A Limited Edition NSX Is Acura's Key To Turning Sales Around
I thought Honda had a thing about Power and Dreams.
Acura desperately needs to create a go-fast special edition of its flagship NSX. The “new” Acura NSX debuted in 2016 after a very long development phase. One would think that exotic car lovers would be lining up to buy NSXs, but it has largely been a very slow selling car. Since its release, Acura has only sold just over 1,000 NSXs in the US market. Many of its supercar rivals below sell that same amount or more in a single year. If you wanted the “rarest” car, you should go out and buy the NSX. If you want the perception of rarity, you go out and buy one of the other cars. Acura failed to create demand for the NSX.
Source: Acura
The slow sales have nothing to do with the performance of the car. The specs comparison at the end of this post shows that it can keep up with competitors nearly 100 stacks dearer. The NSX is a technical masterpiece and has been praised by many for its capabilities. Acura simply has a few things to learn about how to sell their flagship vehicle.
A lesson on selling bricks
In the same way that Supreme has been able to create artificial demand for a $150 Supreme branded brick, Acura’s competitors have figured out how to create artificial demand for their supercars. Two words: limited editions.
Acura’s press photos seem to acknowledge that their target buyers aren’t exactly hurting for cash.
Selling exclusivity
Imagine if you would, a new Acura NSX Type S-Zero. Liposuction the sound deadening that makes the standard NSX so capable as a daily driver, dial up a little more boost through the turbos, work in active aero a la the Huracán Performante, and there you have it! The Weissach Scuderia NSX RS Plus LT Type R! Limit production to 100 units and have customers get “on the list” for the limited release. Acura would be creating a very familiar process for all of the current Scuderia buyers, who will be happy to pay a $75K premium for the opportunity to own a model which is limited enough that it is considered collectible.
While it isn’t as easy as snapping your fingers and churning out a lighter and more powerful model of what is considered by many a supercar, I want Acura to give the NSX the dream configurations it deserves.
Spec Comparison between the NSX and a few competitors.
Best of comparison in bold.
