Honda has cancelled the new NSX as part of a radical restructuring of its car making business.
The V10-engined supercar, which was a direct challenge to Ferrari and Porsche, would have been the most powerful production car that the company had ever produced.
Honda CEO Takeo Fukui announced the move in his end of year speech, saying that all development of the car would be cancelled. The company has also withdrawn its plan to introduce the Acura brand to Japan in 2010.
The Honda boss had previously emphasised the importance of the NSX to Honda's brand, unequivocally telling Autocar at the end of last year: "The new supercar is necessary for Honda."
Fukui had decided to concentrate on Honda's environmental credentials. He believes that hybrid drivetrains offer "the most realistic path for CO2 reduction at this moment". This means that Honda will focus its energy on developing hybrid technologies and "achieving mass market penetration as soon as possible".
The cancellation of the Honda NSX will come as a bitter disappointment to fans of the old model, which finally went off sale in 2005, after 15 years in production.
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Re: Honda NSX cancelled
That's because Audi beat them to the punch. The R8 is everything the new NSX should have been. Nissan has their GT-R which the Honda would have been in the same league as, but the NSX would have been 30K more expensive and a full tick slower.
Re: Honda NSX cancelled
UK premium brands out of touch? I think not!
The current XJ TD has been voted the greenest luxury car in the world for the last two years running. Mainly due to it's lightweight all aluminim construction and low C02 emissions.. The new XJ will be a move even further in this direction, with usable hybrid technology being a real possibility.
How on earth is that out of touch?
Re: Honda NSX cancelled
"The cancellation of the Honda NSX will come as a bitter disappointment to fans of the old model". What, all 14 of them? At least Honda has taken positive action to respond to the realities of the situation we all face, unlike the UK premium brands. New LRX in 2010? Stop-start Freelander? £1M Aston? New XJ? Out of touch.