Gas prices are going up, up, up and never coming back down again.
At these rates, the very tenability of a V8 engine is in question, nevermind a mega-hp V10.
This engine, if produced, has no utility to Honda beyond a supercar plant. As such, it would be a huge waste of money for a car that will be limited production and doomed to repeat the sales failures of the NSX even in a best-case market environment.
As gas prices crest $3/gal and head towards $4, people will be dumping SUVs and the guzzler luxo cars in droves. Those who think they won't are foolish. B/c, when asked, people can always say, "well, I HAD a BMW but I decided to trade it in..." Everyone can "had" something which is almost as good as havING it.
Sorry, but we're headed back to the days of the early CVCC and that style of automobile. Mega-hp, wasty vehicles are going to become rarer, not more common. The trend will be toward smaller engines.
In that regard, I think that a 3.5L plant from Honda w/ IMA in a "supercar" is a great idea. They could get the jump on this entire niche. When paying a ton of $$ for a fast car that gets 18mpg isn't something people are doing anymore, offering them the fast car w/ 30mpg starts to become a good seller.
People don't really think that rationally. I KNOW people who drive 911s who put 87 in those b!tches b/c they are trying to cheap and save on gas. And, the way the mass market appetite sloshes from extreme to extreme makes this type of strategic plan workable. The collective mindset will go toward "omg, I MUST save on gas" and ppl who spring for $90k AMG MBs and whatnot are going to irrationally pay overattention to the EPA rating.
This is what happened the last time gas prices were an issue, back in the early 70s. The market sloshed COMPLETELY in one direction, helped by emissions standards (which California is ramming down the nation's throat as we speak), from wasty, high performance cars to very gas-stingy vehicles. The V8 all but disappeared, as did American car companies.
Think about it...the NSX was removed from the marketplace partially because of inability to meet future emissions regs. You add these regs, which are only going to get WORSE, to the intrinsic price of fuel, and you have a recipe for disaster for anyone in the high-p and big-engine space. We got national 55mph for conservation and we'll get emissions regs for the same purposes. They'll say "oh, it's for safety" or for "cleaner air" but it'll be to inherently rule out large numbers of cars that consume lots of gas to produce high HP. You slap a non-SULEV waste tax on nonconforming vehicles and you see how many people flock away from them. If Uncle Sam was willing to ram a national speed limit down everyone's throat, he'll do the same with emissions regs.
At these rates, the very tenability of a V8 engine is in question, nevermind a mega-hp V10.
This engine, if produced, has no utility to Honda beyond a supercar plant. As such, it would be a huge waste of money for a car that will be limited production and doomed to repeat the sales failures of the NSX even in a best-case market environment.
As gas prices crest $3/gal and head towards $4, people will be dumping SUVs and the guzzler luxo cars in droves. Those who think they won't are foolish. B/c, when asked, people can always say, "well, I HAD a BMW but I decided to trade it in..." Everyone can "had" something which is almost as good as havING it.
Sorry, but we're headed back to the days of the early CVCC and that style of automobile. Mega-hp, wasty vehicles are going to become rarer, not more common. The trend will be toward smaller engines.
In that regard, I think that a 3.5L plant from Honda w/ IMA in a "supercar" is a great idea. They could get the jump on this entire niche. When paying a ton of $$ for a fast car that gets 18mpg isn't something people are doing anymore, offering them the fast car w/ 30mpg starts to become a good seller.
People don't really think that rationally. I KNOW people who drive 911s who put 87 in those b!tches b/c they are trying to cheap and save on gas. And, the way the mass market appetite sloshes from extreme to extreme makes this type of strategic plan workable. The collective mindset will go toward "omg, I MUST save on gas" and ppl who spring for $90k AMG MBs and whatnot are going to irrationally pay overattention to the EPA rating.
This is what happened the last time gas prices were an issue, back in the early 70s. The market sloshed COMPLETELY in one direction, helped by emissions standards (which California is ramming down the nation's throat as we speak), from wasty, high performance cars to very gas-stingy vehicles. The V8 all but disappeared, as did American car companies.
Think about it...the NSX was removed from the marketplace partially because of inability to meet future emissions regs. You add these regs, which are only going to get WORSE, to the intrinsic price of fuel, and you have a recipe for disaster for anyone in the high-p and big-engine space. We got national 55mph for conservation and we'll get emissions regs for the same purposes. They'll say "oh, it's for safety" or for "cleaner air" but it'll be to inherently rule out large numbers of cars that consume lots of gas to produce high HP. You slap a non-SULEV waste tax on nonconforming vehicles and you see how many people flock away from them. If Uncle Sam was willing to ram a national speed limit down everyone's throat, he'll do the same with emissions regs.
