For decades, the design of the Honda NSX remained mostly untouched, save for a headlight/front-end refresh. But for the most part, the NSX was highly regarded as Japan’s answer to the Italian supercars from Ferrari and Lamborghini, that is until Lexus introduced the LFA and Nissan made its GT-R available worldwide.

But now that we have seen the new Acura NSX Concept (Shown above) it appears that the Japanese automaker is getting back into the supercar game even though it won’t hit the market until 2015. Nonetheless, Honda found it fitting to give us a video looking back into the NSX’s past as we head towards its new future. The retrospective video highlights previous models such as the NSX-R, the 24 Heures de Le Mans version, some footage of the new NSX in Gran Turismo 5 and of course, the concept that we saw.

Though the powertrain could change by the time it is released, it’s widely believed that the new NSX will feature at least 400-hp with a Sports Hybrid SH-AWD powertrain.

Check out the video after the break.

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The star of the Honda booth at this year’s Geneva Motor Show will undoubtedly be the new NSX Concept. Unveiled as the Acura NSX Concept at the Detroit Auto Show, it will be rebranded for display in other markets, like Europe.

But the mid-engine V6 hybrid drive Japanese exotic won’t be the only new product, with Honda also set to reveal the first of its Earth Dreams Technology engines – a new 1.6-liter diesel that will find its way under the hood of the European Civic. The new engine makes 120 hp at 4000 rpm and 221 lb-ft of torque at 2000 rpm, but perhaps its biggest advantage comes in its light weight, with Honda saying it will be the lightest engine in its class, weighing even less than a 1.6-liter gasoline engine. Honda has not announced any plans to offer this new diesel engine in North America.

With it’s Earth Dreams Technology lineup of engines Honda is aiming to reclaim leadership in the fuel economy race, offering not only the most fuel efficient engines, but also the most powerful.

In addition to these products, Honda will also showcase a prototype of the European CR-V, as well as the EV-STER electric sports car.

GALLERY: Honda NSX Concept

After having taken quite a beating with reviews of the new Civic, Honda has been on the offensive, promising updates while announcing its new “Earth Dreams Technology” plan to reestablish itself as a fuel economy leader. With the debut of the EV-STER electric sports car concept and confirmation that a new NSX is on the horizon, company president Takanobu Ito is now going a step further, while explaining the faults of the past.

In an interview with the The Nikkei, he explains Honda’s old product planning method. “We divided the world into six regions, and Honda’s regional operations were each responsible for their respective regions. Whenever we planned a product for the global market, our thinking was that we needed to listen to each regional supervisor.”

The result, says Ito, was a lowest-common-denominator approach to building a car, watering down all the characteristics of a vehicle to the greatest mass-market appeal. The problem admits Ito is that, “When you harmonize all the different opinions, you end up with a safe, boring car.”

Under the old method of doing business, the vehicle development team was essentially taking the designed-by-committee idea and building a car around it.

Ito says that since he took over in April of last year, changed the system. “I had three corporate officers each supervise luxury, midsize and small vehicles,” he said. “Putting more authority in their hands, I asked them to create more competitive autos and to speed up coordination with product planning and regional operations. I set up a structure that would allow them to take the lead in realizing the wishes of the development team. The fruits of these moves will begin to appear in the market next fiscal year.”

Exactly what those fruits are, says Ito, will be cars that are environmentally friendly and safe, but also ones that are “highly distinctive”. Honda, after all, has a long history of unique vehicles from the NSX, S2000, CRX and del Sol. But perhaps most importantly, he says, “This strategy will be represented by our effort to make vehicles more sporty.”

The first true example of this plan will be evident when Honda unveils the next-generation NSX at the Detroit Auto Show next week.

[Source: Nikkei via TTAC]

Honda is bringing its famous NSX sports car back to life, only this time it will be packaged as a 400 hp hybrid model and will be sporting a unique powertrain system.

The NSX will be driven by a 3.5L V6 gasoline direct injection engine which will be strictly devoted to driving the front axle of the vehicle. The rear wheels will be powered by two in-wheel electric motors that operate independently of each other. This independent electric motor setup makes the car capable of delivering different power levels to the inside and outside wheels while cornering and maneuvering to add responsiveness and tighter handling.

Honda debuted this electric SH-AWD setup in late November (see here) but never announced officially when the system would see production or in what vehicle it would make its debut. The original SH-AWD system was paired with a new dual clutch seven speed automatic transmission which may or may not find its way into the NSX.

Representatives at Honda say that the primary focus of the system is to increase fuel economy while keeping power and handling intact.

In terms of looks, we have already seen spy photos from the set of the new Avengers movie(Pictured Above), so we can only assume the finished product will be heavily influenced by that early model. The NSX will bow at the Detroit auto show badged as an Acura, but will be re-branded as a Honda when it hits the streets in the UK.

To read AutoGuide’s coverage of the electric SH-AWD powertrain system click here.

