Acura to Scale Down NSX Plans
Acura can’t seem to decide if they will build an NSX replacement or not. It seemed likely a few months ago when a front engine GT was spotted lapping the Nürburgring, but now Acura has once again changed its plans and axed the project. What is now certain is that Acura will not build a mid-engine supercar to replace the NSX of the 90s and early 2000s, or even a semi-exotic front-engine GT. What is still up in the air is whether or not Acura will build a less ambitious sports car. Acura has cited several factors for the shelving of a supercar, including a struggling economy.
According to Acura’s Senior Manager of Product Development John Watts, the exotic NSX replacement we wish Acura would build was “too high a halo” for the Acura brand. Watts states that if the halo car is to be effective for Acura, it “couldn’t be too far removed” from Acura’s other models. While we’d all like to see a mid-engine supercar from Honda, these comments point to the possible development of a more affordable sports car which will most likely be based on a current Acura platform to reduce costs.
The front-engine Grand Touring car that Honda/Acura was working on had been targeting a price of over six figures, which Acura decided was too outlandish and not smooth enough of a progression from their current lineup. With those plans canceled, it is possible that Honda will simply scale down the project and work on a more affordable Acura sports car in the $50-$60k range. While it won’t be a supercar to compete with Nissan’s GT-R, the future Acura would be affordable to a much larger audience, similar to Toyota’s Supra Twin Turbo back in the 90s. We look forward to seeing what Honda will come up with, and hope that Honda will eventually move forward with an actual production car.
