The Shanghai Auto Show brought some exciting news for Honda fans as the Japanese automaker revealed plans for the development of a new sports car that will be the spiritual successor to the iconic Honda NSX (Acura NSX in North America).
Speaking on the sidelines of the show, Honda Motor Company president, Takanobu Ito, said the new car won’t feature the V10 engine that had been planned for the next NSX, as the company scrapped this project back in 2008, during the global financial crisis. Ito told reporters that the future NSX would be exhilarating to drive but also environmentally friendly. “That’s the kind of sports car we want to make. We are working very hard on it,” Ito was quoted as saying by Autonews.
The Honda official didn’t offer additional details on the sports car or a timeline for its launch. However, a Honda spokesman said the car is expected to use an electric motor to give the gasoline engine a boost, much like in the case of the CR-Z sport hybrid. But unlike the latter, the NSX successor will be positioned as a high-performance hybrid vehicle.
Initial plans for an NSX successor were cancelled by former Honda president Takeo Fukui, who justified the move then as a cost-saving measure. The car was expected to have a front-mounted V10 engine developing at least 500 horsepower. The drivetrain ended up being used by the Honda HSV-010 GT racecar, the racing variant of the never-to-be-produced NSX V10.
The original NSX was powered by a mid-mounted V6 engine producing 270 horsepower (with a 5-speed manual gearbox). The NSX went out of production in late 2005 after a 14-year long career.
By Dan Mihalascu
PHOTO GALLERY
