Honda is working on an all-new pure-electric sports car which, according to our sister-magazine Autocar UK, could sit below the upcoming NSX.

The long gestation period for Honda’s next-gen NSX hybrid supercar launch has allowed the manufacturer to start work on several other projects in parallel.

Some of these include a smaller, four-cylinder engine based sports car and a successor to the S2000 roadster which is on high priority, according to the insiders. There’s also a performance-focused pure-EV in the works, which could showcase the next-gen Honda SH-AWD torque distribution system.

In the all-new NSX supercar which is set to go on sale internationally soon, Honda’s SH-AWD architecture extends to a pair of electric motors in the front, powering each wheel and a third motor which supplements the 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6 engine at the rear. Honda also has an all-electric SH-AWD system ready that uses an inboard motor at each corner and mixes torque-vectoring along with four-wheel steering. This set-up was showcased on a modified CR-Z small sports car recently.

Our sister-magazine, Autocar UK understands that one of the chief attractions of four electric motors  that will be used in this upcoming sports car is that they can be relatively inexpensive, ‘stock’ components that are already available; the motors used on the CR-Z test mule that showcased the all-electric SH-AWD are from Honda’s American flagship, the Acura RLX Hybrid.

The new Honda NSX has been one of the more controversial sports car projects in its history. Honda is likely to gauge final reaction to the NSX before signing off on this new sports car project.