Monday 23rd July 2007

New NSX Delayed

Honda decides to postpone supercar

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New NSX? Not for a while, mate.

Honda has released some bad news: it seems the new NSX has been delayed - again.

Honda has decided to re-badge the new car as an Acura, but the Acura brand (currently American-only) isn’t being launched in Japan until 2010 at the earliest.

Honda CEO, Takeo Fukui, expressed concerns over the suitability of the Japanese market for the Acura brand as one reason for the postponement.

What we do know is that it won’t be launched at this year’s Tokyo Motor Show, and seeing as there isn't a Tokyo show in 2010 we might not see a new NSX until the year after.

Honda has said that it is nothing to do with the car not being ready; it has already been seen testing on the Nurburgring disguised as an elongated S2000.

Source: Autocar

[smele]

Sounds like Honda are getting cold feet. The old NSX was a great car, but did it make any money for Honda?

[flattotheboards]

why cant the acura brand be brought into japan untill 2010?

[MitchT]

Why don't they just use the name Honda everywhere? Everyone's heard of Honda and the name is synonymous with racing and sporting prowess. What does Acura mean to anyone?

[kinetic]

Rather like waiting for the new Noble M15.
You can only wait so long before you simply decide you don't give sh1t anymore. Poor show by Honda.

[havoc]

Is this a joke? The car's development is clearly well-advanced, but they're going to delay launch until their 'brand management' people decide it's OK...by which point the competition (Lexus LF-A, Nissan GT-R, etc.) will already be well established in the market!

What a mess...I've been a fan of the brand for pretty much the whole time I've been a petrolhead, but they're losing the plot...

[cater_racer]

Jenson Button has been doing the testing............They are still rebuilding the car.

Edited by cater_racer on Monday 23 July 18:03

[sidesauce]

MitchT said:

Why don't they just use the name Honda everywhere? Everyone's heard of Honda and the name is synonymous with racing and sporting prowess. What does Acura mean to anyone?

You obviously haven't been to the USA - in fact the NSX was only ever known as a Acura over there, Honda were way ahead with the two-tier brand thing, well before Toyota/Lexus and Nissan/Infiniti etc. In America the Acura brand is seen as something different to just a plain old Honda ie very reliable but sensible/dull cars as opposed to Acura being an more 'exotic' brand. Always remember the UK is nowhere near as significant as you might think when compared to the volume sold in the USA (if anything, having to make right hookers is a pain for manufacturers) - how else do you think the Porsche Cayenne would exist!? Market forces as always old bean....

[cooleo]

I can see the Honda point about branding. Honda's in USA are not seen as cool cars. I just dont understand why they don't launch it in japan under a Honda badge its stupid, they are basically waiting for a badge.

[Scawie]

sidesauce said:

if anything, having to make right hookers is a pain for manufacturers

Uh... you do know what side of the road they drive on in Honda's home market...

[Panayiotis]

I drove a NSX the other day and have to say that it is a brilliant drive. They shouldn't of stopped making them, only lowered the price. Bet they wish they hadn't now with all these delays!

[havoc]

cooleo said:

...they are basically waiting for a badge.

Pathetic, ain't it?!?

Oh... @ scawie!

[Wadeski]

probably its more to do with the USA and Japan/Europe wanting such different cars.

thats why there was the "second" NSX replacement concept that everyone said looked like a vette, but i bet went down great in american focus groups.

[stephen300o]

Waiting for this eco thing to bow over

[fido]

why can't they call it a Honda everywhere, except for the US where they seem to like Acura - problem solved.

[sidesauce]

Scawie said:

sidesauce said:

if anything, having to make right hookers is a pain for manufacturers

Uh... you do know what side of the road they drive on in Honda's home market...

Yes, I do. Check this link -http://ezinearticles.com/?Honda-Sets-New-Records-For-Domestic-And-Overseas-Production&id=472212 just so you know it's not just my word.

Uh... so now you DO know their home market isn't their biggest market...

Edited by sidesauce on Tuesday 24th July 01:08

[bikemonster]

Honda has released some bad news: it seems the new NSX has been delayed - again. The 15 year old schoolboy who drew the sketch that was used for the mock-up turned 16 and suddenly realised that his sketch was cr*p.

Honda executives were scrambling to find another 15 year old schoolboy with a 'cars of the future' sketch in the back pages of his Biology notebook, sources close to the Japanese car maker said, yesterday.

[SkinnyBoy]

thank god they delayed it, the last two attempts were crap, and everyone knows the yanks couldn't design a decent car even if it drew itself! They shouldn't even be letting these fools near a car so important to the brands image. Who cares about some Acura badge anyway, Its just a Honda after all, i hate this faux wannabe prestige, but i guess the sales figures tell it all. Given the option I'd rather buy a Honda Legend rather than an Acura RL, merely for the fact people will go:

"whats that? an Acura? whats that then?"
"Its a Honda"
"Why didn't they just call it a Honda then?"
"because some spawn of satan marketing "guru" decreed it so, as Americans have no culture of their own, yet embarrassingly rebadge everything in a desperate attempt to get some"
"So you have been to Vegas then?"
"Enough said.."

[uriel]

Surely if the car is mechanically ready for a release next year and the long S2000 is really this new NSX, delaying it until 2011 is going to mean that their flagship sports car would already 4 years old at realease and will have had it's technology surpassed by it's competitors? Unless they reengineer the whole thing and end up making essentially a new car. Seems a bit pointless to me.

[Triple7]

The new 'NSX' is based on the current F1 car, look how crap that is!

G

[Mattygooner]

I think it is delayed whilst it fights off the Decepticons




Honda NSX, Transformer in disguise.....