Filed under: Coupe, Hybrid, Performance, Acura, Luxury
Last week, Autoblog sat down with Ted Klaus, chief engineer of the upcoming Acura NSX flagship, at the corporate headquarters of American Honda in Southern California. The roundtable discussion with a few other members of the media was very casual. However, since the hybrid supercar isn't due in showrooms for another couple years and most of the engineering program is still shrouded in secrecy, the bulk of our detailed questions about powertrain and performance were mildly deflected. Nevertheless, it was nice to probe the mind of the man holding the weight of the project on his shoulders - the NSX is immensely important to Honda, and it's Klaus' role to steer the program to fruition.
As revealed earlier today, the all-new second-generation NSX will be built at a new Performance Manufacturing Center located in the midst of Honda's existing R&D and production engineering operations near Marysville, Ohio. Acura expects the U.S. to be the largest market for the NSX, and the company takes great pride in its North American operation, so it was both logical and complementary that the Japanese automaker chose Ohio to be the sole world supplier for the upcoming second-generation Acura/Honda NSX. When asked about the program dates, Klaus maintained that the program was moving forward on schedule, and that its estimated arrival was set for 2015 - the original goal. Like many halo models, the made-in-USA NSX will pioneer innovative building technology for Acura and Honda alike. Klaus wouldn't discuss specific building materials, but the monocoque chassis will be assembled with several "world firsts" when it comes to construction techniques and materials. Remember, it was the first-generation NSX, introduced at the 1989 Chicago Auto Show, which debuted with lightweight aluminum body panels, titanium connecting rods and forged wheels.Continue reading A conversation with Ted Klaus, chief engineer of the new Acura NSX
A conversation with Ted Klaus, chief engineer of the new Acura NSX originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 14 May 2013 14:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | Comments
