honda Acura NSX Concept

In December 2007, American Honda CEO, Tetsuo Iwamura, confirmed a new supercar powered by a V10 engine would make its introduction to the market by 2010.^[21] The new sports car would be based on the Acura ASCC (Advanced Sports Car Concept) introduced at the 2007 North American International Auto Show.^[22] With Honda CEO Takeo Fukui challenging the developers to make the vehicle faster than its rivals,^[23] prototypes of the vehicle were seen testing on the Nürburgring in June 2008.^[24] On 17 December 2008, Fukui announced during a speech about Honda's revised financial forecast that, due to poor economic conditions, all plans for a next-generation NSX had been cancelled.^[25] In March 2010, the Acura NSX project changed name to Honda HSV-010 GT and was entered in the Japanese SuperGT Championship. The HSV-010 GT is powered by a 3.4-liter V8 sending somewhere in excess of 500 hp (373 kW) through the sequential manual gearbox from Ricardo.^{[citation needed]}

In April 2011, Automotive News reported that Honda is developing a new sports car to be a successor to the NSX.^[26] It reports that Honda CEO Ito said the car would be exhilarating to drive but also environmentally friendly. It is expected the vehicle will incorporate an electric drivetrain to give the gasoline engine a boost.^[27] Back in late 2010, Motor Trend reported that Honda was looking into a mid-engine hybrid sports car, to be an NSX successor.^[28]

In September 2011, during filming of The Avengers, Robert Downey, Jr. (playing the role of Iron Man) was spotted in an exotic sportscar based on the new NSX by Acura, made specifically for the film,^[29] rather than the Audi R8 he previously drove in Iron Man and Iron Man 2.^[30][31]

2012 Acura NSX Concept

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In December 2011, Acura announced that they would show the next generation NSX in concept form at the 2012 North American Auto Show. On January 9, 2012, Acura unveiled the 2012 Acura NSX Concept.^[32]

The new concept retained the 2-door coupe, mid-engine, with an all-wheel drive formula. Weight is kept down through the use of a high-tech platform made from lightweight materials. Power comes from a V6 (a 90 * design actually derived from the former V10 but with a lot of new technologies added and downsized) mounted behind the two occupants that sends its power to the rear wheels and is augmented by an electric motor. Acura's SH-AWD incorporates one electric motor in a dual-clutch transmission, forming a hybrid setup. Additionally, two more motors can instantly send negative or positive torque to the front wheels during cornering for improved handling and efficiency. Acura claims the new all-wheel-drive system will provide super car acceleration while offering better efficiency. Acura did not disclose how much horsepower its V6 engine and three electric motors will produce.

The production NSX is not expected to be produced until at least 2015 and will be built at the Marysville Auto Plant in Marysville, Ohio. An advertisement for the vehicle began airing in early February 2012, featuring Jerry Seinfeld and Jay Leno.

Honda plans to develop a GTE racing version of the NSX to run at the 24 Hours of Le Mans from 2015 onward. It is unknown if it will be a factory effort or if it will be run as a customer program, but Honda expects to race it in America - likely the American Le Mans Series.^[33]