Because people want Honda to be realistic and build a car that some Acura customers can actually afford.
Because they don't want Honda to make a car that only sells 200 per year after the first two years. Because without a V8 or a V10 it's going to be hard to compete with the next-gen Audi R8, 911 Turbo, C7 ZR-1.
Because they want Honda to be successful for the long term with this car.
Because when you get way over $100K you're hitting a different demographic - one that probably could afford a Ferrari, Aston Martin, Lambo or new Lotus Esprit and for these people the name means something and Honda/Acura doesn't quite do it.
-J
This is not a car you bring to production for sales. You bring this car--especially when designed like this--to production to boost the company's brand image and for the trickle-down effect it has. People walk into the showroom to look at the NSX, and end up buying an RSX.
Honda, Lexus, etc. all know that these cars aren't going to be successes in terms of numbers. They make them for different reasons. You make Camrys and Accords to be successful in terms of sales and making the company money.
And I totally agree that going over 100k brings you into a new category and that a hybrid V6 isn't going to cut it. Then again, an NA V6 didn't really cut it for the original NSX in its latter years either.
The NSX never was and never will be meant to make Honda money from direct sales--but form indirect sales and brand image.
I think all you have to do is look at the design of the thing, and ask yourself if that looks more like a sub 100k car or not. The NSX looks way more like an R8/Ferrari-type car than anything else.
As for someone else's argument about the 350Z coming back cheaper: I'm not really sure what the price discrepancy was after adjusting for inflation, but the 350z came back sans turbo with massive parts sharing. It never had an exotic flare about it. This concept on the other hands screams exotic, and imo will be priced as such.
I also wouldn't count on the NSX trying to be the fastest car out there. I don't think Honda ever focused on that even with the original NSX. The very fact that they are planning a hybrid indicates that this is going to be an image/halo car focusing on sportiness and hybrid technology. If they wanted a pure performance machine, they would have gone turbo or V8/V10. They used the hybrid to show off a hybrid supercar, so that ordinary people would look at their hybrid (insert car here, e.g., RSX/integra/whatever) and want to buy it.
Of course none of us, including me, know for sure. We haven't even seen the interior yet, and none of us know any engine details except for some concept overviews.
