Honda Thinking About Importing the S660 Roadster To The US

Good news for all you lovers of light, rear-wheel drive Japanese roadsters: Honda is considering the S660 small roadster for its US lineup.

A successor to the Honda Beat, the S660 is part of Japan’s kei car segment, which means it’s a really small car – actually, it’s 2 feet (610mm) shorter than the current Mazda MX-5 Miata, which is not exactly a big car itself. However, the S660 is almost as wide as the Miata.

“We’re looking at it intently for North America. We want some spice in the lineup,” John Mendel, the executive vice president of American Honda, was quoted as saying by Edmunds in a recent interview.

However, Mendel added that Honda hasn’t decided to bring the car to the United States yet. This obviously means that no pricing strategy has been announced either.

Before Honda decides to bring the S660 roadster stateside, Mendel believes several issues need to be addressed. “It’s got to be commercially viable. It’s got to serve a purpose from a brand standpoint. What does it do for the brand?” The executive also said the car is not intended to be a Miata MX-5 competitor.

The Honda S660 has a mid-engine, rear-wheel drive configuration, with a 45/55 front/rear weight distribution that favors sporty driving. The car has a soft top that rolls back and can be detached and stored in the trunk.

In Japan, the S660 roadster is powered by a 63hp, 0.66-liter turbocharged three-cylinder engine. That engine may be too small for the US market though, with Honda rumored to replace it with a 1.0-liter three-cylinder unit in the US.

Honda started selling the S660 in Japan in April and the production run for this year has already been sold out.