New NSX Canned

[Buzz]

Honda has canned plans for a replacement for the NSX after a dramatic change of heart, according to sources in Japan. It has been an open secret that Honda was working on a successor to the 15-year-old NSX - the recent HSC show car being a public display of work in progress.

Early indications are that Honda now wants to build a large GT coupe instead of a new NSX. Such a car would compete directly with Mercedes' highly successful SL and Bentley's Continental GT.

The move has come as a shock because Honda president Takeo Fukui had told the press that the NSX programme was on-going, even setting a date of 2005 for the car to be introduced (although Honda insiders privately admitted to it being nearer 2006 or 2007).

Various factors are said to have scuppered the project, according to information received by evo. Firstly, Honda had trouble getting the design of the HSC-based NSX to gel. It had tried a number of styling derivations but in the end the designers couldn't finesse the right end result.

Secondly, Honda looked again at

the business case for a new NSX. Honda Japan was said to be lukewarm on the HSC-derived NSX and factions in Honda's American arm reportedly wanted the money spent on a Boxster rival instead of another expensive, small-volume supercar.

Thirdly, the corporate environment has changed a lot since the mid-'80s when the NSX was first developed. Honda then was a feisty company where R&D was ruled by strong, charismatic players who were keen on such showcase technology projects. Today, say sources, it's much harder to make a case for a new model such as an NSX replacement, despite Honda turning in record profits. Moreover, the NSX has never been much of a commercial success.

We also understand that there's no replacement for the S2000 roadster in the future model programme either - but that might be explained by US market requests for a more direct rival to the Porsche Boxster.