The gorgeous Honda/Acura NSX super sports car may still be more than two years away from its full production debut in 2015, but unprecedentedly, Honda dealers in the U.K. have already started accepting deposits for the future super sports car.
Despite being wowed by the NSX Concept car at this stage, without even seeing a production version and which is unlikely to even exist yet, over 20 British customers have already placed deposits on the new NSX.
Phil Crossman, Managing Director, Honda (U.K.), commented: “We are really pleased with the interest we’ve already seen for the new NSX. We are still two years away from the launch of the car and yet we’ve received over 20 deposits and that’s before we’ve even announced prices or seen the final production car. With this process in place we are confident demand will remain strong and early hand raisers can now visit any Honda dealership in the U.K. and place a deposit.”
What’s the price to put your name on the list for guaranteed future Honda NSX ownership? A very reasonable £5 000 (R75 000) deposit, thank you very much. We have a few questions though. Firstly, was the previous Honda NSX not something of a commercial flop for the Japanese manufacturer, in Europe anyway?
In light of that, where does all this hubbub over a new car come from? The previous NSX was a Japanese legend for sure, but Honda only shifted 18 000 NSX units globally, and only 290 NSXs were sold in the UK within its 15-year lifespan. Ouch.
Secondly, are Europe and the U.K. car industries not experiencing an economic downturn at the moment? Clearly this doesn’t deter those wanting their next super sports car circa 2015/16. We guess, if the product makes an impact on the public, it will sell, that’s the lesson to be learnt here.
Another, seemingly less pertinent question, in light of the warm response of the Concept car has garnered, relates to the future Honda NSX super sports car and its proposed hybrid, SH-AWD transmission and V-TEC V6 engine. Will it work?
Honda claims the mid-mounted, direct-injected V6 engine, which is mated to Honda’s Sport Hybrid SH-AWD (Super Handling All-Wheel Drive) system, complete with two electric motors delivering both positive and negative torque to the wheels during cornering, will make the Nissan GT-R’s conventional all-wheel drive system look prehistoric.
We’ll believe it when we see it in practice. If the revolutionary, hi-tech, all-wheel drive system in the Ferrari FF is anything to go by, perhaps conventionality in putting power down to all-four wheels is the better part of valour. Plus, Honda doesn’t exactly have a sterling record of bringing attractive Concept cars to full production without losing the plot along the way.
Of course this isn’t a new practice for Honda U.K. regarding the NSX, as it has done the same with the original Honda supercar too. Back then, 25 pre-orders were taken a year ahead of launch in 1990. Let’s hope they sell more NSXs this time around. More importantly, lets hope the new NSX is just as good as the original too.
