Honda loyalists, particularly those that lean toward sporty performance, have been lamenting the Japanese carmaker's absence in the sports car market. After all, Honda's last foray into it was the S2000, which ceased to be produced in 2009.

That'll change with the arrival of the next-generation NSX (pictured above) in three years' time. The problem with that, however, is that the NSX is classified as a supercar, which means it'll still be out of fiscal reach of practically everyone. Since the NSX is being developed entirely in the United States, we asked Stephen Frey, principal engineer and head of chassis engineering for the just-launched Odyssey minivan if Honda Research and Development Americas--where Frey is attached to--is developing a rival to the Toyota 86.

"It's an exciting time to be a part of Honda right now," Frey replied with a smile. "Besides the ongoing development of the NSX, we at Honda have been looking to bring back the element of fun in driving. After all, that's an important element when you're driving--to have fun behind the wheel. All I can say is that we've got a lot of exciting stuff planned which you'll find out soon."

So, if you read between the lines, do you think Honda might come up with an affordable sports car that can go toe-to-toe with the Toyota 86? Take our poll.