The Honda NSX, badged Acura in the United States, is getting ready for its comeback, and this time, it will be electric. The move is part of Honda's strategy to roll out a completely electric lineup.
Honda's CEO Toshihiro Mibe refers to the upcoming NSX as a car with a "completely different taste" from any performance car that the carmaker has ever launched.
Honda unveiled the Saloon Concept at the CES 2024 in Las Vegas as a wedge-shaped futuristic-looking car that previews a production model set to arrive in North America sometime in 2026, but the moment has not been officially confirmed. Honda's CEO says that no timeline has been set for the development and production.
The company from the Land of the Rising Sun is right now carrying out a thorough analysis of the current electric sports car market with the intention to rule out any competitor once its electric sports car is out.
Toyota's chairman, Akio Toyoda, has also confirmed that the brand is working on an electric sports car prototype, so that might be one of the opponents that Mibe is referring to without saying any names at all.
Photo: Honda
The model, which will be the first car in Honda's new 0 Series, will also sell in its home country, Japan, and other countries in Asia, the Middle East, Europe, Africa, and South America. The brand's CEO has already confirmed that there is a sports car in development at the Research and Development Center.
It would be Honda's first electric sports car, and it would designed to serve as a halo for the 0 Series models, which will start rolling out in two years' time. The Japanese carmaker credits the upcoming models with impressive interior space, reduced battery weight, and improved efficiency, but also targets the "joy of driving."
And it looks like the joy of driving refers to a minimalist cabin and a driver-focused cockpit. E-axle drive units will integrate the motors, inverters, and gearbox, as reported by Autocar.
More than a decade ago, when Toshihiro Mibe was the chief of the Honda Research and Development division, he announced plans to revive the NSX. He confirmed the intention with the unveiling of the Prelude concept coupe back in the fall of 2023.
Photo: Honda
The second and last generation of the model arrived in 2016 and remained in production until 2022, when Honda decided to discontinue it due to plunging sales figures. It was powered by a 3.5-liter twin-turbocharged V6 engine, which worked alongside three electric motors, for a total system output of 573 horsepower (581 metric horsepower). The engine was linked to a nine-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. None of these is part of the future plan to roll out an electric sports car.
Honda's premium brand, Acura, is not going to sit and watch Honda have all the fun in the segment. Acura has already previewed its own vision of an electric sportscar but gave no hint regarding the possible involvement of Honda in the project. Currently, they are focusing on building crossovers, the RDX and the MDX, while the ZDX is waiting for its turn to hit the market.
Honda’s first car was pretty much a fiasco. The Honda e was unveiled at the Frankfurt Auto Show in 2019. High price and poor range kept EV enthusiasts away from Honda’s model, which was equipped with a small battery pack with a capacity of only 35.5 kWh, storing energy for a drive of only 137 miles (220 kilometers). Honda hopes that this time, they will have more luck.
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