Honda Considers Layoffs And Moving Headquarters?

Takeo Fukui, Honda's CEO said, "If we go beyond (100 yen), we would simply have to transfer more production overseas, cut more temporary workers and even start laying off permanent jobs. Beyond that we could switch to importing more cars into Japan, bring research and development facilities overseas, and in an extreme scenario move our headquarters offshore. It would cause nothing short of a hollowing out of Japanese industry."

[Source]

Acura Cancels Next NSX!

Honda president and CEO, Takeo Fukui, has confirmed that Acura has cancelled the V10 successor to the NSX. He also outlined several actions that the company will take in order to deal with the worldwide economic crisis and the slump in auto sales. Another Acura related news is that Honda has decided to withdraw its prior plan to introduce the Acura brand in the Japanese market around 2010.



For the full details from Honda, here's the link.

Takeo Fukui is 2009 AUTOMOBILE MAGAZINE Man of the Year

Honda's president and CEO, Takeo Fukui, is the 2009 AUTOMOBILE MAGAZINE Man of the Year. Fukui's path to Honda's presidency has seen him move through many of the arenas that are important to the company: R&D, motorsports, and manufacturing. "In an era when platinum-paid executives rarely deviate from the orthodoxy of the crowd, Honda's Takeo Fukui has successfully avoided faddish trends and instead stayed true to the founding principles of Soichiro Honda and his successors." - AutomobileMag.com

[Rumors] 2011 RL & NSX

Supposedly, this chopped up TSX test mule is for the 2011 Acura RL. Rumors floating around suggest that the next RL will have a front engine, rear wheel drive layout with a V8 engine under the hood.





[Source] VTEC.net


The following pictures are rumored to be the next generation NSX, or a sub-NSX coupe priced in the $50-60k range. The pictures were snapped around the Nurburgring area in Germany. The next gen NSX is expected to have a new V10 engine with about 500hp and is front engined, with a modified version of SH-AWD that is rear-biased. This vehicle also looks like a 2+2 instead of the old style 2-seater.

According to edmunds.com, "Takeo Fukui, CEO of Honda, has tasked his R&D team with building an NSX that's faster around the Nürburgring than both the Nissan GT-R and the upcoming Lexus LF-A." Tetsuo Iwamura, American Honda President and CEO, confirmed the NSX will be launched in the U.S. in 2010. Honda will also be launching the Acura brand in Japan and Europe around the same time, but the automaker says it will launch the NSX in the U.S. market first.






[Sources]
VTEC.net
MotorTrend.com
Edmunds.com
LeftLaneNews.com

Honda's Videos from NAIAS2008

I know it's a little late, but if you're interested:

1) Acura's booth at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS):

http://world.honda.com/NAIAS2008/AcuraBooth/video/

Below are screen captures incase you can't or don't want to watch the video.


Acura booth


Acura RL


Acura TL


Acura RDX


Acura MDX


Acura TSX


i-DTEC engine


SH-AWD


Cafe Acura with charging station


Psss... What's the password?


Another angle of the Acura booth

2) Honda Press Conference at the 2008 NAIAS

http://world.honda.com/NAIAS2008/HondaConference/video/



"I was a young engineer participating in an important emissions certification test for the Civic at the EPA lab in Ann Arbor. We believed that clean air was important for the future of life on this earth. And we made it a central focus of our product development efforts.

It was November 1974 and Civic became the first vehicle to pass the new standards of the U.S. Clean Air Act based solely on engine performance. But what I remember most ...was, that the EPA inspector congratulated me for achieving the industry's top rating for fuel economy." - Takeo Fukui, President and CEO Honda Motor Co., Ltd.

Diesel for Acura in 2009

Honda's premium Acura brand will be the first to get the new 4 cylinder i-DTEC engine in 2009. Models fueled by V6 diesel engines will follow after 2010. Honda's CEO, Takeo Fukui, said Honda's clean diesel cars will not require a urea tank as most European systems do. Honda's new diesel drive train generates and stores ammonia within a two-layer catalytic converter to turn nitrogen oxide into harmless nitrogen.

The use of aluminum in the cylinder block instead of steel would also allow it to manufacture the engines using its existing gasoline engine facilities, keeping initial investments down. Mr. Fukui expects Honda's sale of four-cylinder diesel cars to reach about 150,000 vehicles globally by around 2010 with the planned roll-out in the United States and Japan.


i-DTEC: A combination of optimized combustion chamber design and reduced injection time results in a clean, quiet engine that delivers excellent performance for an enjoyable driving experience. In addition, the i-DTEC engine meets the ultra-stringent U.S. EPA Tier II Bin 5 emission standards without the on-board storage of urea.

