At the start of this year, at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show, Honda’s luxury arm Acura wooed the crowds with the world premiere of its NSX hybrid supercar concept.
At the time, Acura promised its new flagship car would be on the roads for 2015 and ran a Super Bowl ad so popular, it crashed Acura’s website.
Now it looks as if Acura has moved its production schedule forward, with plans to premiere the production-ready re-imagining of its iconic supercar at the 2013 Detroit Auto Show in January.
As Auto Express reports, the cat was let out of the proverbial bag by one of Honda’s top executives at the Sao Paulo Motor Show this month.
Its styling, says the source, will remain identical to the concept car we saw earlier this year.
Meanwhile, Auto Express says, the powertrain is yet to be confirmed, but will use a version of the SH-AWD system found in the NSX concept.
Based on what Acura has already said, that should be based around a V-6 , direct-injected, VTEC engine, coupled with a powerful series hybrid motor and dual-clutch transmission to power the rear wheels.
Acura NSX Concept
Meanwhile, two other electric motors will power the front wheels.
U.S. designed and built, the Acura NSX--which should go on sale some time next year as a 2014 model--will also feature a bilateral torque adjustable control system, individually adjusting the amount of power going to each wheel to help it stay on the road and under control.
Add this to rumors of the Acura NSX being prepared for its motorsports debut in 2014, and the Acura NSX looks to be one mean, (mildly) green machine.
Then again, Honda CEO Ito Takanobu was one of the chief engineers to work on the original NSX from 1990.
So any car brave enough to wear the same name badge has to be exceptional, right?
Like everyone else, we’ll have to wait until the 2013 Detroit Auto Show to find out more.
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