More word that Honda is not only getting into the hybrid thing in big ways, but also that the company’s upcoming hybrids will be performance oriented. This is good news, not only for car people with a green bent, but also for sports car lovers. A few months ago, Honda publicized the end of the S2000 Roadster’s 10-year production run, which left the Japanese company without a proper sports car. Now news is out that in addition to the launch of the front-wheel drive CR-Z hybrid coupe in 2010, Honda is also working on a larger and more powerful coupe as a replacement to the S2000. No exact word has bubbled up whether it will actually be a coupe, or hopefully a convertible, although some sources point to the S2000 successor being a 2+2 coupe that would feature the company’s Super Handling All-Wheel Drive system.

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A sad, if inevitable moment, please: Honda has decided to cease production of its highly respected S2000 sports car. Yes, there have been rumors about this happening since before the world wide economic downturn, and of course Honda is using that downturn to justify this as a cost cutting move, but this has been in the cards for a while.

Honda said 2009 will be the last year for S2K high-performance roadster. Although Honda gave no official reason, they did mention that the program was originally conceived as a limited-edition tribute to the company’s 50th anniversary. That was something I was unaware of, and, if you ask me, Honda should have made a bigger deal about. A little dash plaque or some such would have been nice.

Dash plaque or no, no more S2000 means Honda is effectively out of the sports car business completely given the recent termination of the NSX program. Coming from a company so deeply involved in racing, it can’t mean a great confidence booster for the guys on the factory floor, and for us gearheads out there, it’s pretty damn depressing as well.

All might not be lost though. There have been recent rumors of an Acura-badged roadster similar to the S2000 hitting showrooms within the next two production cycles. How sporty would an Acura drop top be though? Remember when the Miata set the sports car world on fire and the answer from Lexus was the SC? A great tourer to be sure, but not a real canyon carver. So we’ll see if this rumor holds, and if Honda decides to get back into the sports car game sometime soon.

Source: Edmunds

The ax continues to swing over at Honda, and this time, it’s a bit too close to home. This time the sources say the axeman cometh for, gulp, the S2000 and various rear wheel drive Acuras.

According to CarScoop (via England’s AutoCar) Honda’s restructuring plans call for the death of more models in addition to the NSX to cope with slowing demand worldwide. Honda has eliminated a range of rear-wheel drive models for the Acura range along with a new V8 engine also slated for Acura. Also to be killed, the convertible version of the CR-Z hybrid coupe form last year’s London Show and finally and most sadly, the successor to the Honda S2000 sports car.

I can live without the big sedans with the big V8s to push them, but losing the S2000 is quite the blow. I never fit in the right, but they sure were a hoot to drive. Losing the S2K AND the NSX means that Honda will be without ant sort of sports car. Which is both sad, and borderline unforgivable. Let’s hope that not all of these rumors are true.

Source: CarScoop