Honda NSX News

Earlier this month, Audi unveiled a retro-inspired small electric vehicle that is a homage to a car that failed a quarter of a century ago. Spectacularly. Chances are the timely and handsome new A2 will succeed where the overpriced and oddly styled original from 2001 could not, but referencing a flop seems risky. It’s like Ford reviving the AU Falcon (though to be fair it is having a moment), or General Motors exhuming Holden with an ode to the ZB Commodore. Or Epica. Which has us thinking: this isn’t the first time that nostalgia, perhaps served with a side plate of delusion, has led to some confounding decisions. Whether they sold or were received poorly, we outline five resurrections that flopped. And if you disagree, let us know why in the comments below. How the millennial Monaro came about requires context. Holden enjoyed two golden eras: the early years, and for half a decade from 1997, after the then-new VT Commodore became a runaway smash hit. And the next year’s Australian International Motor Show in Sydney was pivotal. Codenamed Monica, the 1998 Holden Coupe Concept – essentially a VT with two doors, a slightly more-rakish windscreen and four (lower) seats – stole the show like no other car ever had before or since. At the time, Holden wasn’t even planning to build it. After all, coupe shelf lives are notoriously short. The original HK Monaro of 1968 proved popular initially, but its HQ-HX successors from 1971 struggled. The Coupe Concept utterly overshadowed Ford’s debuting AU Falcon at the Sydney show, made national news and created a buzz that helped bolster the brand. It was nothing short of sensational. Journalists immediately dubbed it Monaro, something Holden was understandably wary of. Despite what some articles today state, the resulting V2 Monaro failed to meet internal sales expectations when it arrived far later than scheduled, in November, 2001. Priced beyond most buyers’ reach from nearly $95,000 adjusted for inflation today, it went on to account for only a fraction of Commodore volume, at 4274 versus 88,478 units, putting it at 47 spot. From there, sales never improved, and the US-market Pontiac GTO export version of 2004 also failed to find a large-enough audience. By then, GM was floundering as the world moved away from sedans and coupes, in favour of SUVs, with the planned next-generation VE Monaro promptly canned, save for the 2008 Coupe 60 Concept to celebrate Holden’s 60 Anniversary. The Datsun 1600 is regarded as one of Japan’s earliest greats. Launched in 1967, it combined elegant styling with European-style chassis sophistication, to create a brilliant little sedan that dominated world rallying as effortlessly as it won over owners’ hearts. However, the larger and heavier 180B and 200B replacements of 1972 and 1976 respectively completely lacked the 1600’s sporty charm. Stung by widespread criticism, Datsun attempted to recreate the magic with the Stanza in 1978. But, built down to a price, it sorely lacked the fun and finesse that endeared so many owners to the old 1600. Critics were ruthless in their reviews. And though relatively popular and successful in motorsport, the Stanza couldn’t replicate the old 1600’s greatness and lasted only a single generation in Australia. By all objective means, any NSX is a masterpiece. Be it the exquisite 1990 NA1 original that became the first mid-engined supercar in history to love you back, or the NC1 tri-electric motor petrol/hybrid AWD successor of 2016 that was a breathtaking technological showcase, the name signifies engineering mastery. However, while neither generation achieved the sales volumes Honda required, the original has enjoyed a glorious afterlife as one of the all-time sports car greats. But the latter? Sadly, the second – or American – NSX remains misunderstood as being too advanced, and not “analogue” enough for drivers to truly connect with. That Honda cancelled it early (except in Japan) has not helped. Maybe the NC1 was just a decade before its time. Still an amazing achievement. One of Japan’s earliest Volkswagen Golf clones, the Pulsar became a beloved small-car staple in Australia over 25 years and six generations from 1980. That was until Nissan was forced to switch to a smaller replacement with awkward styling, ambitious pricing and a silly name. Inevitably, the 2006 Tiida tanked, even as Australians were clamouring towards smaller cars in the wake of soaring fuel prices. This was the era where the Mazda 3 and Toyota Corolla were king, but Nissan missed the party completely. The reason why the Pulsar ended was that it never properly challenged the Golf, so instead Nissan devised the Qashqai crossover, which immediately became a sales phenomenon. Somehow, Nissan Australia convinced a reluctant Japan to allow the redesigned Tiida hatch of 2012 to be rebadged Pulsar, along with the Thai market Sylphy sedan. Hopes were high of a sales revival but neither interloper possessed the required sophistication or appeal to lure local consumers back. Both Pulsar iterations never saw out their model cycle. The rear-engined air-cooled Beetle, which changed comparatively little between 1937 and 2003, remains the world’s best-selling vehicle of all time, at 21.5 million units. In contrast, the Toyota Corolla regenerated 12 times to date for it to find 50 million buyers. The re-imagined New Beetle, released globally in 1997 and 2000 in Australia, based on the versatile Golf IV architecture and built inexpensively in Mexico, sold strongly at first. But demand tapered off markedly as per most fashion statements, especially when BMW’s Mini reset the bar for retro remakes from 2001. However, after nearly 1.2 million units, VW’s third attempt, officially known as the “The Beetle”, struggled from the outset in 2012, despite featuring significantly more sophisticated drivetrains. Gone by 2019, barely 550,000 units were produced worldwide.

