Acura hinted that a new NSX might be coming with this prototype sports car used in the recent Iron Man 2 movie - though there'll be distinct differences when the real NSX concept appears in Detroit.
It’s been a long wait but TheDetroitBureau.com has confirmed first-hand that Acura will bring back the NSX nameplate, with a new concept version of the supercar making its debut at next month’s Detroit Auto Show.
The NSX will be the halo vehicle used to help put a halo around Honda’s luxury brand, which has been struggling to re-establish its identity while newer Asian luxury marques – notably Lexus and Infiniti – leave Acura in their dust.
Unlike the V-10 concept that Acura revealed a few years back, the new NSX will opt for a decidedly different approach for a supercar, adopting a specially-tuned version of the hybrid Super Handling All-Wheel-Drive system that the brand will offer in more mainstream models like the RL sedan and MDX crossover. (For more on the new Electric SH-AWD system, Click Here.)
The goal, is the “optimization of styling, performance and efficiency,” explained Gary Evert, head of Honda’s U.S. R&D operations, during a secret background session in Las Vegas earlier this month limited to only a handful of automotive media. “We think this can be a real differentiator for the brand.”
The 2002 update of the original Acura NSX.
Originally conceived as the Honda Pininfarina Xperimental, or HPX, the concept was shifted to the Acura brand, the renamed NSX debuted in 1990 as a ’91 model, targeting the likes of Ferrari and other exclusive European sports carmakers. With its mid-engine, rear-drive layout it was the most expensive Japanese automobile sold in its day – production continuing through 2005.
The project was designed to showcase the technical prowess of the company and the knife-edged two-seater was the world’s first production vehicle to feature an all-aluminum monocoque body, while the original Acura NSX also boasted such breakthroughs as titanium connecting rods, electric power steering and 4-channel ABS, then still a rarity.
By 2005, however, the NSX was clearly outdated despite a number of modest upgrades, and with sales dwindling the supercar was yanked from production. Honda had already dropped repeated hints that a replacement was on the way, and in a December 2007 speech, American Honda CEO Tetsuo Iwamura confirmed plans to produce an all-new model by 2010 using a new V-10 powertrain. But, a year later, those plans were scrubbed leaving the fate of a successor up in the air.
That decision was largely due to the global economic downturn and Honda’s own financial problems. But during the Las Vegas briefing, Iwamura told TheDetroitBureau.com that it became increasingly clear, as development continued, that the planned V-10 model simply wasn’t going to be able to distinguish itself “in a crowded market.”
So, it was back to the proverbial drawing boards, with Acura deciding to go in an entirely different direction, focusing its efforts on a super-efficient powertrain that could yield incredible performance while also delivering impressive fuel economy.
The basic Electric Super Handling-All-Wheel-Drive system coming for the RL and MDX models will start off with a front-mounted 310 horsepower 3.5-liter direct injection V-6 paired with a 40-horsepower motor that will drive the front axle through a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission – Honda’s first. The rear axle will, in turn, feature twin 27-hp electric motors, one driving each wheel.
(For more on the big Acura announcements coming at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show, including the all-new ILX entry-lux sedan, Click Here.)
The layout is what has come to be known as a through-the-road hybrid, as there is no direct mechanical link between the front and rear axles. But what’s most notable is that by using separate motors the torque sent to each rear wheel can be varied depending upon factors such as road conditions or, when entering a corner, torque can be increased to the outer wheel to help steer the vehicle through a turn.
Honda officials weren’t prepared to discuss the technical specifics of the new NSX except to say that the car’s gasoline engine would be mounted mid-ship. But when pressed, they began to provide a more complete picture. It appears that in the new supercar the E-SH-AWD driveline will essentially be reversed, here the gas engine powering the rear wheels, with the twin electric motors mounted up front.
The specific horsepower and torque numbers are being finalized but reading between the lines it is very likely that the next-gen Acura NSX would deliver significantly more power than the same based drive system being planned for the RL and MDX.
As before expect to see the new supercar make extensive use of aluminum, though Acura is likely to make use of some even more exotic materials, where possible, such as carbon fiber-reinforced plastic, or CFRP.
The concept vehicle heading to Detroit will be lower and wider than the original NSX – which had a height of 46.1 inches and a width of 71.3 inches. Length appears to be roughly the same, the 1991 model measuring in at 173.4 inches, nose-to-tail, with a 99.6-inch wheelbase.
The concept NSX’s front bumper will barely reach mid-shin, the nose featuring a decidedly subtle version of the Acura brand’s familiar – if controversial – shield grille. But the most distinctive front feature will be the prototype’s five-LED headlamps. The goal was to give the new model a futuristic look, rather than going with the increasingly-large headlights found on many new models, which the project’s design leader, John Ikeda, suggested have gotten, “out of control.”
The new model carries over only a few subtle hints of the original, highly angular NSX, no surprise since supercar design has evolved significantly over the last 20 years. The overall look is more go-kart like, more planted and solid, with an almost dart-like rise from nose to tail, with modest flying buttresses accenting the back half of the car, helping channel air to the engine and, it appeared, to the rear brakes.
We’ll have to wait for further details, including the planned introduction date, though it appears that development is well underway and that we could see the rebirth of the Acura NSX within the next 12 to 18 months.