Good news for fans of small roadsters with small engines: next year Honda will start producing the S660 small roadster, which it presented in concept form at the Tokyo Motor Show last year.
The S660 will not only follow in the footsteps of the Beat, it will be built in the same factory as well, the Yokkaichi plant in Japan owned by Yachiyo Industry Co., Ltd. Yachiyo builds kei-cars on contract for Honda, including the N series of hatchbacks, as well as small commercial vehicles like the Life and Vamos lines.
The Honda S660 concept was powered by a mid-mounted 0.66-liter turbocharged three-cylinder engine and Honda said the layout allowed the car to deliver “nimble and dynamic driving and outstanding stability.”
At the time, Honda CEO Takanobu Ito said: “This model embodies the freewheeling thinking of young Honda engineers, who want to make a cool car that is unique to Honda. Our engineers are devoting their passion and technologies to the development of this model.”
The only thing that is not clear at the moment is whether Honda will make an effort to offer the S660 outside Japan. A small, light roadster with a mid-mounted engine should have no problem to attract buyers anywhere in the world, especially if it’s priced competitively.
By Dan Mihalascu
Story References: Response via Autoblog
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