Acura NSX Concept

After at least two failed attempts to reinvent the legendary Acura / Honda NSX supercar, it looks like a worthy successor is just around the corner. The Acura NSX concept which was unveiled today at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show was introduced not just as a some sort of play thing created to while away the hours in the Acura design studio, but it was concieved from the very start with production in mind. In fact its already been green lighted, the production location has been picked – it’s somewhere in Ohio – and the basic engineering and drivetrain layout chosen.
Expected to hit the streets sometime in 2015, the new Acura NSX will be powered by a hybrid drivetrain which utilizes a mid-mounted V6 and a unique 2 Electric Motor Drive Unit with a Bilateral Torque Adjustable Control System. The NSX will employ the company’s latest SH-AWD (Super Handling All Wheel Drive) hybrid system, and although the performance figures probably won’t surface for a while yet, it looks like Acura are keen to produce a car which would make its predecessor proud.

To boost both performance and fuel economy, the new Acura NSX will make use of lightweight materials. Takanobu Ito, president and CEO of Honda Motor Company, and also rather fittingly the man who led the development Acura’s first NSX supercar, said of the car: “Like the first NSX, we will again express high performance through engineering efficiency. In this new era, even as we focus on the fun to drive spirit of the NSX, I think a supercar must respond positively to environmental responsibilities.”

Announcing the rebirth of the Honda NSX, one of the most iconic sports cars of the 1990s, which will return in 2015 an American-built, rear-engined Acura with all-wheel-drive. Here's something to get excited for. The NSX represented the pinnacle of Honda's sports heyday of the 1980s and '90s. Launched with input from Formula One great Ayrton Senna, the NSX set a brace of technological firsts -- from its aluminum monocoque frame to the variable valve timing that would become a standard on engines worldwide. The NSX wasn't the fastest or most-powerful supercar, but reflected Honda's balance between power, weight and handling -- a sweet spot that few cars have ever acheived.