Acura NSX bodywork to be sheathed in zirconium e-coat, fewer paint layers

Tue, 05 Aug 2014

Automakers make halo cars to drum up excitement and show off what it can do, but there's more to it than that. The advanced platform allows a company's engineers to experiment with all sorts of technologies. And in the case of the upcoming new Acura NSX, that includes new paint processes.

Speaking with Autoline in this video interview, Honda's North American Senior VP Jon Minto talked about an innovative zirconium e-coat which it's applying to the new NSX. Unlike some experimental paints developed for Formula One, however, this coating is not designed to minimize drag or enhance cooling: it's designed to be more environmentally friendly.

It's one of a few measures which Honda is implementing on the NSX before expanding it to more accessible models, along with another process that uses fewer coats to reduce energy consumption by 40 percent. Watch the interview with former Autoblog columnist John McElroy right here.

By Noah Joseph