Those who hang out on the Miata board know who Bob Hall is. Bob worked as the west coast editor for Automotive news and Autoweek in the 1970's and is credited for coming up with the idea for the original MX5. Well known as the "father" of the miata, he's a contrubuting member of miata.net. This guy knows his stuff, and he has very good contacts in Japan.

This was just posted from him:

If reliable sources in Japan are to be believed, it's real. The S2200 (as it's been referred to in Nikkan Jidosha Shimbun in quotes from Honda people) will make its official debut at the Tokyo Motor Show on 23 October. Honda has also said that it will supplement the S2000 in Japan, and not replace it. Japan's Magazine-X has also written extensively on the car, serving up a fair bit of technical information. Both of these publicatiosn have a really good hit rate on information like this, and Magazine-X has been astonishingly accurate on Honda over the past year or so.

The revisions for the Japanese-spec car are said to include;

The 2.2 liter engine (said to develop 195kW@ 7900rpm and 226Nm @ 7100rpm) with a revised version of the i-VTEC system using infinitely variable cam phasing and remapped profiles.
Different gear ratios as well as final drive and a change to the transmissions oil pump to increase flow.
The new IP Dr.How? mentioned is there - actually just a new upper and the radio is out in the open in a revised center console - with a completely new instrument cluster (Japan is said to be getting a full set of analogue gauges - no word on export). Word is the remote audio controls on the instrument panel have been shifted to the steering wheel.
New seats for all and a tilt/telescope steering wheel on Japanese models which may not make it to the 'States due to certification issues.
Revised front bumper fascia/air intake.
Different headlamps and revised taillamp lenses.
Standard 17-inch wheels and tires with (rumored) magnesium alloy wheels.

One of the shooters (photographers) for Japan's Magazine-X said that there are a number of S2000s regularly circulating around Honda's Tochigi proving ground with black vinyl covers over the noses, 17 and 18-inch wheels plus side-by-side dual exhausts exiting from one side of the car under the rear bumper instead of the current system of two widely separated pipes. S2200s, perhaps?

bwob

 

well that sounds good to me. I'd be very interested to see whats new on the interior. And really, what makes it stateside from japan?

 

That sounds pretty good, that works out to be about 260 hp and 160 tq? Looks like the redline went down however.

 

I'm guessing by about 500rpm.

 

more and more it looks like I'm gonna be sorry I didn't wait a while longer to buy

 

Revised version of the i-VTEC system?!

 

Interesting.

 

Different gear ratios make sense to match different engine redline, and maybe to make the car faster like 4.44 gear does? Transmission oil pump change probably should have been done day one of the S2000, though perhaps the change of gears makes for more tranny strain?

 

I hope not. Sounds faster but like its lost a bit of the original soul.

 

If the redline went down i'm glad i got mine before the 2004's came out... i'll have to take a test drive before i make my final judgement though..

Sounds like we might be able to switch exahusts, seats, tailights, other parts maybe.