The NSX is making a return...

[Nish]

While I don't like the thought of any car going hybrid, most likely it's application here will aid in it's acceleration. Especially if it turn's out to be 4wd (another ), the hybrid will get instant power and launch then use the V6 up top.

 

[Eunos_Cosmo]

For the sake of advancing technology. Face it, hybrid drivetrains are useful for both efficiency and power, and will become a mainstay in the automotive landscape. The technology is relatively new and has a long life of development ahead of it, whether we like it or not.

Because this car will implement advanced technology, at least it might be worth its high price. Cars like the R8 are not worth the money since they are relatively conventional. They're priced so high simply because they can, and are highly profitable.

I don't think Hybrid drivetrains are effective in sports cars. Sure they work great for commuter and luxury cars, but I don't see why you would want it in a supercar flagship. The linear-decaying torque curve of an electric motor isn't very well suited to enthusiastic driving. I know some of the modern brushless motors can extend the powerband a bit further, but it's still going to go down as revs raise.

However, if they used this technology in, say, a flagship luxury sedan (something Acura desperately needs for brand identity it seems) that compteted at least with the LS, S classes, and 7 series of the world, I could see the point. A luxo-barge doesn't need to be lightweight, and these days they do seemingly need to be complicated. But please not an NSX. Give us that normally aspirated V10 from the HSV and something with just a single clutch.

Remember when Honda made driver's cars?

 

[Tornado]

Wasn't the HSC at one point confirmed for production too? And the HSV? And who knows what other NSX successors Honda had developed.


I'll believe it when I see it.

 

[RocZX]

I don't know, the linked article says otherwise...

They been confirmimg the next gen. NSX for a long time now. So I was going on that they say they are producing a new NSX but never really do anything except a concept car.

 

[YSSMAN]

Why hybrid? I just don't get it.

A technology demonstration, a "green" halo car for the entire company, going with a trend before it fully fills out... Multiple automakers have been working on adapting hybrid technology to their sports cars, and in some circumstances, it has been proven to work. Porsche has had a great amount of success with their GT3 Hybrid race program, Audi is looking to adapt the technology to their R8 successor, Ferrari is dabbling with the technology, and it is probably only a matter of time before we see it adapted to more luxury sports vehicles.

I'd be willing to bet the hybrid powertrain will be yet another Honda-style IMA setup that only ends up helping the performance of the vehicle (despite the extra weight). If not, it will probably power the front wheels when moving slowly around town, and work as extra grunt when necessary to add to grip and overall performance.

 

[JJ72]

Read NSX and "power the front wheels" in same paragraph = mind blown.

What had happened to the world?

 

[YSSMAN]

The hybrid powertrain would probably power the front wheels in electric-only mode with speeds under 40 MPH. It makes sense... Saves gas, money, and legitimizes the need for the powertrain at speeds where the majority of travel is done in most urban spaces.

The gas engine would power the rear wheels directly, as usual. It would probably switch on given a certain amount of throttle input, or speeds above 40 MPH. It would probably work in unison with the electric setup on the track, asking for power from the front when extra grip is necessary... Probably managed in some kind of SH-AWD setup.


Of course, its all assumption.

 

[BobbyBRAKEaNek]

Really nice looking car up front, but that hump on the back is killing it for me.
The hybrid drivetrain should work nice if anything like the CRX.

 

[CodeRedR51]

Read NSX and "power the front wheels" in same paragraph = mind blown.

What had happened to the world?

Read the article again.

 

[Zenith]

For the sake of advancing technology. Face it, hybrid drivetrains are useful for both efficiency and power, and will become a mainstay in the automotive landscape. The technology is relatively new and has a long life of development ahead of it, whether we like it or not.

Because this car will implement advanced technology, at least it might be worth its high price. Cars like the R8 are not worth the money since they are relatively conventional. They're priced so high simply because they can, and are highly profitable.

Hybrid technology becoming standard is debatable. Either way, hybrid drives tend to be more suited to road cars at this point in the technology's life.

