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Honda previews S660 roadster ahead of Tokyo debut

Honda isn't known for making convertibles. In fact, legend has it that old man Soichiro banned them from his lineup - but then he also didn't approve of six-cylinder engines, either. There have been exceptions, like the Civic del Sol and S2000, and today Honda has revealed another.
Set to debut at the forthcoming Tokyo Motor Show in late November is the Honda S660 concept, a compact little roadster about which Honda is saying even less. It looks about the size of a Kei car, with a nameplate that suggests a 660cc engine, making it more of a revival for the 1990's Beat than the high-end S2000. And while there are some clear similarities with the EV-STER concept that debuted two years ago in Tokyo, the S660 looks closer to production-ready, with key features like an actual steering wheel.
Of course, whether the S660 makes production, and beyond that makes it off of the Japanese islands and across the Pacific to US showrooms, is another matter, but we could see something like this taking the fight to the Mazda MX-5 and even the Scion FR-S and Subaru BRZ if it did.

Honda S660 Concept portends a new kei car for 2015

Apart from a tiny, one-paragraph mention in a press release about the Honda show stand in general, the company hasn't said very much about its completely charming S660 Concept. The model would seem very much to be a look ahead at a possible successor to the Beat kei car for Japanese customers, though we've been told that we shouldn't expect any kind of translation or product for the American market (despite certain key executives wanting more sports cars in the US).
Honda tells us only that the S660 roadster features "advanced styling" and "new initiatives such as Super cockpit interior." We do think that the confines of the S660 look particularly driver-focused, with a carbon fiber steering wheel clad in soft leather, very racy looking vented seats and instruments tilted to keep the pilot constantly informed.
Honda President and CEO, Takanobu Ito, also touched on the S660 in his remarks at the press conference, saying that the model "embodies the freewheeling thinking of young Honda engineers, who want to make a cool car that is unique to Honda." Takanobu also said that the concept will be developed into a production model for 2015, which is great news for Japanese drivers.

Honda gunning for world's longest Rose Parade float

Honda has participated in the annual Rose Parade for the past 53 years and returns this year as the presenting sponsor for the fourth time running. But it's not satisfied merely putting its name on the event; Honda intends to lead from the front with what promises to be the longest float in the parade's long history.
The float, previewed in the rendering above, will measure 274 feet long, as tall as 30 feet high, as wide as 18 feet and weighing a whopping 50 tons with 8,980 flowers covering its surface. The train will be led by a locomotive designed to mimic the Acura NSX, with Asimo at the wheel. The second car in the train showcases a Honda engine, followed by a robotic arm, and, for the first time in the parade's history, a pair of 30-foot LED monitors displaying images of spectators lining the parade route. A caboose inspired by the Honda Jet will pick up the rear.
Oh, and in case you're wondering just who Honda will be knocking off the record books with its 274-foot train of roses, that would be... also Honda. The Japanese company set the record in 2005 with a 207-foot float. Scope out the details in the press release below and click the image above to view in high resolution.