Was the VFW614 an act of misplaced teutonic determination to bolt the jets to the wings?
The VFW614 was doomed to failure as soon as they selected the M45 to power it, regardless of where the engines were positioned.
The jury is still out on the HondaJet, it's competing in a very crowded marketplace so if it doesn't sell well that may not have anything to do with the engines or where they are.