Honda S2000 To Go Hybrid?
Next-gen Honda S2000 could be front-wheel drive and hybrid-powered
When the Honda S2000 dies later this year, it will leave a sports car-shaped gap in the Honda range, and an open question: How will Honda fill it?
Unfortunately, the latest answer coming out of Japan may not fill Honda fans - or indeed fans of sports cars in general - with feelings of happiness and optimism.
Hot on the heels of the news that Honda is to show a production hybrid sports car - the CR-Z - at October's Tokyo motor show come rumours that the next S2000, due in 2012, will also be a hybrid.
It gets worse. Japanese car mag Best Car is saying that the next-gen hybrid S2000, which will apparently be fitted with the same hybrid diveline due to go into some versions of the Honda Accord, will be front-wheel drive and fitted with a folding hard-top.
Seems like the days of 9000rpm VTECS and simple rear-wheel drive dynamics could be numbered. Let's just hope the rumours are wrong...
Looks like Clarkson was right when he said something along the lines of 'In a few years time you won't be able to buy a sports car due to the beardy-eco-lefties'.
That S2000 render is awful. Whoever designed that wants a bullet.
And what a shame about the CR-Z. Sooo much promise and so little return.
Honda fans revel in the fact that they make engines that are pokey, lively and able to be taken to 8000revs+.
V-Tec RIP.
Honda should be ashamed of themselves, dropping a thoroughbred, 9000rpm, rear wheel drive sports car and replacing it with an overcomplicated saloon derived lump with a pointless hybrid system and a folding hard top. It actually upsets me.
No problems with the hybrid, but for fk's sake not front wheel drive!
The S2000 is/was an exceptional car, why ruin it?
Now some dick from honda will come and say that they are doing it to give it better handling or some bullst like that and some idiots will even believe them.
Thank god we still have Mazda (and maybe VW with the new little RWD thing).
I can't explain it outside some misguided bid to 'save the world'. Or try and set themselves up as some sort of downmarket/budget Toyota alternative... *shudder*
Like it or not, petrol is running out and its gonna get more expensive.
I love petrol engines, the roar, the smell, the power, but i'm also looking forward to a cheap fast electric motorbike capable of 150mph, 300 mile range all for 10p a mile, and a hydrogen car doing a 1000 miles for a quid and still capable of 130+
but to get there, we gotta put up with the slow crap first.
Can I just point out though - this WON'T be an S2000, in the same way that the (now-canned) 4wd V10 supercar wasn't an NSX.
I can only assume Honda didn't make enough money out of the S2000 and they now believe the market is in 'over-styled-eco-trolleys' not proper drivers' cars. TBH they're (sadly) probably right...
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