Electric Acura NSX Replacement Will Target The Audi R8

Sep. 21, 2022 6:06 PM ET byJared Rosenholtz Rumor /10 Comments

"I would bet on it," says Acura's boss.

Earlier this year, someone decided toswap a Tesla motor into an NSX. It seems like this home-brew electric supercar was a sign of things to come, as the next-generation一个cura NSXis all but confirmed to be going electric. Speaking withNikkei Asia, Acura Vice President and Brand Officer Jon Ikeda hinted that his company's flagship model will spawn a third generation. While not saying a new one is coming for sure, Ikeda's exact words were, "I would bet on it." If and when we do see a new NSX, "It's going to be electric."

The current NSX showed what was possible for a hybrid supercar with 600 horsepower and 492 lb-ft coming from a twin-turbocharged V6 and electric motors in the Type S version. It can hit 60 mph in under three seconds and go on to a 191-mph top speed.

But the next-generation NSX "won't be just about straight lines," Ikeda stressed. The Japanese automaker has previously toldCarBuzzthat its upcoming EVs like the ZDX Type S will be exciting and engaging to drive. An all-electric NSX supercar would certainly aid in fulfilling that promise. It would also give Acura a perfect rival for the upcomingelectric Audi R8 replacement.

Obviously, the NSX successor has not been confirmed for production yet, and although Ikeda seems confident about it, the final decision rests on Honda CEO Toshihiro Mibe. Mibe has already allocated $40 billion to help Honda go all-electric by 2040, so a sports car could conceivably fit in those plans.

In fact, Honda eventeased two such cars in its electric announcementearlier this year. If he confirms the project, development could begin within the next year or two.

一个cura won't be able to produce an electric NSX right away because the company's first EVs to market will use GM's Ultium platform. This architecture will underpin the Honda Prologue and the Acura ZDX before the Japanese automaker's Honda e:Architecture is ready in 2026. We doubt Acura would want its flagship model to use a GM platform, so the NSX would have to wait until Honda's electric architecture is ready for production.

This news is purely speculative as of now, but it could materialize into something more concrete. In the short term, Acura will wrap up NSX production with a 350-unit run of the Type S, ending its hybrid era.

Parent company Honda will stick with gas-powered sports cars like the Civic Type R, and based on the latest spy shots, the AcuraIntegra will spawn a Type S variantwith many of the same components as the Civic. Honda's immediate future looks bright with multiple manual transmission hot hatchbacks, and the distant future sounds exciting withelectric sports carsand supercars.