[Sources] Reuters.com & Honda Press Release

No Rear-Wheel Drive for Acura?

Honda's CEO, Takeo Fukui, states next Acura NSX will have a V10 engine with rear-biased SH-AWD. He also commented on how they're trying to keep the weight of the car down to "be faithful to the original NSX's 'everyday supercar' formula." Mr. Fukui did not give any details on the time line of the next NSX. When asked if Acura was working on any FR (front engine with rear-wheel drive), Honda's CEO "referred to the FR SH-AWD NSX successor and suggested that Honda could take what they learned from that development program and apply it to other vehicles."

[Source] Temple of VTEC

A little disappointing because this kills the rumors that the next NSX is a mid-engine V8 with "true" rear-wheel drive supercar. It also seems like Acura is not getting a "true" rear-wheel drive platform for a long time (if ever), and the closest we're going to get is a rear-biased SH-AWD.

Honda Promises NSX in 2010

Honda's CEO, Takeo Fukui, set the original time-frame of 2008-9 for the NSX's replacement, however the "NSX" was a no show at this year's Tokyo Motor Show. Well now Honda has confirmed a 2010 date for the debut of the much anticipated next-generation Acura NSX. “We are developing it without any delay, so most probably we will have it in the period we already promised,” says American Honda President and CEO Tetsuo Iwamura. Iwamura did not give any other specifics on the development. The new NSX's launch would most likely correspond with the global launch of the Acura brand. When asked whether the new NSX will carry an Acura badge in its home market for the first time, he says, “I can’t comment, but (the) NSX is a car for Acura, especially in the United States.”

[Source] wardsauto.com




Related topics:
All NSX Articles
Acura Advanced Sports Car Concept (ASCC)
Honda Sports Concept (HSC)

Acura NSX and Brand Delayed

Last week in a press release, CEO of Honda, Takeo Fukui announced that Honda was putting back the launch of its Acura brand in Japan by 2 years. Fukui cited concerns over the suitability of the Japanese market for the Acura brand as the reason for the postponement. This also leads to the delay of the Acura NSX replacement, which will be badged an Acura worldwide this time around (it was a Honda outside the U.S. previously).


Original Acura NSX

There is also the possibility that we don't get to see the NSX's replacement until 2011, since the Tokyo Auto Show is in run once every two years, and the 2009 show will be too early. The Acura Sports Car Concept (ASCC) revealed at the 2007 North American International Auto Show in Detroit was not well received. The ASCC was designed to have Acura's most powerful engine, a new high-performance front mounted V-10, and rear-wheel drive based version of Acura's exclusive Super Handling All-Wheel Drive.


Acura Sports Car Concept (ASCC)

At one point, the Honda Sports Concept (HSC) was rumored to replace the NSX. Many people liked this idea, however for some reason Honda scrapped the development. The HSC featured a lightweight 3.5-liter V-6 engine located midship for optimum balance and superior handling. Shifting is accomplished through a unique dial shifter located on the center console or an F-1 style paddle shifter located on the steering wheel. The HSC features a 4-wheel double wishbone suspension with six-piston caliper Brembo disc brakes on each wheel.


Honda Sports Concept (HSC)

I don't know what Honda is up to, but I am somewhat disappointed about the development of the next NSX. Lexus' LF-A is starting to look really good right now. I can't believe how down hill it has gone for Honda's sport cars. Currently, there are no coupes in Acura's lineup!

[Source] VTEC.net

[Video] Next NSX (?) in action!

But why an S2000 mule? Simple. Honda/Acura is restyling its supercar. One source close to Honda states that reaction to the exterior styling has been "merely lukewarm," and as a result, the company is in the process of redesigning the car from the ground up. Another aspect of this coupe that's still up in the air is its official name. While NSX is still the name that's getting thrown around, Honda wants to distance this front-engine supercar from the midengine NSX with a new name that expresses this car's new mission as a grand tourer. Think of it as a Honda DB9 or an Acura M6.

According to Takeo Fukui, CEO of Honda, the car will sit on a brand-new platform and employ a new V10 engine. Supposedly, the engine will displace 5.5 liters and generate upward of 550 horsepower, making it Japan's most powerful road-going car ever. With good fuel economy and cleaner emissions striking an ever-stronger chord among potential customers, sources state that Honda engineers have covered their bases by creating a fuel-efficient V10 engine that effectively shuts down five cylinders depending on the circumstances. the Honda V10 will also incorporate a revised version of the company's new SH-AWD four-wheel-drive technology first seen on the Acura RL.

Expected to have a top speed of over 200 mph and the ability to sprint to 60 mph in about 3.5 seconds, the NSX successor will undergo rigorous testing in Japan and at the Nürburgring, and we'll see a restyled concept at the Tokyo Motor Show in October.

