Despite Honda ’s intentions to move its Acura brand upscale, the marque is still without an image vehicle. The NSX used to hold that position in the Acura lineup, but Honda failed to replace the halo car after its production ended in 2005. Honda showed its Advanced Sports Car Concept at last year’s Detroit Auto Show, a preview of the next-generation NSX, but failed to deliver a production version — as Honda said it would — at the 2007 Tokyo show.
According to Dick Colliver, executive vice president of American Honda Motor Co., the delay has been because designers can’t agree on the NSX’s styling. “All of the designers are working together on the NSX, but they can’t agree on the styling,” he told Automotive News.
Collier also admitted that Acura left the last-generation NSX on the market for too long without any significant upgrades. He said that trend would not continue on the next iteration of the car. “We must get it right. We must have the right image. A lot of it is perception with the customer,” Collier said.
While details on the new NSX remain scarce, it is known that the car will be powered by a V10 powerplant.
Honda says the next-generation NSX will hit the market before the redesigned Acura RL , which will bow in 2010.
