Acura Plans Scaled Down NSX Replacement

  • Thread starter Thread starter gt3_racer05
  • 28 comments
  • 3,201 views
G

gt3_racer05

Messages
355
United States
land of the free
Messages
thecoupe
Motor Authority
acura-nsx-replacement-preview_100226461_s.jpg


The last official word on Acura’s replacement for the NSX supercar was that the project was canned due to poor profit results at Honda as well as the poor state of the economy and auto industry in general. However, with Acura’s internal goal to reach ‘tier 1’ status in the luxury segment, a halo model like the previous NSX may just be what the brand needs.

So where does that leave the NSX replacement that has been sighted on numerous occasions lapping it up at Germany’s Nurburgring? Back in February, Dick Colliver, executive vice president of American Honda Motor Co., revealed that development on the NSX replacement was “mostly done” and that it would be a quick move to market if given the green light.

Now, John Watts, Acura’s senior manager of product development, has revealed that the notion of an Acura sports car is not dead but just revised. Instead of targeting expensive supercars and performance thoroughbreds like the Ferrari F430, Nissan GT-R and upcoming Lexus LF-A, Acura is planning to release a much tamer sports car, possibly derived from one of the brand’s current platforms.

The NSX was “too high a halo,” Watts explained. “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. This means that the new sports car will likely be priced much lower than the NSX and performance will probably more along the lines of the Nissan 370Z rather than the GT-R.

Though it’s good to hear that Acura is still planning to launch a sports model, it is somewhat sad that the world may never see the 600 horsepower V10 supercar rumored to be in the works.
Click to expand...

Can't wait for the specs :)
 
Lame. I'd much rather they made it a Honda; this way I can avoid having to pay for all the shiny bits and bobs.
 
So, it makes more sense for them to shove it into the arguably too-competitive $35K sports coupe segment? Right. Make it fight against the big, well-established players. I have to wonder if they're going light, cheap and awesome or big, expensive and meh. Chasing after the M3, S5 and all that crap isn't fun. Playing kick the can with the kids down around the $30K mark is.
 
I dunno, the lower market is exploding for a reason right now. I'm also unsure if Honda is ready to release a car more powerful than their SuperGT NSX to the public, rather, they'd prefer to test the waters with this one.
 
...so it's not an NSX then, is it? It's not mid-engined, it's not super-light weight, and it's not stupidly quick.

They might as well have rolled out a Fit and tried to claim that was a 'scaled down replacement'.
 
Geeez people, lighten up a little :nervous: The explanation in the release made perfect sense to me and I for one, think the car shown looks very cool. Honda/Acura is a very conservative company and prone to make very good decisions when it comes to what's best for the company and it's loyal consumer base. If they decided to drop the existing NSX project, I have to believe they had a VERY good reason or they wouldn't have done it. Their conservative nature and fiscal responsibility allowed them (in this country anyway) to be the ONLY car company located here to have avoided the unsavory task of laying off workers. I learned long ago, not to second guess what Honda does ... they do what they do, and we all benefit in the end :sly:
 
slowman
Lame. I'd much rather they made it a Honda; this way I can avoid having to pay for all the shiny bits and bobs.
Click to expand...

Honda already has coupe car (S2000). Now, it's Acura's turn to have a coupe, since the RSX is gone
 
gt3_racer05
Thanks for the S2000 reminding. Now I remember the news about discontinuing S2000. Si doesnt replace RSX, simply because it's Honda not Acura
Click to expand...

That's a valid point. Does anyone feel as though the Scion TC was a worthy replacement for the Toyota Celica GT-S?
 
Absolutely not. The tC was more or less a successor to the ST204 than the ST231, and even then, I wouldn't put them in the same vein by days end. The tC is too big, too heavy, and takes far too much from the Camry to be a true successor to the last of the Celicas.
 
gt3_racer05
Thanks for the S2000 reminding. Now I remember the news about discontinuing S2000. Si doesnt replace RSX, simply because it's Honda not Acura
Click to expand...

True, but as the Si made the more expensive RSX look like a waste of money, it had to go. Thus, the Si replaced it. I think Honda is one of the few companies that won't sell you the same car under three badges with marginally different trim levels and such.

In case you're wondering, the Si has the same power, slightly different gear ratios but the same six speed, the Integra Type R limited slip, and maybe a little weight advantage though I'm not sure on that. The LSD alone gives it a pretty good handling advantage.
 
