Honda: All new NSX to be built in US

Honda's NSX concept was revealed at the Detroit Motorshow last year. Photo / Supplied

Honda's flagship to have hybrid powertrain

Honda's new version of its Acura NSX sports car will be produced at a new plant inside one of the carmaker's former facilities in central Ohio, Honda said this week.

The new $70 million plant, called the Performance Manufacturing Centre, will be inside the former North American Logistics facility and adjacent to Honda's existing factory in Marysville.

The new factory is expected to employ about 100 skilled workers drawn from existing Ohio operations, with mass production expected to begin in 2015.

Honda's third auto plant in Ohio will be only a few kilometres from the Honda R&D Americas' Ohio Centre, which it said is engineering the Acura NSX for production. The car's powertrain will be assembled by workers at Honda's engine plant in Anna.

The NSX, Honda's highest performance sports car, was last built in 2005 in Japan, where it had been manufactured since 1990.

Honda says the new NSX will feature a lightweight chassis, a mid-mounted V6 engine, a dual-clutch transmission and an all-wheel-drive hybrid powertrain.

Honda R&D Americas chief engineer Ted Klaus, who is leading the global team developing the new NSX, told reporters in a conference call that it will provide "tremendously high performance in response to the driver" and strike the right balance between technology and value.

The new NSX to be built exclusively at the Ohio site will be sold in North America and exported throughout the world.

The company now has 14 manufacturing facilities across North America, producing Honda and Acura vehicles, car engines and transmissions, Honda all-terrain vehicles, lawnmowers and general purpose engines.

-AP