Honda Japan has plans to resurrect the S2000 sports car. Honda’s top exterior designer, Toshinobu Minami made a passing statement that he wants a mid-level sporty car added to the lineup between their two main sports cars under development which is the all new NSX which will debut in 2015 and the Japan only mini roadster to compete with the iconic Mazda. Minami remarked that to properly nurture sports-car nameplates, a carmaker must keep making them. He also criticized Honda’s decision to drop sports cars during the global financial crisis.
He remarked that quitting the NSX and the S2000 nameplates was the thing he regrets most. Honda dropped the NSX in 2005 and killed plans to resurrect it in 2008, when its earnings were threatened by the wallowing global economy. In January 2009, Honda announced its decision to drop the S2000 roadster after a decade of good sales. The NSX and the S2000 each had very loyal following.
Minami remarked that it is important to keep selling sporty cars “no matter what condition the company is in” since it maintains that relationship with the customer. He said that the hybrid CR-Z compact hatchback, Honda’s current sporty offering, fills an important niche due its hybrid drivetrain. He said that rediscovering Honda’s roots is a top priority.
