Acura Confirms Sports Car Development Under Way, NSX Successor Unlikely
Acura may have officially begun its quest back to relevance. Then again, maybe not. According to a recent report out of Japan, Honda CEO Takashi Ito made known to reporters that the automaker is once-again revisiting plans to build a sports car.
Reconfirming that news, Car & Driver is now reporting a a similar story from an American Acura executive.
NSX fans shouldn’t get their hopes up, however, as the unnamed exec shied away from comments about a true halo performance model, instead referring to the car as a, “sports model,” that will, “meet the needs of the current times and customers.” (Hopefully better than the ZDX does). The car will also have a strong focus on safety and the environment.
While a mid-engine, rear-wheel drive exotic is unlikely, there’s still hope this car will be exciting. Honda has yet to announce plans to re-start its V8 program so in the mean time we’re left to conclude that this new model will be a front-drive grand-tourer with some sort of hybrid V6 powertrain. While no GT-R or LFA, if done rightly, Honda/Acura still may be able to pull this one off successfully.
[Source: Car & Driver]
With AutoGuide from its launch, Colum previously acted as Editor-in-Chief of Modified Luxury & Exotics magazine where he became a certifiable car snob driving supercars like the Koenigsegg CCX and racing down the autobahn in anything over 500 hp. He has won numerous automotive journalism awards including the Best Video Journalism Award in 2014 and 2015 from the Automotive Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC). Colum founded Geared Content Studios, VerticalScope's in-house branded content division and works to find ways to integrate brands organically into content.
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If the 2012 Civic SI is any indication of what Honda thinks a sport coupe should be like--I would not get my hopes up too much, as the new SI is not much of an improvement over the previous models as the handling does not seem to be better and instead of developing a new high tech turbo engine for it,Honda just dropped in the TSX 2.4 liter engine which really is hardly the leading edge. Maybe Honda, needs to consider buying the 2.0 turbo from Hyundai and using it in the SI since apparently Honda can't develop a decent turbo on its own.
A front wheel drive Acura sport car? Who will buy that? They should do an AWD with DCT and it will sell like crazy. Make it in 6 speed manual and it will be a looser. If they cannot do a AWD; then make it RWD. After all; it a sports car. Price it around $80 U.S. dollars as base price and full load around $180K