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Honda S660 set for Yokkaichi production next year

Roadsters, you might argue, are best when they're small and nimble. If you're thinking of the Mazda MX-5 Miata, you're on the right track, but there have been even smaller ones: pint-sized, three-cylinder roadsters like the Daihatsu Copen, Suzuki Cappuccino and Smart Roadster. But the most iconic and enduring of them was surely the Honda Beat.
Designed by Pininfarina, the Beat was - not unlike the F40 was for Enzo Ferrari - the last car approved for production by company founder Soichiro Honda. It complied with Japan's strict Kei car regulations and packed a tiny, naturally aspirated 656 cc that produced just 63 horsepower. The cult classic ended production in 1996, but six months ago Honda hinted at a revival with the presentation of the S660 concept at the 2013 Tokyo Motor Show. Now it seems Honda - or Yachiyo, we should say - is gearing up to put it into production at the same factory that produced the Beat two decades ago.
That plant is the Yokkaichi factory, a facility owned by Yachiyo Industry Co., Ltd. that builds small cars on contract for Honda. It was slated for a major expansion a few years ago until Honda shifted some of its small car production to its own plant in Suzuka, but continues to build the N series of boxy, upright hatchbacks, as well as small commercial vehicles like the Life and Vamos lines. The reintroduction of a small roadster line to the factory's output sometime in 2015 will undoubtedly be a cause for celebration in Yokkaichi. For our part we can only hope that American Honda CEO Tetsuo Iwamura gets his way and manages to bring the S660 to the US in the near future.

Watch us put the 2017 Honda Ridgeline through its paces

If you're in the market for a truck, as yourself: Why do I need a pickup? Driving back and forth to work, picking up all the random bits needed to keep your yard looking beautiful, and even hauling a dirtbike or two requires a different set of capabilities than towing a classic car in an enclosed trailer. If your plans skew more toward the lighter-duty side of things, you owe it to yourself to consider the 2017 Honda Ridgeline. It's a unibody pickup, as opposed to competitors like the Chevy Colorado and Toyota Tacoma, which use a traditional body-on-frame design. That brings a lot of benefits, but it also introduces some compromises. The video above covers all these aspects, from everyday comfort to off-road capability. After driving the Ridgeline back-to-back with its rivals, we found plenty of reasons why Honda's truck deserves a closer look.

Honda says it's 'not lost' in F1, but McLaren is losing patience

MONTREAL (Reuters) - Honda has responded to criticism from Formula One partners McLaren by saying it was going in the right direction despite the team having failed to score a point so far this season. "It is unfortunate I can't convince them we are going in the right direction. But I am confident we are not lost," Honda's Formula One chief Yusuke Hasegawa told motorsport.com at the Canadian Grand Prix. "We still need some more time but we are doing the right thing. We are doing many things to speed up our development but I don't disclose what." Former champions McLaren, the second most successful team in the sport in terms of race wins, are last in the championship and the only outfit yet to score after six races. The British-based team's executive director Zak Brown told Reuters on Wednesday that the Japanese manufacturer seemed "a bit lost" and indicated the partnership was reaching break point. The American's comments were widely reported and provided a major talking-point in the Montreal paddock. "I was not surprised," said Hasegawa of Brown's comments. "It's no wonder he has complained and he is frustrated. I'm frustrated, I'm disappointed, the team is disappointed. This is a very difficult, tough situation." (Reporting by Alan Baldwin in London, editing by Ed Osmond) Image Credit: Mark Thompson/Getty Motorsports Honda McLaren Racing Vehicles F1