Eric.
True, but as the Si made the more expensive RSX look like a waste of money, it had to go. Thus, the Si replaced it. I think Honda is one of the few companies that won't sell you the same car under three badges with marginally different trim levels and such.

In case you're wondering, the Si has the same power, slightly different gear ratios but the same six speed, the Integra Type R limited slip, and maybe a little weight advantage though I'm not sure on that. The LSD alone gives it a pretty good handling advantage.
Click to expand...

After some searches, it is true that RSX got discontinue because they want Si to replace RSX instead. Having that said, I'd rather drive an RSX than a sport Civic
 
You know what I'd rather have than a bloated 2 door coupe with the Acura corporate face plastered on the front? A few more years of S2000.
 
That pic looks more like a replacement RSX/Integra. They might as well have the RSX step up its game, rather than lower the "placement" of the NSX
 
Toronado
You know what I'd rather have than a bloated 2 door coupe with the Acura corporate face plastered on the front? A few more years of S2000.
Click to expand...

Agreed.


Or hell, just give us a new S2000. Like they should have in the first place.
 
YSSMAN
Absolutely not. The tC was more or less a successor to the ST204 than the ST231, and even then, I wouldn't put them in the same vein by days end. The tC is too big, too heavy, and takes far too much from the Camry to be a true successor to the last of the Celicas.
Click to expand...

Well, with the way everything has gone at Toyota in the last couple years, I'd say the tC fits at about the same spot in the current lineup that the Celica always has.

YSSMAN
Or hell, just give us a new S2000. Like they should have in the first place.
Click to expand...

And hopefully not the FF hybrid thing they were talking about. Same with the new NSX, actually. What's so wrong with coming up with new names that they have to go against the spirit of existing nameplates?
 
If I'm really honest, I'd rather have Honda do a two-tiered S2000 replacement program. Do a traditional re-thinking of the current S2000, albeit with a "low-cost-option" that would run the 1.5L 118 BHP mill from the Fit, and make people like me happy they can buy a cheap roadster from Honda.
 
I think it would be awesome if they had a Miata competitor out there. Something a little smaller and lighter than the S2000 but then with the Fit motor I'm sure it would scoot. And then if they wanted to do something really hot the Civic SI has a pretty sweet motor.
 
I agree with some others. That sounds more like an RSX/S2000 replacement than an NSX replacement. It also doesn't sound like they're all that interested in the markets that they pretty much created or excelled in.

And since I have the urge to ramble, I think Honda (and the Acura brand) have sadly changed their focus far away from what it was. This hit home as I've been car shopping lately, looked to Hondas first and saw nothing like my old favorites. The S2000 is going away, the Integra, RSX and Prelude are all gone, the Civics--including the Si--look a bit too much like scrunched minivans, and the Accords are massive. I'm trying to at least find a manual Accord Coupe to test drive, but no one has one.

(I'm currently watching for a manual RSX-S that hasn't been riced or trashed. It's not easy).
 
Philly
I think it would be awesome if they had a Miata competitor out there. Something a little smaller and lighter than the S2000 but then with the Fit motor I'm sure it would scoot. And then if they wanted to do something really hot the Civic SI has a pretty sweet motor.
Click to expand...

It wouldn't scoot at all. The S2000 weighed over 2700 pounds in its time. The MR-S was kind of quick at 2200 pounds with 140 HP and a smooth, decent torque band from the 1.8L. Any new S2000 type replacement with that Fit motor would be slower than an NA Miata. Which is slow...
 
Ariel Atom Bomb
If it's not mid engined, it's not an NSX.
Click to expand...

I dont think they're going to call it NSX, this is going to be a car with new name, yet affordable. At first I was kinda confused, I didn't know if they meant making this "next gen NSX" afford or making wat was originally "to be next NSX" to something else afford
 
Uehara is gone people.

I'm not saying they can't make a good or great car. However, the people responsible for everything we have loved about Honda's sporty offerings in the last 20 years are no longer there, and expectations need to be adjusted. I doubt Honda will continue to be as appealing to the hardcore purists out there as it has been.
 
I don't think what you posted will be the NSX replacement. That pic (the original, 1st post) looks remarkably like the CR-Z hybrid concept which they are putting into production. The last feasible NSX replacement was the HSC around 3-4 years ago. If it's not mid-engined, it's not an NSX replacement.
 

Latest Posts

Back