Acura will kill NSX supercar after 2022 model year

LOS ANGELES — Honda Motor Co. is dropping another car, this time the slow-selling Acura NSX supercar that has served as a sporty halo for the luxury performance brand.

Last year, Honda killed off the Fit hatchback, Civic Coupe and the manual-transmission version of the Accord sedan. Both the Honda and Acura brands are pivoting toward light trucks to boost volume.

For the final year of the second-generation NSX, Acura will offer a limited run of 350 units of the supercar globally in a sport-trim Type S spec, the company said Monday. In the United States, Acura sold just 128 units of the NSX in 2020, about half the 2019 number. U.S. sales of the latest NSX peaked at 581 in 2017.

In Canada, Acura sold just 23 units of the NSX in 2020, one more than the prior year. Canada sales of the latest NSX peaked at 50 in 2016.

"Every 2022 Acura NSX produced at the Performance Manufacturing Center in Ohio will be a limited-edition Type S model powered by an enhanced version of the supercar's twin-turbo V6" and all-wheel-drive system, the company said.

"In celebration of the final year of NSX production, just 350 of these exclusive supercars will be available worldwide, with only 300 offered in the United States, marking the first time an NSX Type S has been sold outside of Japan," the automaker added.

It’s not clear how many — if any — will be available in Canada, although the limited run is mentioned on the automaker’s Canadian website.

Acura teased some images of the 2022 model, which will be fully unveiled at Monterey Car Week on Aug. 12.

The farewell edition of the hybrid supercar will have more power, quicker acceleration and sharper handling, Acura said. Pricing was not announced.

The second-generation NSX, launched in 2016, generally failed to live up to the reputation of its predecessor, which was discontinued after the 2005 model year. In the first half of 2021, Acura only sold 60 units of the NSX compared to rivals such as the Porsche 911, with over 5,000 units sold in the first half.

Acura said it has not given up on sports cars.

"Acura is a performance brand, a company of enthusiasts, and we will continue moving forward, actively investigating what the next generation of sports cars should be in an electrified era," said Jon Ikeda, vice president and Acura brand officer.