Acura Dealers Prep for Delayed 2017 Acura NSX

DETROIT – The showroom debut of the 2017 Acura NSX, an all-new two-seat midengine hybrid sports car, may be stalled, but Acura dealers are already fielding inquiries from shoppers and putting plans in place.

Acura dealers who will sell the NSX are required to have a special area in the showroom where the car’s exterior colors will be displayed on a wall along with available leather choices and accessories.

There will be no demonstrators for customers to drive, Edmunds has learned.

“The interest in this car already is so high people are already making deals with dealers to get the first cars sight unseen,” said Acura spokesman Chuck Schifsky, in a recent interview.

He added that customers understand the delay.

“Customers are definitely willing to wait to make sure the car is right,” Schifsky said.

Acura wanted to address performance concerns before launching its most expensive model. Pricing hasn’t been announced, but the NSX is expected to carry a price tag of around $150,000.

“The goal was to get the NSX to a performance level we figured customers would be happy with,” Schifsky said. “So it has taken a little bit longer, but not a significant amount of time.”

Select Acura dealers will start taking orders at the end of the year and buyers will receive their cars early next year.

Originally, customer deliveries were expected in the fourth quarter of 2015.

While Acura has not announced a specific model-year designation, industry sources tell Edmunds the NSX will be labeled as a 2017 model.

The supercar is equipped with a twin-turbocharged V6 engine that powers the rear tires and an electric motor at each of the front tires, producing over 550 combined horsepower. Acura has not released a specific horsepower rating. A nine-speed dual-clutch transmission is standard.

Schifsky said the automaker decided to switch to a twin-turbocharged V6 early in the NSX’s development, which has contributed to the delay. The original engine planned for the NSX did not have a twin turbo.

In addition, engineers switched from a transverse-mounted V6 engine to a longitudinally mounted engine, requiring a re-engineering of the engine compartment.

“Anytime you do a supercar, you want to make sure you get it right,” Schifsky said.

The new NSX marks the first return of the model since the original NSX, which was produced from 1991-2005.

Edmunds says: There’s no second chance when launching a supercar, so the delay gives Acura a few extra months to create the perfect NSX.