Honda S2000's Replacement to Feature AWD

As the Japanese manufacturer announced in January it will discontinue the S2000 roadster, it might seem like Honda still has an ace up its sleeve: a 2+2 coupe that would rely on an all-wheel drive system. According to a report by Best Car, the automaker has even more plans for the new model, with a hybrid version also on the table.

Still in the very early rumor stage, the new high-performance hybrid is said to rely on hybrid technology sourced from the Insight and Civic IMA but there's still no word on the engines to be incorporated within the new model.

As for the S2000, the company confirmed in January that such a high-performance car is no longer appropriate for so difficult economic times when people are more interested in purchasing small-displacement engines more focused on fuel efficiency and CO2 emissions. To give you an idea on the figures of the car, the S2000 had a combined fuel consumption of 9.9 l/100km (23.8 mpg) which can be easily regarded as unacceptable by some United States customers hungry for small-displacement engines.

"The S2000 is a sports car designed by enthusiasts for enthusiasts," said John Mendel, executive vice president of American Honda Motor Co., Inc. "It raised the bar for all future roadsters, and it's already considered a classic by many Honda fans."

The S2000, which was sold in no less than 64 countries around the world, was initially meant to be launch as a limited series but, thanks to positive feedback it has received, the company decided to push the car into mass production. No less than 110,000 S2000s were sold across the globe, with nearly 65,000 units delivered only in the United States.