Would you pay for a super car that's heavier than need-be because it "advances technology"? I wouldn't. I want something that's fast and handles beautifully, whether or not it uses state of the art technology to justify the price isn't relevant to me.

 

[Tornado]

Would you pay for a super car that's heavier than need-be because it "advances technology"?

People have in the past.

See: Veyron, 959, etc.

 

[Nish]

First thing I thought of when I read this was the Porsche 918 Spyder, which has 500hp from motor and 218hp from it's electric motor's. Two of the three electric motor's power the front, the other is connected through the transmission to the rear wheel's.
The 918 Spyder offers 4 different running modes: E-Drive allows the car to run under battery power alone, using the rear electric motor only, giving a range of 16 miles (26*km). Three hybrid modes (Hybrid, Sport and Race) use both the engine and electric motors to provide the desired levels of economy and performance. In Race mode a push-to-pass button is available to deliver additional electrical power.

 

[Mt. Lynx]

Did all of you miss the Jaguar X-C75? Will be be produced, without the jet engines, but none the less - hybrid supercar. Albeit, a bit different, since the petrol powerplant only is there to charge the batteries. Or the Porsche 918? Hybrid supercar.

Personally, I don´t think hybrids have any future at all, but still, they do represent a display of current technological knowhow.

 

[Zenith]

People have in the past.

See: Veyron, 959, etc.

But the technology in those made the cars insanely quick. A hybrid drive will (probably) just make the car bloated and heavy.

 

[The Vanishing Boy]

-> To be honest, given by many mistakes Honda has been doing lately...I'd rather not look forward to this...

 

[McLaren]

But the technology in those made the cars insanely quick. A hybrid drive will (probably) just make the car bloated and heavy.

Which is exactly what the GT-R & Veyron are; bloated & heavy. What's to say hybrid technology can't make an equally-sized car just as quick? The technology certainly doesn't seem to stop the 918 Spyder.

Edit* This source also claims the NSX will remain RWD & that they've already seen the concept.

NSX (Concept)
Alongside the flagship, a new "super sports car" shares the role as the range topper for Acura. Acura didn't officially call it the NSX during their presentation, but everybody we spoke with following the presentation said it was indeed the NSX successor. I took that as good news. UPDATE: In their press release released this morning, Acura is calling it the "NSX Concept". Some text below is updated to reflect that.

Acura showed us the actual NSX Concept which will be revealed in Detroit next month. Unfortunately there was no photography allowed, but I can tell you that this will be one of the biggest reveals for Acura in recent history. Basically this is the car that was spied on the "Avengers" set late in the Summer, but it's clearly been further developed and it's also in hard-top form. Finished in a sliver paint, the concept is absolutely stunning, and carries on the NSX tradition of a mid-engine, rear-wheel drive layout. The design is muscular, futuristic, and sharp, and vaguely similar to the Audi R8.

Compared to the "Avengers" car, the front end on this concept actually has working LED headlights - there are 5 "squircle" projectors embedded within each headlight housing. The rear bumper is also virtually identical to the "Avengers" car but with a real roof and backlight and more "production-looking" taillights, the overall visage is considerably different. Like the "flagship", the exhaust finishers are integrated into the bumper. A really cool (but not necessarily original) styling element is the "flying buttress" C-pillars. The C-pillars feature a "pass-through" which appears to be designed to channel air smoothly around the cockpit and over the rear of the vehicle. It's like an elongated version of the flying buttress seen on the Ferrari 599 - the NSX has a much faster angle on the backlight, which naturally lengthens the C-pillar. The gap between the C-pillar and the glass is fairly narrow, however. For the record, this concept wore Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires in 255/35ZR19 size up front, and 275/30ZR20s in the rear.

Acura wouldn't tell us anything about the engine or powertrain, but off the record they were quick to tell us that the announced Electric SH-AWD system with 3.5L DI V6 was clearly not potent enough for this car. It should be noted that THAT powertrain, with its 7-speed dual clutch gearbox and 3 electric motors, develops a peak output in the neighborhood of 400hp. Obviously with the MR layout, Honda has to engineer a very specific setup for this car, and we're assuming it will essentially be a reversed layout compared to the FF-oriented design which was revealed previously.

