Is Honda preparing to unveil next-generation GT500 car?

The Japanese manufacturer will make the presentation on Friday January 13, the opening day of the annual Tokyo Auto Salon exhibition.

No details about the concept car were given except for the fact it is based on "a car being developed by Honda Racing Corporation with the objective of entering competition in the 2024 season".

While there was no specific mention of SUPER GT, the fact it is planned to race in 2024, when a new rules cycle is slated to begin in GT500, suggests the car will become the successor the current NSX-GT.

A new GT3 model appears unlikely as the current NSX GT3 was given a fresh 'Evo' update this year and is homologated through 2024.

Honda has raced variants of the recently-discontinued second-generation NSX street car model in GT500 since the 2014 season, with the latest update to 'Type S' bodywork coming at the start of the current season.

The NSX-GT is set to race on for at least the 2023 season, when the aerodynamics are once again frozen for all three GT500 manufacturers ahead of the introduction of a new generation of car in 2024.

 

Honda has history when it comes to racing 'concept' models in GT500. It ran the track-only HSV-010 GT (pictured above) from 2010-13 to replace the original NSX, and ran the NSX Concept-GT from 2014-16, prior to the road car's release.

What will Toyota and Nissan do?

It remains to be seen how Honda's GT500 rivals will approach the 2024 regulations. Toyota's GR Supra was introduced in 2020, while Nissan's all-new Z GT500 made its debut this year, winning the title at its first attempt.

While Nissan appears likely to stick with an updated version of the Z, with a next-generation GT-R road car still thought to be some years away, Toyota may be tempted to replace the GR Supra after a below-par 2022 season.

A new contender based on the new Toyota/Lexus model that will be borne out of the GR GT3 Concept (pictured below), unveiled at the Auto Salon last year, would be the most obvious alternative to sticking to the GR Supra for another rules cycle, which lasts until the end of 2026.