Honda CEO Talks Up NSX

[ahmed_7erzon]

At a recent Tokyo press conference, Honda president and CEO Takanobu Ito let slip that Honda is contemplating building a next-generation NSX. (We've previously reported that the car is most likely already in development. )
A combination of the financial crisis and the global movement for greener cars led to the cancellation of the last attempt at an NSX for the new millennium. Honda shelved the project but never forgot about it, and even campaigned a version of the cancelled car in Japan's Super GT series.

While Ito did not actually come out and say that Honda has officially green-lit the NSX, the climate finally looks to be right to reevaluate Honda's road-going sports car program, with the company's hybrid technology as a focal point and the NSX as the halo car.
What Ito did say at the press conference is that Honda is "rekindling" its spirit of motorsport and sports cars, and has commenced evaluation of several other models that will meet the expectations of a public wanting both meaner and greener efforts.

Honda is reportedly working on two other sports-themed cars with hybrid tech -- a medium-sized sports car with a V-6-hybrid (strongly rumored to debut as an Acura) and a compact lightweight four-cylinder hybrid coupe -- in addition to the NSX.









The NSX reference came from a slip of the tongue by Ito when asked about the current Super GT race car, which was based on the shelved production car. To enable it to race in Japan (and to give it better balance and make it lighter), Honda dropped the V-10 and replaced it with a V-8. And it started winning.
While the future production model NSX was expected to employ either a V-6 or V-8 with hybrid technology, Ito's comment that, "we might just launch the car in limited numbers as is, with a downtuned V-8," was as surprising as it was welcome. Ito's pronouncement aside, it is unclear what form the car will take, or when we might see it in showrooms.