Auto Channel

When the Acura Advanced Sports Car Concept made its debut at Detroit in 2007, it became evident that a new Acura NSX would not be available in 2008. Now, a Honda official has confirmed to Ward's Auto that the next generation Acura NSX will debut in 2010.

“We are developing it without any delay, so most probably we will have it in the period we already promised,” American Honda President and CEO Tetsuo Iwamura told a Ward's Auto reporter.

Previously, Honda CEO Takeo Fukui had said the car would come out between 2008 and 2009. In a 2005 speech, Fukui had said Honda would like to introduce a V-10 sports car "in three to four years." When the Advanced Sports Car Concept was shown off in Detroit, Fukui said a production version would be introduced at the October Tokyo Motor Show.

Despite the pressure placed on Honda by Nissan, which had planned - and succeded - in introducing their GT-R at Tokyo, Honda was unable to complete their production model. Rumors have since surfaced that an unenthusiastic responce to the concept sent the model back to the engineers for a reworking. The concept was designed by Acura's Los Angeles-based design team.

The end result is likely that the introduction of the Acura brand to Japan will be delayed, which could mean Americans might get the first shot at the NSX. If Honda retains similar specs as the Acura Advanced Sports Car Concept, then you can expect the new Acura NSX to be a supercar with a front-mounted V-10, and a highly-tuned rear-wheel drive version of Acura's Super Handling All-Wheel Drive system