Honda Cars : Acura has been secretly developing Mid-Engine – AWD baby NSX | 2013 New Honda Car Reviews 0

I've known this for awhile....

Secrets out! Motor Trend recently reported that Acura has been developing a smaller more agile NSX along with the regular NSX for quite some time now.   No, it’s not an S2000 successor, but a Mid-Engine, AWD car that is set to blow the doors off it’s competition, and one that could actually save the NSX project all together.


When Acura first started developing this car, it had a major “Maybe” factor.  At first it was just a few R&D ideas thrown together.  But soon Acura came to the realization that this project could actually work.

We don’t have any concrete information on this car as of yet, but the “Baby NSX” is likely to be powered by a Turbo-Charged, Direct injection engine.  Developing the big NSX wasn’t all a waste though, as Acura will be using many of the technologies from that project and directly fuse it to the it’s baby brother.   Think of it as a smaller Hybrid of two NSX’s.   This will also help recoup some of the costs involved in the years spent R&D’s the bigger car.

Expect to see the smaller NSX on dealer lots by 2017 with a price range between $50,000 & $60,000.  Not bad!

Source;
http://www.sidewaysat11.com/acura-has-been-secretly-developing-mid-engine-awd-baby-nsx/

Honda Cars : MotorTrend: Mini Acura NSX Back on the Table | 2013 New Honda Car Reviews 0

Shrunken Supercar Rumored to Get AWD, Mid-Engine Layout

While the stillborn, V-10-powered NSX was being developed, Honda was also working on a related and obscure project referred to internally as the Small NSX. At the time it was just one of several advanced R&D ideas sitting in the design room. Then the financial crisis hit, causing Honda to kill the NSX and shelve all other sports car projects. But Honda has since rebounded, and as we know, the NSX has been reborn as an all-wheel drive hybrid. Now we're hearing the Small NSX may be back on the drawing board as well.

 

While the words "Small NSX" may conjure up visions of a successor to the S2000, our inside source tells us this is not the case, and that it will look much like a shrunken version of the big-boy NSX, something along the lines of the car you see in this artist's impression. Our source also tells us that like the NSX, it will be equipped with a version of Honda's SH-AWD system.

Power will likely be provided by a turbocharged direct-injection engine. Honda currently has a number of engines that could fit the bill, including the 3.5-liter V-6, 2.4-liter I-4, and 2.0-liter I-4 already offered in several of its American-market products. Given Honda's America-focused development, overseas engines such as its 660cc and 1.0-liter mills are unlikely to be considered. Of the possible three, the 2.4-liter is the most likely candidate. There's also the possibility that it will be fitted with some kind of hybrid drivetrain.

 

Our source also tells us the Small NSX will make use of a number of parts from the NSX to help recoup development costs. Given that both cars will be developed at Honda of America's R&D center in Ohio (we're told that in July Honda HQ assigned several of its top test drivers and engineers to the facility for a five-year stint), it's a logical move. The NSX remains on track to return for the 2015 model year. If it's indeed green-lit, the Small NSX could follow a year or two afterward, before the drivers and engineers head home in 2017. Don't expect it to be a bargain sports car, however. Given the amount of DNA it's likely to share with the NSX, the Small NSX would likely cost between $50,000 and $60,000.

 

Source;

http://www.motortrend.com/features/auto_news/2012/1209_mini_acura_nsx_back_on_the_table/