Honda targets mid-size Euro coupes

News of a belated successor for Honda's S2000 roadster has been circulating for a couple of years now, and it seems its technical specifications continue to develop.

Just two months ago we reported that an S2000 replacement was being called the ‘Baby NSX’ inside Honda’s Tochigi R&D centre and that it would get the Civic Type R’s 2.0-litre turbo-petrol four in a mid-mounted rear-drive application for its showroom debut as early as late 2016.

Now, according to a source close to Honda, pressure to adhere to stringent emissions regulations has forced the company to downsize the engine to a 1.5-litre turbo which, with electric motor assistance, is expected to generate around 220kW.

Insiders also say the scoop renderings you see here courtesy of Japan’s Best Car magazine are “most probably something that Honda leaked on purpose to generate interest”.

In fact, these images are also the same ones Honda lodged with its international patent application for the new mid-size sports car. “That’s why these images are pretty close to what you will see on the finished product,” purports our source.

Honda is acutely aware of the popularity of -- and the profits to be made from -- mid-sized sports cars, especially in the US.  Rivals like the Porsche Cayman, Audi TT, BMW Z4, Mercedes SLK and even BMW i8 will be what Honda will target when the S2000 successor surfaces around 2018.

Aiming for a price bracket of between $75,000 and $100,000 will not only put Honda right in the ballpark, but lift the Japanese brand's flagging image in the US, Europe and other markets like Australia.

“The Civic Type R is a good start, but the NSX will be out of reach for many. So Honda really needs a signature mid-engine sports car that does not break the bank and echoes to fans at the same time.”

Another critical factor for the new coupe is its relationship to Formula 1 – just like the original S2000 it recalls.

The new S2000 will be incorporate F1 technology and be developed in conjunction with (McLaren) Honda’s F1 program, which one Japanese motorsport commentator says will take at least three years to get back onto the F1 podium.

“When Honda made its last F1 comeback in 1999, it basically coincided with the development of the original S2000. That’s where you got the first-generation’s screaming 9000rpm engine from,” said our source.

Image: Best Car magazine