I see your point in the connection between the NSX and the rest of the line up. I'm just trying to say it takes more than an engine to link two cars together. The NSX is hand built on a platform that's not shared w/ any other which is MR. Technology trickles down starting with the NSX, that's true, I'm not denying that. VTEC started w/ the NSX. I'm just saying you look at the NSX and you see a piece of art and a nicely hand crafted super car. While you look at the rest of the Acura line, all you see is another sport luxury sedan/coupe. If you look at company like Benz and BMW, their AMG and M devision brings the performance image to the brand, yet their AMG and M model is based from a production car. That's why I say the NSX doesn't have much connection with the rest of the line up.

The Q45 is a disappointment in sales, no doubt about that but it's infinity flagship and it's their icon car. It stands for performance/HP, and technology/gadgets. I don't know if the M45 will be a money loser or not because it's just based off a car that's been built in japan for the last 3 or 4 years so it doesn't cost them any in the R&D part, unlike the Q45. Also, it's quite hard to predict how well it'll do. If you just look at the fact, the M45 cost about the same as the RL and the GS300 but it has a V8 with almost all the luxury of the Q45. So only time will tell whether it'll be a disappointment like the Q45 or not.

The NSX is here in the US as Acura. Do you think people would buy a $90k honda? Probably not but they would buy $90k acura. People probably wouldn't buy a $90k Nissan or Toyota either but they would buy a $90k Infiniti and Lexus. Nissan and Toyota do have similar cars to the NSX, which is the Supra and the Skyline. The skyline was a Japan only car. The supra was marketed differently. If you look at performance, the Supra is quite similar to the NSX but the Supra was massed produced and Toyota made profit from it. When they stop making profit from it, they discontinue it. I think Acura has always been loosing money on every NSX they sell.

Infiniti was lost most of its year trying to be like Lexus. Lexus tries to project a Japanese version of Benz. Now, Infiniti is trying to project a Japanese version of BMW. I do agree with you that Nissan/Toyota/Honda all build their car on different philosophy and image.

Sorry for the long post.