Honda officials have suggested we may see a sporty Honda roadster sometime soon.
Honda is celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2023, and there's no better way to commemorate an automotive milestone than building a new sports car. According to Autocar, the Japanese automaker may do just that, with a modern S2000 successor.
Tom Gardner, Senior Vice President of Honda Europe, told the British publication that fans should "watch this space: [2023 is] 75 years - we had the S2000 at 50. Who knows." Aside from the stellar Civic Type R, Honda hasn't built a serious performance car for quite some time. With a crossover-rich lineup and a focus on electrification, it would be fair to assume the Tokyo-based brand is done with dedicated sports cars.
That is not so. We know the Type R brand will survive into the electric era; engineer Hideki Kakinuma previously said "Without Type R, there is no Honda."
Gardner added that Honda's future products (particularly models sold in Europe) will be described as advanced and sporty.
"And we love a sports car. We love performance, and we're very grateful for the strong reaction we've had to the latest Type R. There is a huge demand for it, and the performance has been very well appreciated. We really enjoyed seeing it nail the Nurburgring record in the last month, which is an important part of our brand."
The S2000 went out of production in 2009, leaving a gap in Honda's lineup. The high-revving roadster was first introduced in 1999 and showed the world that Honda could rival sports cars from Porsche and BMW. Rumors of an S2000 revival have been floating around for years, with some suggesting the replacement will arrive in 2024.
Former Honda CEO Takahiro Hachigo has previously said the company would be keen to introduce a new roadster. "I've already heard many voices expressing they'd like a next-generation S2000. Honda development engineers are quick to develop sporty cars if the requests are there," remarked Hachigo at the time.
Last year, the manufacturer teased two new electric sports cars that may arrive in the coming years. This could be a battery-powered S2000 (which may upset die-hard fans) or even an all-electric NSX. Although it hasn't been confirmed, Acura officials have said the next NSX will do away with the combustion engine. Hopefully, the Japanese automaker sees fit to introduce both an S2000 and NSX in the electric future.
"We need time to decide if S2000 is reinvented or not. If the salespeople investigate, look at it and they're really enthusiastic, maybe we look at it," added Hachigo at the time.
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