Honda is sunsetting the second-generation NSX after this year, with the last 350 or so units of the hybrid supercar being the recently-unveiled Type S. Although it’s farewell for now, it seems like the Honda NSX might not be as dead as we thought.
As reported by The Drive, Acura Vice President and Brand Officer Jon Ikeda said in a recent interview: “If you notice, we make an NSX when there’s something we want to say. The first-gen was gas. Second-gen was a hybrid. There’s gonna be another one.”
When prodded further if it means that the next NSX will be an EV, though, Ikeda refused to comment further, but apparently replied with a smile.
The second-generation NSX was pretty much a financial disaster for Honda. Although highly praised by reviewers for its performance, it just never sold very well throughout its short five-year life, selling only 128 units in the U.S. last year.
The accounting book looks even worse when you take into account how much it costs Honda to make one, due to the car’s complex powertrain system consisting of not just two turbochargers, but also three electric motors.
The Honda NSX Type S is a 608 hp swansong to the reborn cult icon. Read more about it here!
Honda, of course, knew all about this. Speaking to MotorTrend on the same topic, Ikeda said: “We didn’t go into it to make a lot of money.” Instead, the NSX – like all flagship halo models – is also Honda’s marketing tool designed to bring people into showrooms, all while acting as an engineering exercise to help the Japanese carmaker build better electrified cars in the future.
“We learned a lot about electrification and fun to drive, which is a staple,” Ikeda added. And of course, aside from these perfectly logical explanation, Honda’s making a new NSX just because they want to make one – and there’s nothing wrong with that.
“We didn’t want to let the NSX die on the vine either. To go quietly into the night is not what it deserves.”
So how long do we have to wait to see the new NSX? It took Honda 10 years to revive the NSX after phasing out the first-generation supercar in 2005, so we’d say don’t hold your breath.
Although, with the rate that the entire automotive industry is accelerating towards EVs, the next Honda NSX might still come sooner than we thought. I mean, nobody expected Honda to make a new Integra, but that’s exactly what they’re doing.
