Honda Won't Sell Tiny S660 in America, Because of Course Not

by Aaron Cole

December 31st, 2020 1:15 PM

honda wont sell tiny s660 in america because of course not

Honda won’t import its tiny S660 convertible to the United States because we are a nation of giant people who drive giant cars, Automotive News is reporting.

John Mendel, executive vice president for Honda, said three weeks ago that the S660 could bring some “spice” to the American Honda lineup, but apparently he looked at a nearby parking lot and changed his mind.

“When the practicalities of the market come in, and the car only so big, that might not be the best car for the U.S. market,” Mendel told Automotive News. “It might be better for India or China or somewhere else.”

Mendel said the “ baby NSX” rendering that came out was a “design study” from their R&D labs in California, but stopped short of saying anything further about that car.

According to the report, the long-awaited Civic Type R should arrive in North America next year, which means we won’t have to make do with the Civic Si and [s]exciting[/s] redesigned CR-Z as the fastest Hondas money can buy much longer.

Honda is expected to reveal its next-generation Civic at the Frankfurt Auto Show in September.

#FrankfurtAutoShow #Honda #JohnMendel #NSX #S660

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15 of 62 comments

TR4 on Aug 31, 2015

Aside from engine displacement it's comparable in size to a Spridget.

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Ktm on Aug 31, 2015

A recent study has shown that the average white american male weighs 195 lbs, is 5'-9" tall and has a waist size of 39 inches; the average white american female weighs 166 lbs, is 5'-6" tall and has a waist size of 38 inches. The poor S660 just cannot accommodate us.......

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- Corey Lewis on Aug 31, 2015
  
  Those figures are always very sad. 5'9 and nearly 200!? The pants size would be like a 39x28.
  
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- NoGoYo on Aug 31, 2015
  
  @Corey Lewis I wish I was 5'9" and 195...
  
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- Corey Lewis on Aug 31, 2015
  
  @NoGoYo Uh oh!
  
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- NoGoYo on Aug 31, 2015
  
  @Corey Lewis Being below the average height for an American male kinda sucks!
  
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- Ktm on Aug 31, 2015
  
  I am slightly taller than the average height, but when I travel to downtown Houston I feel like a Lilliputian. There are some tall SOBs there.
  
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- Gtem on Aug 31, 2015
  
  @Corey Lewis Holy hell, scary to see the actual hard numbers. As soon as I landed in Novosibirsk, just walking around I was euphoric at the site of healthy people walking down the street. Lots of young moms pushing strollers, pensioners, grown men, etc. Sure there were a few "overweight" people of the traditional type (women over 60 mostly), but absolutely none of the totally obese, diabetic-cankled eye sores that pollute the landscape in the US. The flip side is that every single guy over 18 smokes like a chimney over there. So you win some you lose some I guess. Oh and every woman leaves the house looking (or atleast making an effort to look) like a million bucks. No sweat pants and PJs in public. Men are given a wider allowance, with track suits making up about 50% of wardrobes. I made sure to bring mine to better blend in with the locals. More on the topic of the article, Siberia is chock full of funky imported RHD Japanese cars. Most folks prefer C-class sized sedans and wagons (Toyota making up about 75% followed by Nissan), or Toyota SUVs, or Toyota HiAce/TownAce vans, but there are more than a few kei cars.
  
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- RideHeight on Aug 31, 2015
  
  @ktm God, this! And the most surprising dwarfing I've ever felt was standing in line at Delta near what I learned was a Scottish men's *curling* team. About 8 men between late-20s and 60, shortest one was maybe 6'-5". The hell?
  
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- Runs_on_h8raide on Aug 31, 2015
  
  I'm on the wrong side of 40, average height and a 33in waist, but I weigh 155 with careful diet and regular exercise. So age is not an excuse to get fat either. The problem with people is they are lazy and quite stupid. I do crossfit and its astounding what 1 hour of exercise on a consistent basis will do for you. I can keep up with most of the 20 year olds at my box. Most Americans would rather veg in front of a tv. I see a lot of kids these days that are obese as well. Its an unreported epidemic in 'Murica. They should be rounded up and forced into labor camps, imo.
  
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- Drzhivago138 on Aug 31, 2015
  
  Geez, and right now I feel chubby at 5'8"/150/30".
  
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- Drzhivago138 on Aug 31, 2015
  
  @runs_on_h8raide TV? What is this, 1995? Get with the program, man, it's all Netflix/streaming VOD now. From a rural perspective, obesity is precipitated by the fact that most 6'4" farm/manual labor types feel it's their God-given right to eat large amounts of cheap, low-quality calories like they were 17, and rural areas are essentially "food deserts" (though this is slowly righting itself). Women are expected to keep their figures for at least a few years after marriage, but after the first child, all bets are off.
  
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- VolandoBajo on Oct 09, 2015
  
  Yo, with all those depressing average size figures, that is one more reason I don't do average. I am 5'9", weigh 165, and have a waist size just slightly north of 30 inches. My wife ("with whom I am well acquainted", a Jon Lovitz line), is over six feet tall barefoot, doesn't discuss her weight, but in so-called middle age is still drop dead thin and gorgeous. Still has an hour glass figure, and looks at least ten years younger than her real age, as do all the women in her family, apparently. I think, no, I KNOW, I hit the lottery. Picture Joe Pesci with a Las Vegas showgirl with a genius IQ...that's what our family portraits resemble. I doubt that even at my size I would like or fit into one of those "bumper cars". I didn't even enjoy driving a Corolla, not a bit. I have since switched to a Panther...a 97 Grand Marquis that to this "old geezer" is a "real car". And while my wife wouldn't be too rotund to fit on one of those dinky cars, I suspect her height would be an issue. Though she does enjoy driving her Corolla, and feels that the Panther is too "boat-like". De gustibus, non disputandam. Though fortunately, I would rather drive the Mercury than ride in the Corolla, and she would rather ride in the Panther, than to drive her own Corolla. So family outings are no problem, except for when she points out the difference in gallons for a trip of fifty miles or more. Honda probably wouldn't sell enough of those cars to even cover the cost of NHTSA crash testing.
  
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Nick on Aug 31, 2015

Judging by the number of microcars in Toronto (shitty ones like the Smart and the iQ) I think they might have misjudged the market. There are plent of slight to average people that love to drive small cars. Hell, I still see Civic Del Sols around.

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MRF 95 T-Bird on Aug 31, 2015

I still would like Toyota to do a new version of the MR2. Even if it was hybrid.

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