Honda seems pretty keen on rehabilitating the image of its oft-misunderstood supercar, the Acura NSX. Not only will the next-generation NSX, due sometime in 2015, feature an environmentally friendly hybrid engine, but the car will be assembled stateside in a brand new facility being constructed in Ohio.
The promise of a domestically-built supercar prompts comparisons to Tesla Motors' Model S and immediately begs the question: just how electric will the 2015 Acura NSX be? The simple answer seems to be that it's still up to Honda.
Although Honda hasn't released a specs sheet for the 2015 Acura NSX and likely won't be doing so for quite some time, there are a few details that we do already know, and still more that we can infer.
Autonews spoke with Acura project leader Ted Klaus regarding the 2015 Acura NSX and confirmed that the car will be powered by a direct-injected V-6 engine, dual-clutch transmission and a chassis constructed out of unnamed, lightweight materials. The car will have three separate electric motors, two of which are mounted to the front and specifically designed to improve handling.
Perhaps the most intriguing tidbit of information is the revelation that combined, the three electric motors will be capable of powering the car sans gasoline engine, provided Honda decides to program an electric-drive mode for the 2015 NSX. It seems like this decision could go either way.
One of the biggest issues with previous models of the Acura NSX has been the perception that the car lacks personality. Making the car a jack-of-all-trades with a full electric drive mode might not allay that problem. On the other hand, electric sports cars are nothing if not en vogue at the moment, and could help Acura target another demographic.
