Honda to show new NSX supercar at Detroit 2012

Honda has officially confirmed it will show a concept car for the next NSX supercar at the 2012 Detroit auto show.

'American Honda has announced it will unveil four all-new vehicles at the 2012 North American International Auto Show, including a concept version of the next-generation Acura NSX supercar,' said the statement issued today.

That's Honda's upmarket wing in America. The previous NSX was sold as an Acura Stateside, but came to Europe as a Honda. It's still fondly remembered as one of the first supercars to add comfort and ease of use to its pursuit of outright speed, and one Ayrton Senna was invovled in its development.

The statement is proof that Honda is back on track developing a successor to the NSX. We've been teased before, more obliquely, with the Acura Advanced Sports Car Concept of 2007.

At the time, there were plenty of nudges and winks but no official word that it pointed to the new NSX. This time, they're being far more open.

An earlier NSX project was mothballed during the financial storm of 2008 and beyond, but we now know that Honda has now dusted down the project.

It's a case of jigsaw identification today. Honda remains tightlipped, apart from the confirmation of the project. But looking at Honda's strategy, it seems to wager that the new NSX will pioneer a more sporting hybrid application of the technology seen in lesser Hondas.

We expect it to be a two-seater with lightweight build, a full zero-emissions EV capability to creep silently around town and a launch date speculated to be in 2013.

The other Honda cars on show at the NAIAS 2012 will be a new compact sports saloon, a refreshed RDX crossover and a concept of the next-generation US-market Accord Coupe.

All four will be unveiled on 9 January 2012.

By Tim Pollard