Acura: Old NSX Was “Too High a Halo,” Next Sports Car to Be Less Ambitious

The on-again, off-again next-generation Acura NSX sports car is pretty much off for good, at least as we have come to expect it. The low-slung, mid-engined, quasi-exotic sports car that Acura built all through the ‘90s and into a good part of the this millennium was expected to become a front-engine GT with extreme styling in its next iteration, but alas, due to many factors, the car has been shelved.

But according to John Watts, Acura’s senior manager of product development, the prospect of an Acura sports car is not dead. It has just been scaled down. The NSX was “too high a halo,” said 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. In other words, it would be less expensive than the NSX—which was expected to have an MSRP approaching six figures—and probably derived from a current product platform. That’s bad news for those who got attached to the concept of a Honda-built exotic sports car, good news for Nissan, whose GT-R won’t be facing a Honda-built rival any time soon. We are intrigued, however, by what kind of sports car Honda can build in the $50K–$60K range.

Source;

http://blog.caranddriver.com/acura-old-nsx-was-too-high-a-halo-next-sports-car-to-be-less-ambitious/

Next Gen Acura NSX Rendition

Here's a picture that I don't remember seeing before on the proposed Next Generation Acura/Honda NSX, which is now rumoured to be a V6 Hybrid. So, I thought I'd pass it on....

Source;
http://www.burlappcars.com/2009/07/nsx-reborn.html

TOV: Honda 4 Door Coupe?!?

Within the last week or so, there have been rumors concerning a new "4-door coupe" that Honda is said to be working on. Auto Motor und Sport (a German publication) asserted that this vehicle would be a new top level version of the European Accord (also known as the Acura TSX in North America). Auto Motor und Sport claims that the 4-door coupe will feature short front and rear overhangs as well as a coupe-like high beltline. AMuS further contends that base versions of this vehicle will likely be front-wheel-drive and use largely carryover (2.4L ~200hp 4-cylinder) powertrains. They also suggest that a Type-S version featuring a 260hp turbocharged 2.3L 4-cylinder, DSG double clutch transmission, and SH-AWD will be in the offering as well.

Now comes another story, this time from a Japanese outlet. Daniel Garcia Rodgriguez just returned from a quick visit to Japan and while he was there he picked up the latest issue of Holiday Auto magazine and scanned in these images. If you're not familar with the magazine, Holiday Auto is one of Japan's "car scoop" magazines. I'm not real clear on their track record on past scoop stories, but apparently they too have heard of this supposed 4-door coupe, and they have a slightly different take on what it will be. Here is what Daniel was able to decipher from the Japanese text:

"Jeff, I got something for you in Japan. Sorry for not having time to work out the text, but from what I understood very quickly, there is not much real information. Here is what I think I got of what seems Honda's answer to the "4door coupe" incipient market according to Hollyday-Auto (June 2009 issue):

- expect it for 2010 (calendar year).

- should sit in between the TL and TSX in terms of size (see the figures on the table).

- should get similar powertrain-transmission combo as the ZDX.

- styling wise, think about a dropped-off ZDX. Cheers, Daniel

Commentary: With several outlets jumping in on this rumor, it seems that there could be something to it, but if this vehicle is going to be based on the existing FF platform, I'd have to assume that these drawings are probably not very accurate. It's a great look, but for it to be pulled off properly, the front overhang needs to be shorter than just about anything Honda currently sells. This would make a fantastic vehicle to build upon Honda's on-again/off-again FR platform, but don't get your hopes up. Scanning the text of the article, I noticed a few English letters that caught my eye, particularly 'FR' and 'V8' along with 'SH-AWD'. Daniel assured me that the text of the Holiday Auto article makes mention of those things as items that Honda was working on, and the article makes it clear that Honda decided not to use that platform for this vehicle and instead to make it happen with existing technology. Ah, here we go again...

Source;

http://www.vtec.net/news/news-item?news_item_id=832493