We got the first clues via the black roadster that stars alongside Robert Downey Jr in the upcoming Iron Man 3 flick, and now Honda’s US-focused Acura premium brand has confirmed it will reveal a concept version of the NSX at next month’s Detroit motor show.
For the time being, the company is saying nothing more about the new-age NSX – which comes seven years after the previous generation (pictured) was discontinued – and it hasn’t adopted the now-standard ploy of releasing one or more teaser pics of the design study.
The NSX will be one of three debutants Acura will roll out at Detroit’s Cobo Centre – the other two being a redesigned RDX soft-duty SUV and an ILX Concept that’s billed as a styling study of an all-new luxury compact sedan scheduled for launch (in the US) in mid-2012.
The ILX will be positioned as the entry-level model in Acura’s range and will feature the brand’s first hybrid powertrain.
Of course, we’re more interested in the NSX Concept, which, in the company’s words: “represents the styling direction for the next generation of Acura’s super sports car”.
As we previously reported, the new NSX will focus more on a strong power-to-weight ratio than masses of outright grunt – along the lines of the original NSX’s recipe, which endured from 1990 to 2005.
The new-gen sportster is expected to retain a mid-mounted V6 – displacing 3.5 or 3.7 litres – driving the rear wheels, but each of the front wheels reportedly features a hub-mounted electric motor.
According to the company’s top brass, the new NSX (expected to launch in 2013) will be pitched as a far more affordable proposition than the megabuck Lexus LFA, joining the fray against the likes of the Audi R8 and Porsche 911.
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