Honda S660 Concept revealed – the Honda Beat returns

The Honda S660 Concept has been revealed ahead of the Tokyo Motor Show as a mid-engined, 660cc Kei class car.

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It looks like Honda is making a return to the Kei car with the arrival of the Honda S660 Concept ahead of the Tokyo Motor Show next month.

The Kei class of car in Japan is small (less than 3.4 metres long) and comes with a raft of tax breaks for buyers, but despite it being designed just for Japan it’s gained a cult following round the world, and now the Honda Beat for the 21st century has arrived in the form of the S660 concept.

The S660 Concept – it gets the required maximum 660cc Kei engine limit – is a mid-engined open top roadster that manages to deliver 64bhp from its 3-cylinder engine which, with a weight under 900kg, should be reasonably lively.

Although designed just for the Japanese market, it seems likely that Honda is planning on selling the S660 in other markets and probably with a bit more power from a 1.0 litre turbo with as much as 100bhp. Which would be a hoot.

In fact, the S660 would make a sensible starting point for Honda’s mid-engined range that will top out with the new Honda NSX.

The Honda S660 Concept will be revealed in Tokyo next month.