Wow, actual news today from the auto industry…well it might be a bit old but it’s news to me…

Fun appears to be on the chopping block at Honda. Plans for the successor to the S2000 sports car, a lineup of rear-drive Acuras, a proposed V8 engine and a drop-top built off the CR-Z hybrid are all dead, according to a report in a British magazine.

The reason: Honda is rethinking its product plans as it grapples with the global downturn in sales and economic conditions, Autocar is reporting.

In the United States, Honda’s sales fell 8 percent last year and fell 35 percent in December. Tough times have led to the demise of the NSX supercar program, which would have had a front-mounted V10 and was to be a 2010 model.

Now, Honda also has decided to shelve a rear-drive V8-powered BMW-fighting Acura that was due in 2015, according to Autocar. The V8–long a sticky issue with Honda’s green image–was seen as the wrong powerplant, given the sporadic price of fuel.

The Japanese automaker remains doubled-down on hybrids with a slew of them, including the new Insight due in the spring. Honda also sees diesel power as the best short-term option for larger vehicles. -Greg Migliore from Autoweek.com

Damn that sucks. First the next generation NSX, now the future S2000, and the CR-Z convertible. Shitty economy ruin the fun for everyone. Maybe somewhere down the line these projects will be rehashed but who knows….right now, everyone is strugging to get by.

Not much else for today, Tokyo Auto Salon does begin in a couple days though so we’ll see if there’s any Honda-related stuff coming from overseas…