Honda has been teasing us with concepts and prototypes of the next-generation NSX for a couple years now. The latest version appeared at the Canadian International Auto Show in Toronto in February.
This week, the company announced that the long-awaited successor to the iconic mid-engined sports car that went out of production in 2005 will in fact be built in Ohio, beginning in 2015.
It will be produced at a new Honda Performance Manufacturing Centre that is housed inside Honda’s former North American Logistics facility.
Honda says the NSX will feature a unique powertrain and body structure. It will be powered by a mid-mounted V-6 engine mated to Honda’s new Sport Hybrid SH-AWD (Super Handling All Wheel Drive) system.
HRDA chief engineer Ted Klaus leads the global development team and Clement D’ Souza, associate chief engineer at Honda of America, is leading the team that will bring it into production.
The production site, which will be Honda’s third car plant in Ohio, is located close to the HRDA Ohio Centre that is engineering the car for production and adjacent to Honda of America’s Marysville Auto Plant.
It is also close to Honda Engineering North America centre, which develops new production technologies and the NSX's powertrain will also be assembled at Honda’s engine plant in Anna, Ohio.
Approximately 100 skilled workers, drawn from within Honda’s existing operations in Ohio, will be employed at the Performance Manufacturing Centre.
The original Honda NSX was built at the Takanezawa Plant in Japan from 1990 until 2004, when production was moved to the Suzuka Plant. It was produced there until 2005.
Part of the Tochigi Factory, the Takanezawa Plant was the first manufacturing facility in the world to mass-produce an all-aluminum body.