We are hopeful that it will receive a very special high output, high revving gasoline engine that is fitting of the NSX heritage, while leveraging the electric motors and onboard battery to deliver on the "smart luxury" promise of excellent fuel economy.

 

[AMCNUT]

Am I the only one who thinks it looks a great deal like the old Supra?

 

[Azuremen]

Hybrid technology becoming standard is debatable. Either way, hybrid drives tend to be more suited to road cars at this point in the technology's life.

Would you pay for a super car that's heavier than need-be because it "advances technology"? I wouldn't. I want something that's fast and handles beautifully, whether or not it uses state of the art technology to justify the price isn't relevant to me.

Hybrid technology will become a mainstay, and then we will move to entirely electric cars. That is going to happen, because people are going to stop paying for gas when it is $10 or more a gallon. Which will also happen.

That aside, the torque curve of an electric motor more or less gives a nice flat power band, where you get to enjoy torque in normal driving and still have the engine to give high RPM performance. Hybrid technologies were banned from several motorsports because of the advantage it can give in acceleration.

As for the GT-R talk, it is mostly fast because of the sophisticated AWD system and torque from that turbo setup. It isn't fast because it is graceful and light. I can easily see this NSX successor being lighter than the GT-R, and it will very much have a fancy AWD system combined with instant torque and no turbo lag. I would not be surprised if it is a very quick car when all is said and done.

 

[Imari]

Hybrid technology will become a mainstay, and then we will move to entirely electric cars. That is going to happen, because people are going to stop paying for gas when it is $10 or more a gallon. Which will also happen.

Unless it turns out that batteries really are expensive, heavy, and a pain in the butt to charge.

There are ways of utilising chemical energy other than gasoline. Electric power is by no means certain as the only way forward.

 

[Azuremen]

Unless it turns out that batteries really are expensive, heavy, and a pain in the butt to charge.

There are ways of utilising chemical energy other than gasoline. Electric power is by no means certain as the only way forward.

We have natural gas, and that is about it. Electrical systems are vastly more efficient than combustive setups, in which the overwhelming majority of energy is lost as heat. The maths just kind of is against the combustion engine for the long run.

 

[SuperShouden]

I agree that Honda IS making a new supercar, but that is NOT a new NSX. Honda already has a replacement for that with the HSV.

 

[Azuremen]

I agree that Honda IS making a new supercar, but that is NOT a new NSX. Honda already has a replacement for that with the HSV.

Did you miss the memo about them canceling it? Or the part it was built to meet regulations and those being the reason the NSX was pull from the GT series?

 

[Mt. Lynx]

Hybrids are not here to stay. Their notion is that they are green, but a survey made over the entire production span on the industry (from the mines to a finished car, even worker commutes was calculated), a Toyota Prius is way dirtier than f ex a petrol V8 Range Rover. The biggest issue are the lithium mines. Very dirty job, and pollutive as well. So this also effects electric cars. And so far e-cars can not compete in terms of range.

The industry have to rethink everything before they can actually be called green. Electricity is produced somewhere aswell, and that is not green at all, at least not in the vast majority of countries. As an example, the internet alone produces more CO2 than Poland and Turkey combined. And they are coalburner countries.

A hybrid car is just a sales trick, nothing more. Most people think they are green, since they don´t use up alot of gasoline. Infact, the most environmentally friendly car one can buy today is a 1.2l petrol VW Polo. Low emissions, low CO2, cheap to build etc.

 

[Omnis]

Dirtiness has nothing to do with it. Economy is what matters. Quite unlike a whore for hire, economy will always outweigh how dirty it is.

Electricity is the cheapest way to deliver energy right now. The only thing keeping electric vehicles down right now is battery technology. If that takes off, then say goodbye to the combustion engine for every day use. I'd rather everyone use electricity and save the gas and the engines for sports.