[Source: AutoExpress]

Acura has officially confirmed it will reveal what it is calling a concept version of the next-generation NSX at the upcoming Detroit Auto Show in January. A brand that’s lineup has been in serious need of some fresh new product and exciting new models will get just that with the debut of this new sports car concept, as well as the world premiere of a crossover prototype that will eventually become the next RDX and what is being called the ILX concept.

The ILX will hint strongly at Acura’s new small sedan, which until now was rumored to wear the RSX badge. While previous reports had indicated this may actually replace the TSX as a down-sized model closer in size to the Honda Civic on which it’s based, Acura will only say the ILX will be the brand’s first ever hybrid. In total, the ILX, which will go on sale in 2013, will be available with the other powertrains, the first we can safely assume is a gasoline engine, while the other remains a secret.

See AutoGuide’s complete Detroit Auto Show preview here.

With an announcement by Honda that it will debut a small electric sports car concept at the Tokyo Motor Show, rumors are swirling that more performance concepts are on their way.

According to a report by AutoCar, after the reveal of the Small Sports EV Concept (above) in Tokyo, Honda will then debut a Super Sports concept at the Detroit Auto Show in January. A spiritual successor to the NSX, it is expected to use either an electric or hybrid drivetrain, while all-wheel drive is possible.

Back in September Honda CEO Takanobu Ito first confirmed an NSX successor was in the works.

[Source: AutoCar]

News broke last month that Honda CEO Takanobu Ito confirmed development of a new NSX. Now comes word that we could get our first look at the vehicle at the Tokyo Auto Show next month.

If so, the new NSX might just be the best-kept secret in the auto industry. That vehicle would just be a concept, however, with a production model likely timed for a 2012 debut with sales starting the following year.

Look for the “new NSX” to differ significantly from the old model, however, focusing on performance, but also fuel economy, with a hybrid system likely.

[Source: AutoCar]

Spy photos taken at the set of the upcoming Avengers movie is providing us with a glimpse of a future Acura sports car, driven by Robert Downey Junior who plays Iron Man, Tony Stark.

According to AutoExpress, this vehicle points the way for the future NSX successor. Honda‘s previous plans to develop a new front engine V10 supercar, the Honda HSV-010 GT, were thwarted by economic recession. Honda later salvaged the project and shifted its efforts to bring the HSV-010 to Japan’s Super GT racing series.

Undeterred, Honda president and CEO Takanobu Ito wants a production halo to boost Acura’s relevance in the industry. Rumors suggest that the NSX successor will be based on a lightweight aluminum chassis, receiving power from a V6 engine as well as an advanced hybrid drivetrain. The combustion engine will drive the rear wheels while electric motors drive the front.

Pricing for the NSX successor are expected to be along the lines of $80,000 to $100,000, placing it squarely against its fellow countryman, Nissan GT-R, as well as foreign rivals like the Porsche 911, Audi R8, Aston Martin V8 Vantage and Chevrolet Corvette.

No word on the release date, but you can count on Honda taking a number of years before making an official announcement.

[Source: AutoExpress]

It’s been rumored, confirmed, re-confirmed, axed and revived. If jaded skepticism about not just the car, but the Honda brand hasn’t gotten to you yet, then rejoice in this latest blissful report that the NSX will return.

That’s right, according to Honda CEO Takanobu Ito, a “new NSX” is in the cards, keeping very much in line with the principles of the original. What that means is that it will focus on having an incredible power-to-weight ratio rather than all-out power. That said, don’t look for it to win any drag races, but do expect it to humble the competition on the race track.

Sadly, the “new NSX” might not be the performance champ some are expecting either, with Ito commenting in an interview with AutoCar that, “The original NSX was about high power but also good driving performance, and today power-to-weight is what we have to focus on.” Wait! What? The original NSX was about high-power output? (On the contrary, the car is famous for being so incredibly fast on track despite it’s under 300-hp rating).

Ito, who worked on the original NSX says he wants the current crop of engineers to have the opportunity to work on a car like the NSX and so they’ve already begun on the project. “Our engineers are already looking at developing such a car,” he said.

So the new Acura NSX is coming. But will it be the NSX everyone is hoping for?

[Source: AutoCar]

Many a Honda fanboy is under the impression that the brand has lost its way, putting too much of a focus on green technology and not enough on driving enjoyment and performance. But Honda is looking to restore faith in the company by merging the two ideas says President Takanobu Ito, confirming that it is working ‘very hard’ on a spiritual successor to the car.

What exactly that means is unclear, but Ito says it will be exciting to drive but also a green machine. That being said it is expected to sit as a flagship not only for Honda’s performance side, but also for its hybrid technology.

The previous NSX successor was killed off due to cost cutting measures, and that might not have been the worst thing as the front-engined V10 exotic seemed to depart significantly from the Honda performance philosophy. Expected to be a hybrid (and possibly a plug-in hybrid) if the NSX is any indication, look for this car to wow fans with agile handling and impressive packaging rather than astonishingly high performance numbers.

[Source: Automotive News]