Is Honda planning a new NSX supercar?

Where is this leading?

Well, we don't want to get you too excited, but there's a faint chance that Honda could be thinking about a third-generation NSX. Certainly, after a torrid year, the company could do with the image boost, and this Acura Nexera concept car could be the starting point.

Remind me what Acura is?

Acura is Honda's premium brand, under which the original and second-gen NSX were sold in the US market, and this year Acura is celebrating its 40th anniversary. To mark the occasion, the brand is going to show off this Nexera concept car at The Quail, a major part of Monterey Car Week, on August 16th.

What makes you think that this Nexera is the new NSX?

Well, the name, for a start, has certain sibilant similarities with the original. Then there's the style - a needle-nosed two-seater, with an impossibly low profile, figure-hugging bodywork, and a windscreen and roof that look as if they've been nicked from a fighter jet.

What else do we know about the Nexera?

Well, we don't know how it's powered - Honda and Acura are staying schtum on that score for now. We do know that the paintwork is called ‘Matte Titanium' and that the doors have a dramatic double-hinged butterfly arrangement. Actually, is anyone else getting a faint flavour of the original McLaren F1? Honda was asked by McLaren to design the engine for that McLaren, but declined…

Anything else?

Those are 22-inch centre-lock wheels with a ‘3D' design and carbon-fibre inserts, behind which you can see Brembo brakes peeping out. There's raw-looking unpainted forged carbon composite material used for the Nexera's rear diffuser, rocker panels, inner door structures and ‘other performance details'. At the back, there's an active rear spoiler.

Those lights look pretty cool…

They are. Acura calls them ‘Phantom Lights', and the idea is that they blend into the bodywork until you switch them on, giving the appearance of an unbroken surface in the daytime. Not quite as cool as the original NSX's pop-ups, but still pretty awesome, and awesomely pretty with their arrowhead formation. Acura says these lights are actually pretty production-ready and will be found on the next-generation RDX Hybrid.

What's the interior like?

The Nexera's cabin is finished in a stark black-and-white pattern, with the bucket seats fixed to the floor, meaning that both the yoke-style steering wheel and the pedals have to be fully adjustable. It means the driving position can be super low.

To soften the starkness of the black and white, there are actually little pink highlights, especially under the lid of the storage area that lives behind the seats, and the instrument panel is a simple, slim sweep of digital screen. There's lots of sustainable and recycled materials in there too, including recycled aluminium, Alcantara suede incorporating certified post-consumer recycled polyester, and ‘CircuLeather', a genuine leather based on recycled material.

Who's created the Nexera?

The Nexera has been overseen by Yasutake Tsuchida, formerly the head of Honda design and now Acura's chief creative officer. "We are using the 40th anniversary of Acura as a springboard to our future, with the Acura Nexera Vision serving as the design language for future Acura models,” said Tsuchida. "Our goal with this new design direction is to define Acura performance through disciplined proportions, sculpted form and the seamless integration of advanced technology, creating an expression that is both progressive and authentic to the brand.”

Is it actually the new NSX, though?

That remains to be seen. Our take is that it's certainly possible, and now that Honda (and Acura) are on the road to recovery from a disastrous 2025 financial result, the power of a good halo model, something to remind us all that Honda (and Acura…) can do rather more than just solid family cars, should not be underestimated. A new NSX might be a bit of a long shot (there were numerous starts and stops between the original and second generation), but we never thought we'd see a new Honda Prelude ever again, and that's just gone on sale in Ireland, so miracles do happen. Let's keep our fingers crossed, eh?