Originally Posted by asianautica
Any developement in the S2k is not a good place for them to put their $$. It sell less than 1000 unit a month. They can either share platform/engine/drivetrain, which mean they would have to convert all of Acura to RWD (or at least most) or they can continue making the S2k a specialty car and doesn't share any part w/ any of their mainstream cars. If they keep the S2k the way it is, i.e. no sharing, then any developement would not yield the best return.
the s2000 is limited to 5000 units annually in north america, so there's a very good reason why it sells less than 1000 units a month. by limiting the production of the car, they can cut costs of a wider mass production and also raise its market value.
they don't have to share parts 100% of the time to remain profitable for each model they sell. sure, they could save more money by doing so, but that doesn't necessitate it in order to maintain development. as long as the product is profitable, they have good reason to keep developing it.
they can still share parts in a limited capacity with the S2000, but still keep it's image up (even with enthusiasts). by parts sharing, i don't mean physically using the exact same transmission, chassis, etc in more than one model. but they can use parts and technology developed for one model towards another. i'm thinking more in terms of how the accord is related to the MDX or new RL. the S2000 can remain "specialized" and unique, but they can still use technologies and such in other cars.
the S2000 also does a great deal for honda's image. think about the splash it made when it debuted. honda hadn't had a real iconic model in the US until then (not under the honda badge, anyway). no one looks at the S2000 as "just a honda." they also had been getting rid of their performance oriented models for a few years, with the death of the prelude, lack luster civic Si... it's great for them to have that kind of car in their lineup. as long as they don't water it down, this is also a very good argument for keeping it around. it's an excellent marketing tool.
besides which, the S2000 has a lot of great features that were developed specifically for it. it would be quite an enormous waste to keep all of that from disseminating throughout other cars in the future.