Honda has announced plans for an "NSX-type" EV.

Honda's iconic NSX could be reborn again as a fully electric car and the brand's boss is hinting one could already be under development.

Honda will reveal two new electric sports cars before the end of the decade, with a relatively clear path for each to take based on the information available.

Episode 234 - The best cars we’ve ever driven!

Honda will build not one, but two electric sports cars before the end of the decade, one of which is expected to be the third-generation of the hallowed NSX nameplate.Revealed during a briefing of its future of electrification, Honda said the models will

Honda Australia has recalled 22,366 examples of the Jazz, City, Civic, Accord, HR-V, CR-V and NSX over an issue with their fuel pumps

Some models are staples, others come and go with the whims of the market.For example, it's hard to imagine Toyota without the Corolla or Volkswagen without the Golf, as each generation rolls neatly into the next.

At first glance Honda Australia's decision to scale back its operations and adopt a new 'agency-style' sales model looks like a backwards step.

Honda Australia will cut dealers from its network and will move to a fixed-priced model in a bid to stay ahead of a downward trending market. With 106 outlets currently selling and servicing Honda cars around Australia, the Japanese brand will whittle its footprint down to a yet-to-be-determined number by July 1, 2021. Honda Australia will also adopt a new ‘agency’ sales model from that point onward, with all stock owned by the brand instead of the dealers. Honda New Zealand adopted the same business model in 2016, with Toyota New Zealand following suit in 2018. As a result, all Honda vehicles will carry a fixed, non-negotiable price and dealers, now known as agents, will receive a fee from Honda to facilitate the transaction with customers. All cars will be consolidated with Australian stock held by Honda Australia, which will mean new cars will be delivered to customers after purchase. The elimination of dealer volume incentives also means that Honda could, in theory, keep its driveaway pricing more competitive. Honda Australia has also confirmed that the new-generation version of its Jazz light car will not arrive Down Under, following the discontinuation of the mechanically related City late last year. Last year Honda sold 43,868 units (-14.9 per cent), ranking it as the ninth most-popular brand in the Australia market. It’s biggest seller, the CR-V mid-size SUV, sold 13,810 units, while the HR-V small crossover (11,731) and Civic small car (10,531) came in second and third respectively. Though the three nameplates accounted for 82.2 per cent of the brands volume, it says it will still offer the recently refreshed Accord sedan, Civic Type R hot hatch and Odyssey people mover. No mention was made of the continuation of the NSX hybrid supercar that is priced at $420,000 before on-road costs. Though a disruption to sales is expected, Honda expects its sales to stabilise at around 1650 units per month in mid-2021, or just under 20,000 sales annually. Honda Australia said the decision was made after “an extensive business review to understand how to make the business stronger and more enjoyable for customers in the long-term”. Honda Australia boss Stephen Collins said: “We can’t sit still; the Australian market has seen 23 consecutive months of decline and every automotive business is rapidly changing. “Customer preferences are changing and other industries have evolved while the automotive industry still sues a model that is decades old,” “We have excellent customer retention and want to reward our loyal and highly valued customer base with a more relational and less transactional experience. We know our customers want good value, strong resale and a seamless ownership experience on top of reliable engineering and quality vehicles. “The transition over the next 15 months will be a gradual process to allow our dealer network to fully prepare for the new business model. “Honda Australia has just celebrated its 50-year anniversary; Now is the time to take the necessary steps to seek to ensure the business and network are set up for the future and that our customers are with us for the next 50 years.”