The Japanese automaker spun the announcement of the death of the roadster as a somewhat natural evolution, saying the car was "originally envisioned as a limited-edition tribute to Honda's 50th anniversary."
But the automaker's earlier report on 2008 annual and December monthly sales told a different story. Honda sold just 72 S2000s in December 2008 versus 210 in December 2007. Honda said it sold a total of 2,538 S2000s in 2008 versus 4,302 in 2007, a decline of 41.2 percent.
The S2000 was first introduced in 1999 for the 2000 model year. A club-racer-inspired S2000 CR version debuted in the 2008 model year. In a review of that vehicle, Inside Line described it as "the most tightly focused, single-minded performance roadster on the market."
In a statement, American Honda Motor Executive Vice President John Mendel said the S2000 "is a sports car designed by enthusiasts for enthusiasts."
Inside Line says: A beloved Japanese sports car bites the dust, another victim of hard times. — Anita Lienert, Correspondent
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