concept car form at the 2012 Detroit auto show. After a few years on the motor show circuit, in various guises, the production version of the second-gen supercar made its debut at the 2015 Detroit show.
More technical details for the car were released in late April this year, but final power, torque and performance figures have yet to be released.
It's expected that the new NSX, badged as an Acura, will retail in the US for around US$150,000 ($204,000). The new NSX has been confirmed for Australian release, but timing has yet to be revealed and prices may reach as high as $250,000.
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