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Honda
Legend / Acura RL Noting the
terrible failure of the current RL on the market place, Honda is
revamping its current strategy and is close to finalising a V8 engine
which will be shared with the new NSX coming out in 2003 (although a
delay is expected for the debut). A hint of BMW 3-series can be seen in
the front headlights and the usual Honda slab-side flanks in this
computer rendering can be seen. |
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New
Honda
NSX
To shared a V8 engine with its Legend/RL
sibling, the next NSX will have a V8 engine mounted amidships. Styling
will be much more dramatic than the current model, and interior quality
will be raised in order for the NSX to compete with a raft of strong
competitors, such as the next Skyline GTR R35, the Porsche 911, the
Aston Martin Vanquish, new RX-8 and RX-7, and THE competitor, Ferrari
360 Modena. Just how Honda can produce a car worthy of being compared to
the Ferrari 360 is still a mystery. |
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New
Honda Accord
At the Tokyo Motor Show, Honda will be
releasing a new model much more important to its survival as an
independent entity than the NSX - the new Accord.
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Toyota
5000GT More speculation as to
whether Toyota will introduce an NSX competitor, and to tie in with its
efforts in next year's Formula One season. Toyota recently has been
matching Honda model for model and is using all of its considerable
marketing clout to make life miserable for Honda in Japan, so a
competitor for the NSX is a logical guess. The
V12 used in the home-market-only Century was studied for a possible
basis of the engine in the 5000GT, hence its current rumored name. A V12
will provide the panache necessary to compete in an extremely
conservative segment, where image counts the most. |
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New
Toyota Altezza / Lexus IS The next
Toyota Altezza will follow Japan's new model development tradition:
competely new looks unrelated to its predecessor. Toyota will even ditch
the inline six cylinder engine which started life in the Supra JZA80
model from the nineties and replace with a new V6 engine. The biggest
capacity version will likely put out more than the BMW 330i's 231-hp, to
remain competitive. With an expected curb weight less than the 330i, the
next Altezza should provide dazzling performance. A M3 competitor will
be developed by TTE and possibly with the assistance of Brabus, the
famous German tuning house. |
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