Honda lowers NSX expectations – report

By George Skentzos | August 14th, 2009

The Nissan GT-R set new standards for all supercars when it first arrived, while at the same time throwing a spanner into the development of Japanese rivals.

One high profile victim of this new performance benchmark was the upcoming successor to the Honda NSX, with engineers forced to return to the drawing board in order to outpace the GT-R.

Several years on and the new NSX is still nowhere to be found, although according to Dick Colliver, executive vice president of American Honda Motor Company, the car was “mostly done” way back in February.

Now it seems Honda has breathed new life into the once still-born NSX-successor, with the brand set to reposition the new model at a much lower price point.

Much like the original, the new model has been described as “too high a halo” for Honda by Acura’s senior manager of product development, John Watts.

“For it to be fully effective [as a halo vehicle for the brand], it couldn’t be too far removed [from Acura’s other products].”

Once boasting that its new NSX would outperform the GT-R, it is now more likely that Honda will retool a new version of its NSX from a current product platform as a rival to the Nissan 370Z.

This may have a positive twist for the Australian market, with original plans outlining that the new NSX would be sold exclusively to Acura markets.

Source: Car and Driver

Dude

What a cop out!
RdS

so that would make it more of an S2000 replacement?
http://Caradvice.com.au Baddass

So, not really an NSX replacement then? That mule has great proportions though.
PaulS

Well… a sub NSX coupe is totally fine, and is probably going to be what more people can afford anyway.

But please please please, don’t call it the successor to NSX….
PaulS

“For it to be fully effective [as a halo vehicle for the brand], it couldn’t be too far removed [from Acura’s other products].”

I don’t know if this is a good thing…. Acura’s product line in the US is looking very confused and have not been doing well… One might think Acura would like to remove themselves from that?

Having said that, a V6 Accord Euro (Aucra TSX) would have been sweet….
Shak

Hey either way we’ll still be getting a competitor for the Zed or a S2000 replacement.
Simon

This was never going to go head-to-head with the GTR. Nor does it need to. A 370Z is a much better comparison and target. It’s not in the same league as a GTR.
GTR is a supercar!
Shak

Why dont Honda make it anyway. The GTR got so much Hype, so anything which even mentions GTR in its press pack should draw headlines. This is claimed to be a direct competitor.
Oh What A Feeling…Hondota!

Honda has belatedly discovered that the world has moved on since V-Tec was a big deal, and that to be fast you need a little something called “torque”. For the last ten years Honda and Toyota decided all they wanted to do was make reliable white-goods, and now they’re wondering why they can’t make fast cars at the pinnacle of performance any more.

The game has changed.
Captain Mainwaring

Yes, the market has changed, and how many GTRs are Nissan selling? More to the point, how many will they be selling in the future when the full impact of maintenance costs becomes apparent and it is no longer a new model? This thing, great car that it is, is nothing more than a marketing ego-trip.
If the so-called NSX replacement is going to be re-positioned downmarket it will be the perfect successor to the S2000, and will have some volume potential. A Ferrari-priced Honda (or Acura) would be in no man’s land.
Wheelnut®™

All I can say is the Pigeons/Seagulls must be a lot bigger in Japan than the ones we have in Oz
Jester

Hey, sub-100K, perfect. This is what will sell not these 200K cars that sell in a few 100′s.
Awesome, 370Z or the new Honda to choose from, its a Win-Win for us customers.
Tom

Honda is too scared to build a high performance engine. Here comes the 250ish kw 6 cylinder powerplant.
Tom

Also, why do we assume that Honda even knows how to build high performance cars? What have they ever done? They have significant racing experience, but even in the early 90′s all the sporting honda’s were FWD hatchbacks. And recently they havn’t done anything at all.
The Realist

Disappointing from Honda…
Riviera

Honda cars have SOUL unlike some cars *cough*Toyota*cough*.

And I bet you, this so-called successor to NSX will be typical of Honda.

If you want fast car go with FPV FG F6. Nothing beats that car for less than $100k.
Shak

TOm what do you assume a high performance engine is. a V8. Nissan has proven that theory wrong.
If they hook this thing up to the AWD system under the Legend then maybe it will handle well.
Robin Graves

Who cares what some stupid seppo thinks an acura or a honda should be? Acura is a joke – I dont know why the manufacturers bother with these offshoot brands when everyone knows they are a honda, toyota or nissan anyway – as if any consumers (except americans) are stupid enough to think they are another brand in their own right? As for the car – I agree a sub $100k sportscar is a more realistic pice of machinery than some pie-in-the-sky ‘supercar’ that no-one can afford.
nathaniel

Really disappointing, the shape looks spot on.
I’m staggered as to why Honda can’t produce a GTR rival. There factory engine development is really par to none. Look at the S2000 engine, all that power from a N/A 2L! And it was produced from 1999.
Jensen

the reason is that they simply cannot build a marketable car that matches the GTR in performance/reliability for anywhere near the same price so therefore NSX is canned. as a consolation to them….neither can anyone else.

S2000 was a bit too pricey. i dont mind a 370z or rx8 priced competitor.
Matty B

I don’t think it’s so much they can’t do it. More so that they can’t justify the outlay. It’s all good to say the GTR sells for what it does and is about as good a bang for buck that’s ever been produced. But Nissan spent the best part of 10 years developing this car. That sort of outlay will never be recouped directly.
Flying High

I agree with many of the sentiments here. May I say up front I really did like Hondas and had the pleasure of owning one of their space-ship Preludes many years ago.

However, how does Honda think it can now go from offering a Civic Type R which is the closest thing Honda have to a sports car to something that is a NSX replacement (assume $AU180K+)or even a GTR Rival ($AU150K+) – withouth anything in-between. No car maker can pull something like that off. There are always steps up the hero car ladder.

Honda need to get a grip and build a proper RWD or all paw machine priced to give the 370Z and perhaps the BMW135i something to think about.

Honda are more than most other Japanese companies capable of doing it and doing it well, but whilst the spirit may be willing, the pen-pushers rule. And nay will you see me in a Honda until they get this balance right.
Jester

Well, Nissan went from offering a 350Z to offering the GT-R, so I do not think that big OEM’s need the step in-between. Bigger problem is with Toyota, its that they haven’t made a decent car since Supra was retired.Enough with the white goods Camry and Corolla junk.
It will be a day when both the Toyota and Honda start offering some 60-80K price range, proper coupes.
Subaru and Mitsu are busy with their 4dr AWD’s, STI/EVO, Mazda and Nissan are at least trying to offer car enthusiasts something on the affordable scale these days with their RX-8 and 370Z.
Nana

Bring back the TRD Aurion as a competitor against the 370z and this new scaled back Honda.
Vince

haha TRD Aurion, please…. Toyota need to bring the Supra back and Honda need to re-do the NSX already. That’s all there is to it. IMO If Mitsubishi did a new GTO V6 TT AWD it would go nicely against the GTR.. that would be the day.
V10

Honda no longer supply F1 engines
pulled out of F1
copies BMW cars,
and their cars are becoming more ordinary then innovative
now this with the NSX
..seems like the spirit is gone at Honda..
whats happened with Soichiro’s dream