Currently reading: Honda S2000 canned
Rear-drive Honda S2000 will die in June

Production of the Honda S2000 sports car is to finish at the end of June, the company has announced.

The Honda S2000 was first shown at the 1998 Paris motor show and has enjoyed a 10-year production run, selling over 110,000 units. Sales of the small two-seater have slowly declined, with just 4580 vehicles sold worldwide last year, down from over 15,000 per year in 2000.

The future of the S2000 has, however, been in doubt after Honda cancelled its F1 programme and development of a new Honda NSX supercar, switching its focus to more environmentally friendly models.

Honda will not replace the S2000, and instead plans to build more hybrids and small city cars.

A spokesperson for Honda Motors in Japan said that the company would continue to make “sports cars that meet the requirements of the day”, indicating that the company will place a greater emphasis on more environmentally friendly models.

The launch of a range of new rear-wheel-drive cars due to be sold under the Acura brand has also been postponed until at least 2014. Development of a new V8 engine for the rear-drive Acuras has also been stopped.

Peter Nunn

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