[Source] Autoblog

This supercar sounds fine and dandy, but with a $150k+ pricetag, will it really sell?

Advanced VTEC (A-VTEC)

Last year, Honda announced it's next generation VTEC engine, Advanced Variable valve Timing and Electronic lift Control (A-VTEC). This new technology is hypothesized to appear in the next generation Honda Accord, which combines continuously variable valve lift and timing control with the continuously variable phase control of valve timing. As a result, the engine gets better performance, fuel economy, and lower emissions.







A-VTEC optimum controls intake value lift and phase in response to driving conditions for an increase in torque across the engine rev range. The A-VTEC system has a 13% improvement in fuel economy over the current i-VTEC engines. The 13% figure was obtained comparing the current K24A 2.4 liter i-VTEC engine with a new 2.4 liter A-VTEC equivalent. Emissions are compliant with US LEV2-ULEV standards and Japanese Low-Emission Vehicles standards with levels 75% lower than 2005 standards.




For more images like this, head over to VTEC.net.

Acura's Advanced Sports Car Concept (ASCC) Press Release Video

This is it guys and gals! Video of Acura's Advanced Sports Car Concept (ASCC) debut in Detroit. You can listen to both Takeo Fukui, president and CEO of Honda Motor Co, and Jon Ikeda, principal designer representing Acura Design Center entire speeches. Mr. Fukui talks a lot about the Acura brand and where it is heading, while Mr. Ikeda talks more about the ASCC's design and where the Acura design is headed.

I must say, the CEO of Honda speaks English very well.

Give ToV some props!



If the video is not working, try this.

Motor Trend: Advanced Sports Car Concept (ASCC) Unveiling video

Here's a video link to Motor Trend's site, where they have a clip of the unveiling of Acura's Advanced Sports Car Concept. The video also shows Takeo Fukui, president and CEO of Honda Motor Co., commenting on the ASCC.

Advanced Sports Car Concept photos from NAIAS

Photos of Acura's Advanced Sports Car Concept (ASCC) photos from the 2007 North American International Auto Show in Detroit.


Advance.


Takeo Fukui, president and CEO of Honda Motor Co, with hand on Acura's Advanced Sports Car Concept.


Designed to have Acura's most powerful engine, a new high-performance V-10, and rear-wheel drive based version of Acura's exclusive Super Handling All-Wheel Drive.


Jon Ikeda, principal designer representing Acura Design Center, in front of the ASCC.


The ASCC is the successor to the Acura NSX.

[NEW NSX] Acura's Advanced Sports Car Concept (ASCC) Debut

Acura's Advanced Sports Car Concept (ASCC) debuts today at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. The ASCC is a design preview of the successor to the NSX. Acura's design concept uses a front-mounted V-10 engine and a rear wheel drive version of Acura's SH-AWD.

The ASCC has a 108.8 inch wheelbase with 19 inch front and 20 inch rear tires. The brakes are ventilated carbon ceramic and the eight-piston calipers accent the wheels. The ASCC's cabin is made all of tinted glass. Underneath the car features a carbon fiber underbody. The modern wraparound rear taillights compliment the car's quad exhaust pipes. The front of the car show off LED headlights that "mimic the pop-up headlights found on the first generation NSX."


The design was created by Acura's Los Angeles-based team. In a few months, this team will move into the Acura Design Center.


This will include an all-new V10 engine that is Acura's most powerful ever.


"Our direction is clear. We plan to Advance, in technology, in design, and in overall performance. This fall, at the Tokyo Motor Show, we will showcase the next stage in our advancement." - Takeo Fukui (President and CEO of Honda Motor Co.)


"In the exterior styling, you'll see definitive design elements that communicate that fine balance of technical precision and emotion... laser-sharp edges throughout the vehicle represent a powerful sense of engineering precision. The side of the car and the dramatic hood surfaces feature what we call sheer, machined, surfacing, again, to convey a feeling of technical exactness." - Jon Ikeda (American Honda Designer)


Keen-Edge Dynamic - represents the Precision, Technology, and Emotion inherent in Acura's styling.


The "Advance" design direction can be seen in the latest generation MDX, which has sharper, more precise lines than the previous generation.


This is what the concept drawing looked like.


Acura plans to "push the envelope in developing highly advanced automobiles that appeal both to the intellect and to the soul."


Source: AcuraNews

I think Acura is dropping the ball with the NSX's replacement. What ever happened to the Honda Sports Concept (HSC) or even the rumored new NSX? I thought those looked a lot better than this. This looks almost like a Japanese Corvette. I prefer Japanese Auston Martin or Japanese Ferrari better!