Acura unveiled its new NSX hybrid supercar at the Detroit auto show. It puts out over 550 horsepower and is expected to have a price tag of over $150,000.
The new NSX is a reprise of the cult classic Acura NSX which was produced in the 1990s and early 2000s. With its V6 engine mounted behind the seats, the NSX was intended to offer the performance of an Italian exotic but at a much lower price. According to critics, it largely succeeded.
"It was my first taste of what a real supercar was like to drive," said freelance auto writer Lawrence Ulrich.
In terms of its driving feel, the NSX was the equal of cars from Ferrari, he said. The joy of driving came less from speed and power than from the car's refined and balanced road feel. It was fast but there were certainly quicker cars out there.
The was also the pleasure of knowing you were driving a car with with the celebrated dependability of a Honda (HMC), Acura's parent company.
Cool cars from the Detroit auto show
The new NSX has been anticipated for years. The first concept version of this car, with no interior, was revealed at the 2012 Detroit auto show in January of that year. Another concept, which had an interior, was displayed the following year.
The concept version has already appeared in Acura ads featuring comedian Jerry Seinfeld. Seinfeld has said he wants the first one that rolls off the assembly line and he was in attendance at the Detroit unveiling this week.
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The new NSX has hybrid power and all-wheel-drive. It has a turbocharged V6 engine mounted behind the seats and a nine-speed transmission. each front wheel is driven by an independent electric motor. A third engine is housed between the engine and the transmission.
"The soul of a car is the emotional connection it makes with the driver," said Mike Accavitti, senior vice president of Honda's Acura division. "With the NSX, that connection will be intense and immediate."
There are several driver-selectable driving modes including a quiet mode that will allow the car to be driven under all-electric power for a short time and a launch mode that utilizes all three electric motors and the V6 for fast acceleration.
The new NSX is an almost entirely American production. The car was designed in California and it was engineered and will be manufactured in Ohio.
