New Honda NSX will come to Australia

WE don’t yet know all the key details of Honda’s forthcoming second-generation NSX hybrid supercar, but we do know one thing for sure and certain: it’s coming to Australia.

Honda’s Australian arm today confirmed what it has hinted at for ages, namely that the 2015 NSX coupe will find its way Down Under, again pitting the Japanese brand against the upper echelons of the sportscar clique.

By the time the new US-built model arrives here – we know European sales begin in 2015, and presumably Australia will follow suit – it will be 10 years since the original iconic, Ferrari-fighting model was discontinued.

Unveiled as a concept the Detroit motor show in 2012 and largely unchanged since, the new NSX matches a lightweight bodyshell with a mid-mounted V6 engine.

The engine sends power to the rear wheels in tandem with a single electric motor for extra kick. Meantime, a pair of additional electric motors on each front wheel enable instant positive or negative torque to be sent through each hoop, combining AWD grip with theoretical handling benefits.

Honda calls this design the SH-AWD (Super Handling All Wheel Drive) hybrid system. The direct-injected VTEC V6 is paired with a new dual-clutch automatic transmission.

Petrol-electric hybrid supercars are all the rage, with Ferrari, Porsche and McLaren all working on the technology. Honda says its contribution will eschew brute force in favour of “the true racing philosophy of an extremely favourable power-to-weight ratio”.

Global development of the NSX is being led by engineers at Honda R&D Americas in Ohio. The next-generation will be produced in nearby Marysville, Ohio, at the newly established Performance Manufacturing Centre now under construction.

Honda sold 203 original NSXs in Asia Oceania, and more than 18,000 around the world between 1990 and 2005.

It was the first car in the world to feature an all-aluminium monocoque body. The late Brazilian Formula One legend Ayrton Senna was also involved in the development.

Honda Australia director Stephen Collins said the NSX would be a welcome addition to Australia’s line-up.

“We are absolutely thrilled to announce today that the NSX is coming to our shores. It was a revolution when it was first launched back in 1990 and this generation aims even higher,” he said.

“The NSX has a rich history around the world, and diehard fans of this supercar have been waiting a long time for the new model to come to production. We can’t wait to offer this vehicle to our customers.” The return of the NSX is just one part of Honda’s return to the sports and racing arena. It will re-launch the Civic Type-R with a new-generation turbo engine next year, and will also return to the world of Formula One when it supplies McLaren with engines from the 2015 season.