The rumor mills are a’churnin and it looks like Honda might further develop the Honda S660 and make it larger, with more power and it just might rival the Toyota MR2 if Toyota makes a successor.
Believe it or not but Honda’s S660, that small kei-car MR roadster that’s otherwise forbidden fruit in the United States, is approaching its fifth year in existence. According to some rumors that popped up on VTEC.net earlier today (Feb. 5, 2019) Honda is in talks to capitalize on what they’ve learned with the S660 to make a larger and more powerful S660 that just might compete on the world stage with debuts in Europe and North America.
According to RolledANSX, a VTEC.net member with some insider information in Honda,
“The S660 is on its 5th year. It never went global because it is expensive to make and more so to enlarge it.
There is talk that if they do another, it will not be kei size and being hard top as base. Also going hybrid and staying MR to compete with MR2.(mid $20k to low $30k)
- 1.0t hybrid 160hp MT and AT (Japan and Europe base)
- 1.5t hybrid 250hp in NA Market.
- 2.0t Type-R? Hybrid? MT 350hp $40K”
Here’s what a Honda S660 looks like.
At just 133 inches long and less than 60 inches wide, it’s a quintessential Japanese Kei Roadster, very out of place in any traffic that isn’t Japan. To put that in comparison, a regular Corolla is 50 inches longer and 10 inches wider. Again, a kei car.
The tale of the tape under the rear engine cover is also very Kei-car like. The Honda’s 660cc engine makes a tiny 63 HP and 77 lb-ft.
The successor that RolledANSX is talking about sounds strangely familiar to another Honda concept that made some waves when it was introduced…digitally. Remember the Honda Vision Gran Turismo roadster for PlayStation?
Here’s a video of that svelte baby NSX below.
Of course, in Japan, there is no Acura and Acura’s are just plain ‘ol Honda’s so maybe, just maybe, Honda might resurrect it’s Honda Sports Vision Gran Turismo’s styling design and might incorporate it into this bigger S660.
Ths S660 presumably represents a gigantic chunk of Honda R&D and perhaps Honda does not want that project to go to the wayside without making a successor, one that, as mentioned, borrows heavily from this MR Kei-platform.
As an aside, by naming conventions go, this new roadster might be called the S1000, S1500 and the S2000 in Japan but I think Honda will brand this as an Acura in North America.
Any truth to this rumor has yet to be seen but I’m keen to come across any developments as they come along. And of course, I’ll share them with you.
What do you think about this larger S660? Do you think it’s the Honda Sports Vision Gran Turismo resurrected? Let me know in the comments below.
Source: VTEC.net
