The Honda NSX, marketed as Acura NSX in the U.S., was one of the fastest JDM sports cars. The origins of this performance beast date back to 1984 with the HP-X concept. The first model came with a 3.0L V6 engine which sent the power to the rear wheels. Acura then changed this concept's name to the NS-X, though in production, Acura removed the hyphen and changed it to the NSX. The first generation of the NSX started in 1990, and it was the first mass-produced car to have an all-aluminum body.
Many redesigns happened to the first generation of the NSX. In 1997, Acura changed the engine to a 3.2L V6 engine and removed the pop-up headlights in 2002. Acura discontinued the first generation of this JDM legend in 2005. Due to being a huge success, Acura announced a second generation of the NSX in 2007.
Although delayed many times, the production model was displayed at the 2015 North American International Auto Show and started selling in 2016. Unlike the first-generation models, the second-generation NSX wasn't engineered in Japan. Instead, it was designed and produced in Ohio at Honda's plant.
However, Acura is cutting the NSX from their roster at the end of 2022 for various reasons. Without further ado, let's see why Acura decided to discontinue this Japanese sports car.
The Acura NSX Was Not Profitable
Being one of the most well-engineered Japanese cars, the NSX was too time-consuming and non-profitable to make. During its production, which started in 2016 and was cut from the roster in 2021, Acura only sold 1,510 NSXs in the U.S. This would not be very pleasant for any car manufacturer. Since Honda is all about building motorcycles and daily drivable sedans with a front engine and FWD drivetrain, making an all-new hybrid sports car was not their main strength. Seeing that the NSX was not a very successful hit like its predecessor, the first-gen NSX, they were left heartbroken.
Moreover, Honda was generous enough to sell these models for a lower cost than expected. Although the NSX wasn't the fastest, it was still pretty quick with a relatively lower price than other supercars. The 2022 Acura NSX Type S had a price tag of roughly $170,000. Considering this vehicle had a high-end performance and Japanese-level reliability, this figure was an eye-catching price.
Since Acura didn't have to follow the Gentleman's Agreement in the U.S., they could crank up the power of their sports car as much as they wanted. By doing this, the NSX Type S was built with more force inside it than many legendary JDM sports cars like the famous Nissan Skyline GT-R.
Although it had much more power than the other rival Japanese manufacturers, it still offered a competitive price tag among other Japanese performance-oriented cars.
The Second-Gen NSX Came With A Twin-Turbocharged V6
When building this car, performance and luxury were all that Honda had in mind. The 2017 Acura NSX came with a hybrid electric powertrain, with a 3.5L twin-turbocharged V6 engine and three electric motors, which put out 573 horsepower and 476 lb-ft of torque which sends the power to all our wheels. Moreover, the drivetrain wasn't a simple AWD. The NSX came with an SH-AWD (Super Handling-All Wheel Drive). In terms of transmission, The NSX came with a nine-speed dual-clutch automatic.
Having a powerful engine, many would think that the NSX isn't fuel efficient. But thanks to Honda and the hybrid powertrain, the NSX is a moderately fuel-efficient sports car. According to official government ratings, the 2022 Acura NSX offers up to 21 miles in the city and 22 on the highway (21 MPG combined).
Based on the sheer power of this JDM sports car mentioned earlier, many might think that this car is only built for racing and rallying. But the NSX is also a convenient daily driver that anyone can easily use. Having only two seats may seem that it's not comfortable inside, but the NSX is praised for being a competent daily city driver among other sports cars.
The most notable feature of the new NSX is the height-controlled MR dampers which make your ride as smooth as possible.
Limited Examples Of The Second-Gen NSX Type S Were Sold In the U.S.
When Honda realized the new NSX was not a huge profit, they didn't crank up their prices. Instead, they kindly made 300 more models of the NSX with a few modifications to sell as their last NSX models.
The NSX Type S was revealed in 2021, with a boost to the engine to produce 602 horsepower instead. After releasing 300 of these models for the U.S., Honda discontinued the NSX in November for good.