Not so Happy New Year...
In case you haven't seen this, the 'new NSX' and 'replacement S2000' programs have been shelved by Honda
ARTICLE #1
AW - Honda cancels new Acura NSX
by GREG MIGLIORE
Plans for Acura’s NSX supercar program are on ice.
Honda president Takeo Fukui announced the NSX’s demise on Wednesday as part of several cutbacks, as Honda grapples with the global economic downturn.
The NSX was expected to have a front-mounted V10 engine that made at least 500 hp. It would have been the successor to the first-generation NSX, which had a mid-mounted V6. That NSX went out of production in late 2005 after 14 years.
The new NSX was expected to debut as a 2010 model.
It was poised to be Acura’s answer to the Audi R8 and Nissan GT-R. The NSX was expected to be outfitted with a number of Honda’s top-shelf technologies, including its Super Handling All-Wheel Drive system. It was also likely to get aluminum and carbon-fiber parts to keep weight low.
The program appeared to be on track as late as this summer, when spy shooters caught what looked to be an NSX prototype blitzing Germany’s famed Nürburgring circuit.
That car looked similar to the Advanced Sports Car concept unveiled at the Detroit auto show in 2007, which got a so-so reception.
There was also speculation that the mule caught on camera in Germany was a totally different car that would be cheaper and arrive on the market sooner than the NSX.
Regardless, the NSX would have made Acura a true competitor in the super car segment. The original NSX program offered two V6s, which made less than 300 hp.
In addition to canceling the NSX, Honda is cutting sales and profit forecasts, executive pay and pushing back plant openings. It also won’t launch the Acura brand in Japan in 2010, as planned.
Automotive News reporter Hans Greimel contributed to this report
http://www.autoweek.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081217/FREE/812179996
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ARTICLE #2
1/6/2009
Fun appears to be on the chopping block at Honda. Plans for the successor to the S2000 sports car, a lineup of rear-drive Acuras, a proposed V8 engine and a drop-top built off the CR-Z hybrid are all dead, according to a report in a British magazine.
The reason: Honda is rethinking its product plans as it grapples with the global downturn in sales and economic conditions, Autocar is reporting.
In the United States, Honda’s sales fell 8 percent last year and fell 35 percent in December. Tough times have led to the demise of the NSX supercar program, which would have had a front-mounted V10 and was to be a 2010 model.
Now, Honda also has decided to shelve a rear-drive V8-powered BMW-fighting Acura that was due in 2015, according to Autocar. The V8--long a sticky issue with Honda’s green image--was seen as the wrong powerplant, given the sporadic price of fuel.
The Japanese automaker remains doubled-down on hybrids with a slew of them, including the new Insight due in the spring. Honda also sees diesel power as the best short-term option for larger vehicles.
http://www.autoweek.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090106/FREE/901069977
In case you haven't seen this, the 'new NSX' and 'replacement S2000' programs have been shelved by Honda
ARTICLE #1
AW - Honda cancels new Acura NSX
by GREG MIGLIORE
Plans for Acura’s NSX supercar program are on ice.
Honda president Takeo Fukui announced the NSX’s demise on Wednesday as part of several cutbacks, as Honda grapples with the global economic downturn.
The NSX was expected to have a front-mounted V10 engine that made at least 500 hp. It would have been the successor to the first-generation NSX, which had a mid-mounted V6. That NSX went out of production in late 2005 after 14 years.
The new NSX was expected to debut as a 2010 model.
It was poised to be Acura’s answer to the Audi R8 and Nissan GT-R. The NSX was expected to be outfitted with a number of Honda’s top-shelf technologies, including its Super Handling All-Wheel Drive system. It was also likely to get aluminum and carbon-fiber parts to keep weight low.
The program appeared to be on track as late as this summer, when spy shooters caught what looked to be an NSX prototype blitzing Germany’s famed Nürburgring circuit.
That car looked similar to the Advanced Sports Car concept unveiled at the Detroit auto show in 2007, which got a so-so reception.
There was also speculation that the mule caught on camera in Germany was a totally different car that would be cheaper and arrive on the market sooner than the NSX.
Regardless, the NSX would have made Acura a true competitor in the super car segment. The original NSX program offered two V6s, which made less than 300 hp.
In addition to canceling the NSX, Honda is cutting sales and profit forecasts, executive pay and pushing back plant openings. It also won’t launch the Acura brand in Japan in 2010, as planned.
Automotive News reporter Hans Greimel contributed to this report
http://www.autoweek.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081217/FREE/812179996
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ARTICLE #2
1/6/2009
Fun appears to be on the chopping block at Honda. Plans for the successor to the S2000 sports car, a lineup of rear-drive Acuras, a proposed V8 engine and a drop-top built off the CR-Z hybrid are all dead, according to a report in a British magazine.
The reason: Honda is rethinking its product plans as it grapples with the global downturn in sales and economic conditions, Autocar is reporting.
In the United States, Honda’s sales fell 8 percent last year and fell 35 percent in December. Tough times have led to the demise of the NSX supercar program, which would have had a front-mounted V10 and was to be a 2010 model.
Now, Honda also has decided to shelve a rear-drive V8-powered BMW-fighting Acura that was due in 2015, according to Autocar. The V8--long a sticky issue with Honda’s green image--was seen as the wrong powerplant, given the sporadic price of fuel.
The Japanese automaker remains doubled-down on hybrids with a slew of them, including the new Insight due in the spring. Honda also sees diesel power as the best short-term option for larger vehicles.
http://www.autoweek.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090106/FREE/901069977
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