Honda president Takanobu Ito on the hybrid NSX
Charismatic head honcho waxes lyrical on new NSX, explains how F1 is good for business
Ito-san promising much for the new NSX
This, we think, is reassuring news for anyone who subscribes to the PH way of life. But it would also be something of an indulgence if we weren't actually going somewhere with this.
Did you know, for example, that Ito-san was one of the engineers responsible for the original NSX - an experience he describes as amongst the best in his life? Built during the period when Japanese performance cars were restricted by a gentlemen's agreement to 280hp, he explained that the emphasis for that car was heavily orientated towards dynamics and power-to-weight. Hence the all-aluminium body structure.
Please be worth the wait, please be worth it...
"The NSX should be smart, clever," he declares, "with a focus on dynamic development." Thus as soon as he was in a position to influence the decision - or at least, that's the way he now tells it - "I had the development plan changed."
Some of you, we're sure, will have a hard time figuring how a battery-laden hybrid with three electric motors could possibly be an improvement on a screaming F1-derived V10. But while Ito-san seems to be genuinely concerned that there "will come a time when fossil fuel depletion will make emissions regulations ever more stringent", making fuel efficiency genuinely significant, he also says we "must never forget" that such cars must be fun.
NSX should be 'smart, clever' says Ito-san
All of which explains why the damn thing is taking so long. This is "the direction of the car of the future", Ito tells us, but it involves a "complicated menu of things we need to go over - hence it is taking some time."
"Please wait!" he says, with a grin on his face. And you know what? We're beginning to believe it might just be worth it.
Honda reminding us it did do exciting...
He then spoke very frankly about Honda's recent F1 failures and McLaren's current form, hence "the goal is to act as quickly as possible to clinch the championship."
This passion, this ambition, this eagerness for racing success - something that Honda has always strived for and learnt from - will soon be reflected in its road cars, regardless of any assistance from McLaren.
Putting aside the bizarrely-monikered Vezel crossover, Honda's display at Tokyo has an overwhelmingly sporty theme - with the firm's very first F1 car, the 1964 RA271, displayed alongside an S360 replica as well as the S660 and NSX concepts. This sportiness is something Ito is desperately keen to develop and bring forward, even into Honda's mainstream products.
... and that it's coming back too!
A new range of downsized turbo petrol engines will help achieve this, combined with Honda's fastidious in-house development of its own transmissions. Ito-san is convinced the company can deliver. Goodness, it is grand to hear Honda placing such an emphasis on engineering excellence and performance again.
They truly are excellent engineers. A neighbour of mine owns a pretty large independent garage business and he has nothing but good things to say about Honda's from the perspective of a spanner man ( you should hear his view of Peugeots !) .. My own experience of Honda also tells me that these are cars where the time and effort goes into the oily bits rather than a soft touch dashboard. Honda's are beautifully engineered cars hidden under rather bland exteriors. They are kind of the opposite of Audi.
I am sure the NSX will be amazing. But I am disappointed in the styling. It looks like an old R8. Looking forward to seeing it with interest though.
They truly are excellent engineers. A neighbour of mine owns a pretty large independent garage business and he has nothing but good things to say about Honda's from the perspective of a spanner man ( you should hear his view of Peugeots !) .. My own experience of Honda also tells me that these are cars where the time and effort goes into the oily bits rather than a soft touch dashboard. Honda's are beautifully engineered cars hidden under rather bland exteriors. They are kind of the opposite of Audi.
They always have been substance over form. I have got a little worried over the last 5 years or so that this was changing...but they certainly seem to be saying the right things...
I have no doubts about Honda's engineering. If Ito-San says it's worth waiting for, I'll wait...
I also know that they have to make small improvements at each step along the way and they will eventually get there but I think I'd rather skip this generations poor battery density and extreme weight penalties and wait another 10 years when hopefully they will have got it right.
Still if anyone can give it a real go, I suspect Honda will.
They truly are excellent engineers. A neighbour of mine owns a pretty large independent garage business and he has nothing but good things to say about Honda's from the perspective of a spanner man ( you should hear his view of Peugeots !) .. My own experience of Honda also tells me that these are cars where the time and effort goes into the oily bits rather than a soft touch dashboard. Honda's are beautifully engineered cars hidden under rather bland exteriors. They are kind of the opposite of Audi.
I am sure the NSX will be amazing. But I am disappointed in the styling. It looks like an old R8. Looking forward to seeing it with interest though.
Nice to read the comments about reliability, I once spoke with someone from RAC and he told me "Over the past 25 years and thousand of interventions, only 5 times have I had to come for a Honda". They really feel rock solid in terms of engine (like other Japanese brands) and have a reputation for starting every time, even when left in the shed for a while. It's personal but I don't give a damn about soft plastics in a car and prefer reliability.
Good to see they are coming back with many sport models, the fans are eagerly waiting for it I believe.
The whole concept also appears to be contrived, & definitely unnecessarily complicated. I can't imagine wanting one, even with Hondas reliability, after about it's second service.
I may be a reactionary old goat, but it does seem to me as if much of the complication built into todays cars is there only to force owners to have their cars serviced by the dealers. Oh, & to ensure they are junked younger, because all the complication is too expensive to maintain.
To put this in perspective, I run an S2000 as my shopping trolley.
I have had similar thoughts - cars have been getting too reliable, too capable and too well-built, and people were realising that they COULD own one car for 10+ years without bother. So the mfrs had to do something about drumming up continued demand in mature markets...yes, planned obsolescence!
It could be that Honda - who brought the first mass production hybrid to market, in the aluminium, hand-build original Insight - will put a refreshing spin on the use of hybrid technology not necessarily just as a fuel saving measure, but as a means to enhance the driving experience. The McLaren P1 does something similar...
"As engineers, we like numbers, but I’m acutely aware that if we build this car against a set of criteria that has been written down, we will lose our sense of focus.”
The Nissan GT-R, Porsche 911, Audi R8, Ferrari 458 and McLaren 12C are among the competitors being used as benchmarks by Klaus. “We’re looking for the excitement of the 458 at the price of the 911, and we think the hybrid technology can help us achieve that,” he said.
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