Stunning new Acura design study may preview next Honda NSX

Acura has teased an all-new supercar ‘design study’ and it could allude to an all-electric third-generation Honda NSX.

A trio of official teaser images released during Monterey Car Week show the Acura Electric Vision Design Study will have a hunkered-down silhouette with inboard cabin positioning and integrated aerodynamics, highlighted by green LED front and rear lighting signatures and matching fluorescent green wheel trims.

Adding to the drama are illuminated Acura logos and lettering front and rear, virtual wing mirrors and raised front wheel-arches reminiscent of the Czinger 21C hypercar.

Honda and its Acura premium brand have only ever had one dedicated mid-engined speed machine in their ranks: the mighty NSX.

The 1990 original has become a cult hero with its stunning looks and VTEC V6 power, while the hybrid-powered second-generation Honda NSX of 2016 proved just as ground-breaking, but was priced at $420,000 and limited to just 10 units in Australia.

Logic suggests that with the second-generation NSX now put out to pasture, this so-called design concept will eventually become the third-generation NSX, completing the mid-ship Japanese supercar’s electrification journey from internal combustion to petrol-electric hybrid and eventually pure EV power.

“Our Acura design team in Los Angeles is dreaming up the future of Acura Precision Crafted Performance in the EV era,” Acura executive creative director Dave Marek said.

“This latest expression of an all-electric high-performance model is inspiring everyone in our studio to push the boundaries and we wanted to share the fun with our Acura fans.”

We don’t have any would-be mechanical details on the design study at this stage, but Acura executives say the vehicle’s proportions relay the intent of “thrilling performance” and they certainly do.

If an electric NSX is indeed on the cards, odds are it will drastically step up the performance ante compared to its already impressive predecessor, given the amount of firepower the latest crop of electric hypercars are slamming down these days.

The fabled NSX nameplate could even find itself on the back of a hypercar – depending on where Acura/Honda prices and positions it – but only time will tell.