 

[Chadders85]

Dirtiness has nothing to do with it. Economy is what matters. Quite unlike a whore for hire, economy will always outweigh how dirty it is.

Electricity is the cheapest way to deliver energy right now. The only thing keeping electric vehicles down right now is battery technology. If that takes off, then say goodbye to the combustion engine for every day use. I'd rather everyone use electricity and save the gas and the engines for sports.

Do you mean save the gas and the engines for organised racing or for production sports cars? Just curious.

 

[Imari]

We have natural gas, and that is about it. Electrical systems are vastly more efficient than combustive setups, in which the overwhelming majority of energy is lost as heat. The maths just kind of is against the combustion engine for the long run.

Ethanol/methanol. Hydrogen. Vegetable oil run diesels.

Efficiency is important, but there's things that electric cars simply cannot do no matter how efficient they are. Road trips, for example. There would need to be a paradigm shift in battery technology, or massive investment in infrastructure to build something like a nationwide overhead electric wire system on the roads.

Electric *may* be what we end up with in the future, but there's enough issues with it right now with no obvious solutions in sight that I think it's not a sure thing. Renewable combustibles have issues as well, but they're another solution that may end up becoming dominant simply because they're what meets the needs of the commuting public. Who knows?

I don't think electric cars should be justified on the basis that they're the technology of the future, any more than they should be justified on the basis that they're ecologically friendly. Both claims are false.

 

[Azuremen]

Ethanol/methanol. Hydrogen. Vegetable oil run diesels.

Efficiency is important, but there's things that electric cars simply cannot do no matter how efficient they are. Road trips, for example. There would need to be a paradigm shift in battery technology, or massive investment in infrastructure to build something like a nationwide overhead electric wire system on the roads.

Electric *may* be what we end up with in the future, but there's enough issues with it right now with no obvious solutions in sight that I think it's not a sure thing. Renewable combustibles have issues as well, but they're another solution that may end up becoming dominant simply because they're what meets the needs of the commuting public. Who knows?

I don't think electric cars should be justified on the basis that they're the technology of the future, any more than they should be justified on the basis that they're ecologically friendly. Both claims are false.

Plug in hybrids and improved mass transit systems, in regard to longer trips. The vast, vast majority of people commute less than 30 miles total for their day, so huge range isn't needed for 95% of driving.

Ethanol and all that requires fossil fuels as well. Then there were corn shortage issues in Mexico because of demand for vegetable oil.

And suggesting Hydrogen? Are you serious? Do you understand how hopeless hydrogen really is? Current methods use oil products to produce, or use electricity. What you are suggesting is using electric energy to convert it to a combustible, which will have less than 10% of the return.

The future of power is nuclear with a near all personal vehicles moving to pure electric. Next year? No. But it will be.

 

[Mt. Lynx]

Plug in hybrids and improved mass transit systems, in regard to longer trips. The vast, vast majority of people commute less than 30 miles total for their day, so huge range isn't needed for 95% of driving.

Ethanol and all that requires fossil fuels as well. Then there were corn shortage issues in Mexico because of demand for vegetable oil.

And suggesting Hydrogen? Are you serious? Do you understand how hopeless hydrogen really is? Current methods use oil products to produce, or use electricity. What you are suggesting is using electric energy to convert it to a combustible, which will have less than 10% of the return.

The future of power is nuclear with a near all personal vehicles moving to pure electric. Next year? No. But it will be.

How about algae based diesel then? When they produce it they get waste in the form of ethanol... The only issue currently is production, since there are only two plants in the world that I know of. But it is a viable option, and seeing how clean cars run today, I can´t see why not. A VW Passat bluemotion diesel emits less CO2 than someone taking a bicycle ride... A dog owner has a bigger CO2 print than a car owner these days.

Oh, and I pretty sure he means hydrogen fuel cells, since that is mostly what the research is about. These cells produce hydrogen for the car on the fly, and you only have to fill it with water from time to time.

 

[Brend]

I wonder why the cancelled the HSV anyway? Did they ever disclose a reason?

 

[Mt. Lynx]

Too costly to produce IIRC.