With the exception of the US, the Acura NSX is known and sold as the Honda NSX. Same thing went for the first generation model. Although the new NSX isn’t exactly cheap, plenty of people can still afford its six-figure price tag. But despite lots of anticipation by fans in many countries, demand for the new NSX isn’t exactly high in Australia. According to CarAdvice, just two NSXs have been sold, one in 2016 and one this year. That’s it. So what’s going on here? Is the problem with Australia or the car?
Well, for starters, it costs an insane $420,000 AUD, around $331,000 USD. To compare, the NSX begins at $157,800, literally half the price than 'Down Under. But that alone won’t deter wealthy buyers. Honda Australia explained to CarAdvice that the NSX "wasn’t positioned, nor was it expected, to chase outright volume sales," but rather allowing the automaker "to raise the profile of the brand…through its hybrid technology, performance, exclusivity, and ultimately the type of driving experience that evokes memories of the original NSX, but through a 21st century execution." In addition to the two NSXs already delivered, another three are on the way sometime later this year or early next, depending on production status in the US.
Obviously that’s nice to hear, but CarAdvice did some further digging and discovered that the NSX’s main competitors, such as the Audi R8 V10 Plus and BMW i8, have outsold by fairly big numbers. A total of 21 R8 V10s ($389,325 AUD) and 13 i8s ($303,300 AUD) were sold in 2017. It appears that a combination of a lack of brand awareness and limited production capacity has resulted in a serious lack of NSXs in the land of Oz.
