Honda’s baby-NSX to make 300hp, arrive in 2018?

Reports out of the UK say that Honda’s rumored sub-NSX sports car will be coming in 2018.

Earlier this year, patent drawings revealed what looked like a mid-engined sports car from Honda. It was dubbed the baby NSX thanks to proportions that hinted at a mid-engine configuration, but some have called an S2000 successor. A separate round of rumors from Australia appeared to confirm that it was under development as a hybrid capable of 400 horsepower.

Now, a new report from AutoExpress revises that down to a still-impressive 300 horses. Apparently, ever-stricter emissions regulations have prevented the use of what would have been the Civic Type R’s 2.0-liter, 200 horsepower turbo four. Instead, the sports car will employ a 1.5-liter turbo instead. Unspecified technology from Honda’s new Formula One program will be incorporated into the car as well, the article says.

Honda seeks to take on cars like the Porsche Cayman, Audi TT, BMW Z4, and Alfa Romeo 4C in both performance and price. With Mazda developing what could be a rotary-powered successor to the RX-7 and RX-8, and Toyota mulling a new Supra, we could be looking at a rebirth of Japanese sports cars.