Honda President Reportedly Confirms NSX Successor based on the HSV Racer

According to reports from Japan, Honda President Takanobu Ito has stated that the company is has restarted development on a high-performance sports car that will be positioned as the successor of the critically acclaimed NSX. The announcement was made on Friday, at a press conference detailing Honda�s 2011 motorsport involvement.

Mr. Takanobu said that the new model would be based on the HSV-010GT racecar, introduced in January. However, it�s unclear if it will use the same naturally aspirated 3.4-liter V8 engine, capable of more than 500-horsepower and over 392 Nm (289 lb-ft) of torque, or another powerplant.

By developing a street legal version of the Super GT competition model, Honda will respect an unwritten rule of the series, according to which all participating automakers have both a race and street legal version of a given nameplate.

�I think Honda should respect the history of the Super GT competition (as a stock-car race)�, Ito said.

Last but not least, the company official also talked about an affordable, small sports car, which could follow the NSX replacement.

�There are two types of sports cars--affordable and high-performance. I hope we will be able to market both�, he added.

By Csaba Daradics

Source: Asahi

*Note: Honda HSV-010GT race car featured in the gallery

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Honda to Debut CR-Z TS-1X Concept at this week's Tokyo Auto Salon

With the conclusion of the press days of the 2011 Detroit Motor Show, the automotive world is now shifting its focus on the Tokyo Auto Salon 2011, which will be held from Friday, January 14, to Sunday, January 16, at the Makuhari Messe in Chiba, Japan.

At this year's event, Honda will be presenting several vehicles including the TS-1X concept study based on the CR-Z hybrid. The prototype model is the work of Honda Access Corporation, the Japanese carmaker's in-house aftermarket division.

Honda has not revealed any information on the concept model, but from the single photo it did release, we can see that the TS-1X is finished in a matt black paintjob and is fitted with a full body kit comprising of front and rear bumpers, beefy side skirts and a large rear wing that appears to extend on the CR-Z's sides.

Other Honda products to be displayed at Honda's stand include a variety of customized vehicles such as the Sports Modulo NSX, Freed Spike caravan car, the Acty Truck and the Enepo generator special coloring editions, plus several racing models like the HSV-010 GT, which won both the driver and team titles for the Super GT Series GT500-class races.

Our man Phil has already landed in Japan and will be covering the show live so stay tuned on Carscoop for more news on the Tokyo Auto Salon.

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