2011 Frankfurt - Honda CEO Says NSX Successor is a go

Get ready for carbon fiber and aluminum prices to continue going skyward.
 
carbon and aluminum products are used for lightweight parts. A number of carbon parts are used to make the corvette zo6, zr1, etc. Aluminum is the same way. It's lighter than steel, which is why it was used in the first nsx. They claimed the all aluminum body on the 1st nsx saved them 441 pounds over steel. As demand for more and more cars to be light, the cost goes up. I recall reading a memo about sourcing zo6 parts back in the day, and they were having issues acquiring enough carbon fiber.
 
SacrificeTheory said:
Honda needs to pull a Nissan and make an awesome overall sports car.

At first, people wouldn't ever think about buying a 90k Nissan, but look how well the GTR is selling. Why? Because it destroys almost all it's competition with 2x the price tag.

If this NSX can compete with the GTR, then, and only then, could I see people buying a 90k car with a Honda badge.
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Well said! :yeahthat:
 
NitrousG35 said:
Honda/Acura needs a halo car. Heck, even Ford is thinking about another version of the Ford GT. I was just talking to a Ford insider who said that the Ford GT will be a hybrid that will be something akin to the Porsche 918. I would assume Honda would do the same. I just can't see them coming out with a GT-R contender as that is philosophically against everything corporate Honda stands for today. I could see a twin turbo V6 Hybrid that is based on a lightweight platform. The mantra that many companies are espousing is "lightweight". Extensive use of aluminum and composites should hopefully trim 500 pounds or more off many platforms. Imagine a 400 hp, low emissions, high fuel economy NSX that weighs less than 3,000 pounds. That would be a recipe for fun.
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Yeah, no way will Honda be manufacturing (at least, not at this point in time) a GT-R contender. If they do carry through with an NSX replacement, it's going to be a reintroduction of Honda's now extinct "fun" side. I don't think they'll be making huge leaps and bounds with a new model, but rather something to test the market viability. I think 400 hp is a bit optimistic, but I agree that it will most likely be some form of V6 hybrid.
 
remember that hp figures don't always rule. Look back to the original

280hp versus the ferrari 355
 
At Honda's recent shareholders' meeting in Tokyo, a middle-aged man stood up during the Q&A session and asked whether the company was going to reinterpret a small, sporty car like the Beat for the 21st century. "While I am still young enough to enjoy sports driving, I'd like to drive something compact and sporty, something like an updated Beat. What are the chances of that?" he said poignantly.

Honda CEO Takanobu Ito took the microphone and replied without hesitation. "We are currently developing a successor to the Beat, a car that anyone can easily have fun with. Expect to see it in showrooms within the next few years." The comment dominated the headlines the next day. Strangely, Ito's subsequent utterance didn't get nearly as much play, but potentially was much more significant to those pining away for a road-going Honda supercar: "In addition to the Beat successor, we are also making significant progress with plans for an exotic sports car."

Just six months ago, Ito told a media gathering that Honda felt compelled to re-launch a high-performance sports car like the NSX, but he didn't go so far as to say it was definitely happening. But it was the first time Ito had actually uttered the telling phrase "making significant progress with plans to..." build a successor.

To get a clearer idea of exactly what Honda has planned, a source close to Honda suggested we go back a decade and re-examine the Dualnote, a gasoline-hybrid, all-wheel-drive concept car first shown way back at the 2001 Tokyo Motor Show. Powered by a midship-mounted (Japanese-speak for mid-engined) 3.5-liter V-6 with Honda's IMA hybrid system, the four-door concept's front wheels were propelled by in-wheel electric motors, while the rears were driven by the engine, a combination that reportedly generated more than 400 horsepower. The Dualnote was so advanced back then that all Honda did was adapt the drive system (minus the in-wheel electric motors) to the soon-to-be-launched Legend, thus creating the SH-AWD system.

Ten years down the track, Honda is still perfecting that original AWD hardware, which includes the large-capacity engine with hybrid combination, motors that propel the fronts, and V-6-driven rears. Another insider tells us the car's target specifications have already been decided. "Honda wants to build a supercar that breaks the mold while creating a totally new technological package," he said. So what we are going to see is a further development of that 2001 concept, but adapted for today's fuel economy and emissions expectations.

It's not a car that rests on its engine-generated power alone. The extra herbs produced by the front-mounted electric motors will make the next-generation NSX a very quick car. "It has to be fast to live up to the expectations of a future NSX, right!?" pleads our insider. He went onto say that a record Nurburgring lap time is not Honda's target. "But be rest assured, this car will be the top in its class, and the powerful engine-motor combination will achieve that result."

Our sources inform us that Honda is working on a VTEC V-6 engine displacing 3.5 to 3.7 liters that boasts a cylinder head with an integrated exhaust manifold and valveless throttle. Obviously it will be of the Atkinson cycle variety. The two-motor setup will be powered by lithium-ion batteries and employ a plug-in recharge system to minimize battery weight.

The original Dualnote system incorporated an engine that drove an on-board generator powering the motors, a system considered inherently inefficient. By fitting an all-new continuous current motor to the new concept, engineers have been able to minimize electricity consumption while at the same time creating a gutsy torque-generating, high-revving system. "This system will be the secret to the NSX successor's incredible pace," suggests our source.

One other critical aspect of the new car will be its weight-saving aluminum body, a process carried over from the first NSX. And the final part of the package is price. Our sources tell us that Honda wants to bring the car to the U.S. as an Acura by 2014 for under $100,000 -- a sticker price designed to rival that of the Nissan GT-R.
 
according to an inflation calculator-
What cost $85,000 in 1995 would cost $126,353.84 in 2011.
 
cue for everyone to open up microsoft paint :popcornbig:
 
I can't remember who had the thread on 8th, where they were designing the 9th in microsoft paint... it was hilarious.
 
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