First, thanks to Perry and Mitch for being Prime's on the spot correspondents. 
Perry, they made the Honcho/WingZ concept, brotha! 
Some thoughts on the new car after having a night to sleep on it:
If you guys recall, the reaction to the original NS-X concept was that the design was "derivative" and "subdued". It's styling was castigated for being a cheap knock-off of a Ferrari 348 without the panache and class of the Italian design. Some of that is true. If you look at exotic sports cars from the late 80's and early 90's, they all have that low wedge shape. This was because the aero guys at the time thought this was the best shape for speed. Similarly today, it is no accident that the Veyron, 458, MP4-12C, R8, and yes, the NSX, all share the same basic shape. This shape is what the aero guys say is the best for speed. Thus, I don't hold it against Acura for using this shape.
The beak needs to go. Sorry, Acura. The beakless render looks 100% better. Also, the rear lights need to be canted inwards so they are not straight up and down. Go from this |__| to this /__\. Finally the wheels are ugly, but then again most concept wheels are hideous. Otherwise I think it is a gorgeous car.
As for US production, I agree with the concerns and also am skeptical. Case in point: my RDX was built in the US. It has more squeaks and rattles than my 20 year old NSX. I have had the car in twice for warranty work because the speakers keep falling out of their door mounts and shorting out. I have never trusted US workers to do a good job because they have no personal pride in their work and no sense of accountability. Building a car is a paycheck to them and they could care less if the car turns out good or not. The limit of their concern goes to doing just enough to make sure their manager doesn't fire them. These are not the kind of people I want building my NSX.
With that said, there are good business reasons to build the NSX here. First, Honda got spooked by the tsunami last year. Really spooked. Not only were their factories shut down causing a worldwide shortage of cars, but their parts supply chains were frozen too. This cost them billions of yen. Japan is situated in a very geologically actiive region. They are constantly exposed to devastating earthquakes, typhoons, tsunamis and even volcanic eruptions. By moving production to the US, Honda gains insurance that even if there is a disaster in Japan, they can continue producing cars and ensure a stable parts supply chain.
Second, the yen is killing Honda's competitiveness. In fact, one of the main reasons the NSX crept up so high in price was the rise of the yen over the last 20 years. This puts Honda in the unenviable position of having to keep product prices steady in the face of a rising yen. The only way they can do this is to cut costs in the cars. I think it's a big reason why they dumped the double wishbone in the Civic and dumbed down the interiors. Think about it. 10 years ago a NSX-R suspension was about $2,800. Now it is $4,500. Why? The yen! By building the NSX in the US, Honda can avoid some of that currency cost and keep the price more stable, which is critical for the NSX as we have seen.
I must admit this NSX Concept was more than I expected. It is the first concept that is in keeping with the original vision of the NS-X Concept. The HSC was really just a derivative NA3, nothing more. The HSV was a muscle car, nothing earth shattering. By contrast, the original NS-X concept had two main points to make to the world: reliability and incredible new technology (VTEC, Ti rods, 4Ch ABS, etc). This new concept shares that mission, but now the tech has changed. Today it's all about hybrids. This new NSX is taking up the flag like the first and is going to change the industry again. It think it would be so cool to turn a sub-8 minute lap on the Ring and get 40+ MPG on the way back home.
So, to summarize:
- Love the new design
- Lose the beak, or at least subdue it
- Tweak the tail lights
- Use good-looking wheels
- Please offer a proper manual gearbox! Use the tech from the CR-Z.
- Listen to Ito and stay laser focused on power-to-weight
Perry, they made the Honcho/WingZ concept, brotha! Some thoughts on the new car after having a night to sleep on it:
If you guys recall, the reaction to the original NS-X concept was that the design was "derivative" and "subdued". It's styling was castigated for being a cheap knock-off of a Ferrari 348 without the panache and class of the Italian design. Some of that is true. If you look at exotic sports cars from the late 80's and early 90's, they all have that low wedge shape. This was because the aero guys at the time thought this was the best shape for speed. Similarly today, it is no accident that the Veyron, 458, MP4-12C, R8, and yes, the NSX, all share the same basic shape. This shape is what the aero guys say is the best for speed. Thus, I don't hold it against Acura for using this shape.
The beak needs to go. Sorry, Acura. The beakless render looks 100% better. Also, the rear lights need to be canted inwards so they are not straight up and down. Go from this |__| to this /__\. Finally the wheels are ugly, but then again most concept wheels are hideous. Otherwise I think it is a gorgeous car.
As for US production, I agree with the concerns and also am skeptical. Case in point: my RDX was built in the US. It has more squeaks and rattles than my 20 year old NSX. I have had the car in twice for warranty work because the speakers keep falling out of their door mounts and shorting out. I have never trusted US workers to do a good job because they have no personal pride in their work and no sense of accountability. Building a car is a paycheck to them and they could care less if the car turns out good or not. The limit of their concern goes to doing just enough to make sure their manager doesn't fire them. These are not the kind of people I want building my NSX.
With that said, there are good business reasons to build the NSX here. First, Honda got spooked by the tsunami last year. Really spooked. Not only were their factories shut down causing a worldwide shortage of cars, but their parts supply chains were frozen too. This cost them billions of yen. Japan is situated in a very geologically actiive region. They are constantly exposed to devastating earthquakes, typhoons, tsunamis and even volcanic eruptions. By moving production to the US, Honda gains insurance that even if there is a disaster in Japan, they can continue producing cars and ensure a stable parts supply chain.
Second, the yen is killing Honda's competitiveness. In fact, one of the main reasons the NSX crept up so high in price was the rise of the yen over the last 20 years. This puts Honda in the unenviable position of having to keep product prices steady in the face of a rising yen. The only way they can do this is to cut costs in the cars. I think it's a big reason why they dumped the double wishbone in the Civic and dumbed down the interiors. Think about it. 10 years ago a NSX-R suspension was about $2,800. Now it is $4,500. Why? The yen! By building the NSX in the US, Honda can avoid some of that currency cost and keep the price more stable, which is critical for the NSX as we have seen.
I must admit this NSX Concept was more than I expected. It is the first concept that is in keeping with the original vision of the NS-X Concept. The HSC was really just a derivative NA3, nothing more. The HSV was a muscle car, nothing earth shattering. By contrast, the original NS-X concept had two main points to make to the world: reliability and incredible new technology (VTEC, Ti rods, 4Ch ABS, etc). This new concept shares that mission, but now the tech has changed. Today it's all about hybrids. This new NSX is taking up the flag like the first and is going to change the industry again. It think it would be so cool to turn a sub-8 minute lap on the Ring and get 40+ MPG on the way back home.
So, to summarize:
- Love the new design
- Lose the beak, or at least subdue it
- Tweak the tail lights
- Use good-looking wheels
- Please offer a proper manual gearbox! Use the tech from the CR-Z.
- Listen to Ito and stay laser focused on power-to-weight
