When we stopped looking at the Massive Gearlever of the Suzuki Alto at last month’s Tokyo motor show, we spent a very interesting hour talking to Honda. There, as regular TopGear.commers will remember, Honda told us a new NSX would appear at Detroit.

And today, Honda has issued a press release that removes any doubt: the NSX concept representing the styling direction for their next generation supercar will debut at the 2012 North American International Auto Show. So it’s officially official: we’re getting a brand new Honda NSX. Soon.

Why? At Tokyo, Honda’s design manager Yoshikazu Kigoshi told Top Gear that the company “needs a halo car”, a decision that has come straight down from Honda president Takanobu Ito. “A new S2000 is a difficult car for us to do,” Kigoshi-san told us, “because of its front-engined rear-drive platform. But we are definitely looking at the EV-ster and a new NSX.”

Good news, you will agree. After all, the original NSX was superb, and a car that Senna quite liked. He was also quite handy in it with a set of driving gloves and white socks.

Details are scarce, but we are assured the next NSX will get the company’s new SH-AWD torque vectoring system, that uses independent electric motors on the rear wheels to optimise cornering behaviour.

The NSX will be unveiled at the Detroit show on January 9, and frankly, it couldn’t come soon enough. Naturally, we’ll be bringing you Top Gear’s considered take on the show, but for now refresh your memory of the NSX with the time Jeremy took it on an adventure to Laguna Seca…