2016 Honda NSX hybrid supercar to wear $420,000 price tag in Australia

HONDA Australia has revealed its AWD hybrid hero car, the 2016 Honda NSX, will wear a gargantuan $420,000 price sticker on its windshield when the first cars arrive in local dealerships in November.

That’s around $14,000 more than a Porsche 911 Turbo PDK, more than $30,000 over an Audi R8 V10 Plus and a huge $40,000 more than a McLaren 570S – all of which promise similar straight-line performance to the NSX, with 0-100km/h sprint times in the low three-second range.

What’s more, Honda Australia will sting you an extra $1500 if you opt for metallic paint, or a mega $10,000 if you tick the box for Valencia Red Pearl, the new NSX’s hero colour.

However Honda Australia claims the NSX presents a better value-for-money proposition than many of its key rivals. Spec some of the above cars to the same level as the Honda, and the company claims between $15-35k would need to be added to their retail prices.

The new NSX is also as bespoke as a Honda is ever likely to get. Each 373kW turbocharged V6 engine takes seven hours to be hand-assembled at Honda’s North American engine plant in Anna, Ohio, which also builds the 2.0 litre turbo for the Honda Civic Type R.

With its turbo V6 working in concert with three electric drive motors (one on the rear axle to assist the engine plus two up front to make it AWD), the NSX makes a sizable 427kW. Honda won’t say how fast it’ll sprint to 100km/h, but describes its performance as “competitive” against its supercar peers.

$420k is a lot of money for a Honda regardless of its performance, but as far as Japanese supercars go it’s far from the priciest – that award goes to the Lexus LFA, which launched here in 2011 at a whopping $700,000.

The Australian NSX is, however, substantially more expensive than its Acura-badged US-market relative. Optioned to its highest level, American customers would only need to drop US$201,000AU – or AU$264,000 – on an Acura NSX. A Porsche 911 Turbo S also retails for $188,100 in the ‘States, however, so at least Australians aren’t the only ones that are paying relatively big money for the NSX.

The good news is that Australia-bound NSXs will only be available in a single high-specification model, with carbon-ceramic brakes and carbon fibre trimmings offered as standard in Australia.

“It’s arriving fully-equipped,” Honda Australia Director Stephen Collins said.

“For example we’ve made the carbon fibre exterior and interior packages standard, along with carbon-ceramic brakes. It’s a highly competitive supercar package,”

Lightweight carbon fibre will adorn everything from the rear diffuser, front underspoiler, side skirts, roof, engine cover and the spoiler, with more carbon weave throughout the interior. Eight exterior colours and four interior colours will be offered.

The bad news? Buyers should be prepared for a wait before their NSX appears in their driveway. Though there will only be one specification offered, cars will still be built to order – besides a couple of press and demo cars that are due to arrive in November, Honda Australia won’t be holding any NSXs in inventory.

The waiting list may also be substantial. A small number of customers have already slapped a deposit down on a new NSX without having driven it, and the queue forms behind those early-adopters. The order book for Australian NSXs officially opens on August 22.

Plus, with US customers already facing a two-year waiting list and Honda’s Marysville Ohio assembly plant only able to build eight cars a day, wait times for Aussie orders may be lengthy. Honda says those who get in line early can expect to wait between seven and nine months for their cars to arrive.

Only five dealers nationwide are able to sell and service the NSX too, with one each in Victoria (Yarra Honda), NSW (Scotts Honda), Queensland (Austral Honda), South Australia (Nordic Honda) and Western Australia (Burswood Honda).