Will Honda Release the New NSX in Hybrid?

Do not be so surprise or shock after read the title. There used to be a time when Honda made a mid-engined sports car with manga-comic looks. We might have heard so many rumors of a comeback that it’s hard to tell whether we should believe it or not, but at the 2011 Shanghai Auto Show brought some exciting news for Honda fans as the Japanese automaker revealed plans for the development a new Honda NSX model.

The President of Honda Motor Company Takanobu Ito stated the new car will not feature the V10 engine that had been planned for scrapped this project back in 2008. Not only the shocking information that the new car will not use the V10 engine, but also the car will be both entertaining to drive and efficient which likely means buyers can expected to be met with the familiar gas-electric hybrid drivetrain combo, when the supercar launches. Now, you must be thinking that there is no way gas-electric hybrid car could be a very fast sport car. Honda might disappointed the sport car fans, but that is the kind of sport car Honda want to make and they are working very hard to make it come true.

Takanobu Ito’s predecessor Takeo Fukui ended plans for an NSX replacement as one of the several cost-saving cutbacks at the start of the financial crisis in 2008. At that time, the car was envisioned as a front-engined vehicles with a big V10 which able to produce 500 horsepower.

The 5.5-liter engine was shortly used in HSV-010 GT racecar, the racing variant of the NSX V10 that never appeared on the production. After that, it was replaced by a smaller 3.4-liter V8 built by Mugen. This would have followed the first-gen NSX which had a mid-mounted V6 and went out of production in 2005 after 14 years of loyalty.

The Honda official did not reveal any details on the sports car or a timeline for its launch, because they are emphasizing that their engineers are working very hard on it. As automotive fans, we are glad the NSX is coming back, the hybridization process might not our liking but we really hope that the Honda’s performance stays the same, or at least it could be better.