The 2017 NSX: Building A Supercar The Acura Way

Photo courtesy Kelley Blue Book
Photo courtesy Kelley Blue Book
The 2017 Acura NSX has an impressive engineering pedigree, with twin turbos and 3 electric motors assisting the longitudinally mounted V6 in achieving 573 horsepower and 476 lb.-ft. of torque. This power is transferred to the ground with maximum efficiency and traction thanks to its Sport Hybrid SH-AWD drivetrain. As with the original NSX, aluminum has been utilized in the vehicle structure, although significant changes to the vehicle’s construction were made for the new car. We’ve already driven the new NSX on the track at the company’s Tochigi R&D facility, but now we’ve also had a close-up look at the NSX’s production process.
Photo courtesy Honda North America
Photo courtesy Honda North America
One of the biggest updates Acura made is a switch from the aluminum monocoque used in the original NSX to a multi-material space frame in the 2017 NSX. A space frame chassis was selected due to its weight advantages, unmatched chassis rigidity and the added dynamic torsional rigidity it offers. The new NSX is designed to maximize the connection between driver inputs and vehicle response. In fact, the 2017 NSX mounts both its front and rear suspension systems directly to the space frame, without any subframes, a departure from most production vehicles. This direct connection of chassis to suspension will help ensure immediate steering response and exceptional feel through the wheel.
Photo courtesy Honda North America
Photo courtesy Honda North America
To effectively meet the high demands of NSX production Acura built a new facility called the Performance Manufacturing Center (PMC). This facility is designed to assemble low-volume, high-performance specialty vehicles and is located near the Honda of America Manufacturing facility in Marysville, Ohio.
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Photo courtesy Honda North America
Photo courtesy Honda North America
PMC is the global production center for the NSX and, true to its name, the plant houses all aspects of building the NSX, from welding the space frame together to paint application, vehicle assembly and final quality testing.
Photo courtesy Honda North America
Photo courtesy Honda North America
The NSX is the world’s first vehicle to use ablation casting in an automotive application. Ablation casting is a technique used to sand-cast aluminum components, allowing for their rapid cooling by spraying them with water jets.  The water jets ablate, or quickly erode, the water-soluble sand-casting mold to quickly and effectively quench the part, adding strength and hardness to the aluminum. The ablation cast parts are then welded directly to key points on the space frame structure underpinning the NSX.
Photo courtesy Kelley Blue Book
Photo courtesy Kelley Blue Book
There are six nodes on the frame of the NSX that use these ablation cast parts. These nodes are unique in their design requirements, as they need to be both rigid enough to act as suspension mounting points as well as ductile (deformable) enough to absorb energy, enhancing passenger safety during crash impacts.
Photo courtesy Honda North America
Photo courtesy Honda North America
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The NSX’s multi-material space frame is constructed in the PMC’s weld area. It consists primarily of aluminum and contains 860 robotically applied Metal Inert Gas (MIG) welds using more than 34 meters of MIG wire to complete the frame. The robotic welding ensures consistency and precision, and is repeatable weld after weld. Skilled human weld technicians inspect each component after the robots complete their work to ensure the highest levels of quality.
Photo courtesy Honda North America
Photo courtesy Honda North America
As with the original NSX outward visibility was a design priority. The new NSX’s A-Pillars were developed with that in mind. They are constructed of ultra-high-strength steel with a complex shape, and they are crafted using a new forming and tempering process. The steel is heated, shaped in 3 dimensions and quickly quenched by water jets to achieve additional strength. The end result is a supremely strong and thin A-Pillar that measures 3.5 inches by 1 inch and offers a less obstructed view than even the original NSX.
Photo courtesy Kelley Blue Book
Photo courtesy Kelley Blue Book
After the space frame has been fully welded it is inspected in the PMC’s Quality Confirmation Center. This glass-walled room is located in the center of the plant where technicians use highly sophisticated measuring equipment to ensure the space frame has been manufactured to precise tolerances. The equipment used in this inspection process can measure tolerances down to 50 microns; thinner than the width of a human hair.
Photo courtesy Kelley Blue Book
Photo courtesy Kelley Blue Book
This combination of attention to detail and innovative production process are key reasons why the space frame requires no post-weld machining to bring dimensional tolerances back into specification before assembly. Body mounting points line up exactly where they are supposed to right off the bat, which is not the case for many of the NSX’s competitors.
Photo courtesy Honda North America
Photo courtesy Honda North America
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Before additional components can be added to the space frame an anti-corrosion electro-coating is applied using a 50 minute baking process to help protect the space frame against the elements. Acura uses a zirconium pre-treatment to etch the metal before it is coated. Zirconium etching is a first for Acura, and helps eliminate more than 90 percent of the heavy metal waste that results from using zinc phosphate to do the same job. Post electro-coating, the NSX space frame is seam sealed to ensure the body structure is free of leaks.
Photo courtesy Honda North America
Photo courtesy Honda North America
Next comes the assembly phase, when the NSX’s interior and engine are installed. The NSX’s Sport Hybrid Super All-Wheel Drive power plant consists of a dry-sump, 75-degree 3.5 liter DOHC V6, an electric motor and a 9-speed dual clutch transmission that drives the rear wheels. Two additional electric motors power the front wheels independently, adding power and torque vectoring in a setup Acura calls the Twin Motor Unit (TMU). The whole system produces 573 horsepower, 500 from the gasoline engine and 73 from the electric motors.
Photo courtesy Honda North America
Photo courtesy Honda North America
The NSX’s engine is produced at Honda’s Anna Engine Plant located near the PMC. The 3.5-liter twin-turbocharged V6 is hand built by master engine builders who spend over six hours assembling each unit. The engine contains 547 bolts, all of them hand started before being machine driven and then manually torqued to their final specification.
Photo courtesy Honda North America
Photo courtesy Honda North America
After assembly is complete each engine is balanced and bench-tested, running the equivalent of 150 driven miles to ensure proper brake-in. This means the NSX can be driven aggressively as soon as the customer takes delivery.
Photo courtesy Kelley Blue Book
Photo courtesy Kelley Blue Book
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Painted body panels are the last items to be fitted to the chassis. This minimizes the opportunity for body panels to get scratched or damaged during assembly. Acura’s paint process for the NSX is unique in that paint is mixed in small batches, each batch containing enough to paint just two cars at a time. Customers that choose to have their NSX in Valencia Red Pearl and Nouvelle Blue Pearl will also be treated to PPG’s Andaro paint technology. This paint offers high levels of color saturation and is specially designed to increase contrast between the curved and angled body surfaces. This type of paint has historically been used on concept and show vehicles, but PPG has increased its durability to satisfy real-world requirements.
Photo courtesy Kelley Blue Book
Photo courtesy Kelley Blue Book
Synthesis seems to be a running theme for the new NSX. Power and handling benefit from a combination of proven engine knowledge working in concert with high performance hybrid electric motors. The man and machine production methodology Acura has implemented at PMC further allows the car to benefit from the best that tactile human feel and robotic precision have to offer. The PMC will begin serial production of the NSX in late April, with vehicles reaching customers shortly thereafter.

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