S2000 replacement to sit 4

While the S2000 has had its fans, and that brilliant 2.0-liter screamer of a four-cylinder is almost worth the price of admission alone, overall it’s been too raw and hardcore of a package to deliver the kind of sales that Honda originally hoped for.

So now it’s rethink time, and a new mock-up is underway according to a source familiar with the program. Critically, the car has not yet been approved for production, and even if Honda management gives the green light soon, the new sportster is at least two to three years away. This gibes with earlier reports that peg the car’s successor as not coming to market before 2009.

While it’s still in the car’s very early days, our source says we can expect: A) rear-wheel drive B) an altogether less raucous mechanical package than today’s S2000 and C) a car that looks totally different than the current model.

In October 2005, Honda’s Motoatsu Shiraishi admitted the "S2000 has not been a success for us." He suggested a different approach would be taken for the car's replacement. He said the car's manual gearbox was a turn-off to many potential buyers. Shiraishi hinted the successor would have to offer a paddle-shift gearbox to broaden the appeal. The new sports car — whatever its name — is expected to arrive in 2009 along with the next NSX supercar.

Credits: triggerpuff