2012 Detroit motor show A-to-Z listing

Honda has officially unveiled its NSX concept at the Detroit motor show, with a production version of the car you see here set to go on sale in 2014.

Although the concept wears the Acura badging – Honda’s posh US sub-brand – the project itself is pure Honda, with the NSX being pitched as a car that’s set to return Honda to its roots as a company led by both engineers and enthusiasts. As such, it’s a showcase for performance hybrid technology.

As previously reported, the new car has got nothing in common with the front-engined V10 sportscar that Honda was developing, and which got axed after the global financial crisis hit in 2008. Instead the new NSX returns to the original’s recipe of a mid-mounted engine – believed to be a V6 in the production version – together with assistance from electric motors. This ‘E-SH-AWD’ powertrain will use the V6 to drive the rear wheels, with electric power at the front.

The show concept is stunning. It looks smaller on the stand than it does in pictures – it’s closer in dimensions to a Cayman than it is a new 911, but the detailing is strong and, despite the ‘concept’ tag, the Acura looked very much ready to be put into production.

Although few details have been officially released alongside the concept, Honda insiders reckon that a production version of the NSX should be on sale within the next three years.