Day two of the 2013 North American auto show has given Honda the opportunity to show the next evolution of the Honda NSX concept it brought to Detroit one year ago, further building anticipation about the next iteration of the iconic Japanese sports car.
Badged as an Acura, the premium US arm of Honda, the new Honda NSX concept is designed to showcase how development of the next-generation car is progressing.
Still maintaining the low and wide stance of the 2012 NSX concept, Honda says this year’s new NSX concept is based on the expected underpinnings of the final production version the manufacturer will bring to market by the middle of the decade.
While the exterior tweaks appear slight, it’s the interior that has Honda really excited, featuring the first-ever look at one potential direction for the future car’s interior design. Founded on what Honda calls a ‘Human Support Cockpit’ theme, the focus is on “the synergy between man and machine”. Claiming outstanding visibility, an “exotic” driving position, and an intuitive ‘Simple Sports Interface’ said to minimise interior clutter, the new theme is designed to allow the driver to focus on the driving experience.
Acura Design Studio chief designer Jon Ikeda said the company is insistent about delivering on the promise of synergy between man and machine.
“Consistent with the spirit of the original NSX, our intention is to support the psychological and emotional aspects of driving a supercar at the limit.”
“Importantly, this will be true of all Acura vehicles moving forward.”
With Honda’s aim being to deliver “a new sports car experience that combines next-generation supercar dynamic capabilities with advanced environmental performance”, the new NSX will be powered by a mid-mounted, direct-injected V6 engine mated to the brand’s Sport Hybrid SH-AWD (Super Handling All-Wheel Drive) system and an all-new dual-clutch transmission in a combination announced last year.
The three-motor high-performance Sport Hybrid SH-AWD system combines torque vectoring all-wheel-drive technology with hybrid efficiency through the use of three electric motors, one integrated with the petrol engine and two motors driving the front wheels.
Confirmed to start production from 2015, the new NSX will be manufactured at a new production facility in central Ohio in the US.
