The Honda Fit is selling like candy in the U.S. Sales of the subcompact car from January to May have increased by 64 percent, compared to the same period last year. Honda originally planned to sell between 30,000 and 40,000 Fits a year, but then increased production to 60,000. The marque is planning almost 80,000 units of the new model, which is going on sale on October 1st.

Global capacity for the Fit is more than 500,000 units. All U.S. units are imported from Japan, where the new generation is already in production (Americans still get the first generation models). The reality is that Honda USA will have to compete with other markets to get more units stateside.

[Source: Automotive news (sub's req'd)]

Click image for a photo gallery of the '09 JDM Honda Fit

The redesigned Honda Fit is ready to hit the US as an '09 model, and Honda will give it a big Broadway debut at the New York Auto Show next month. Okay, okay -- it's more like a big 11th Avenue debut, but you get the point. The overhauled Fit essentially blends the shape of a Prius with the face of a last-gen Civic Si. The end result is a subcompact with midsize-level interior room. It should do well at the pump, too. Don't look for the 98-horsepower Japan-spec 1.3L base engine to make the trip to the US, however. Instead, we'll probably get the 1.5L i-VTEC that makes 118 horsepower. That's a 9-horse jump over the current car, and it's capable of achieving a maximum fuel economy rating of 46 mpg under the Japanese test cycle. We'll have to wait and see how it rates under the EPA's program. AutoblogGreen will be there when Honda drives the car onstage in the Javits Center, and we'll provide full coverage from New York. In the meantime, if you want more info on the Japanese-market version, check out our October post on the topic.


[Source: Honda]

We got our first look at the next generation Honda Fit a few weeks when a couple of sites that got invited to the long-lead previews in Japan spilled the beans. Honda will be showing the the new Fit publicly for the first time next week at the Tokyo Motor Show and, unlike so many auto show debuts, there will be no six month lag between between the show and retail sales. The new Fit will go on sale in Japan on October 26 just as the Tokyo Show opens to the public.

The initial reactions to the new styling has been decidedly mixed with some liking the updated look while others prefer the existing car. While the car has grown by a couple of inches in length, the crashworthiness is improved and apparently the weight has remained the same which is definitely a bonus. In Japan, buyers get a choice of 1.3L or 1.5L engines both of which offer improved fuel efficiency. If they follow the current pattern, only the larger engine will be available when the new car comes to the US, probably sometime in mid-2008 for the 2009 model year. That model is now rated at 46 mpg (US) on the Japanese test schedule. More details on the new Fit are after the jump.

[Source: Honda]

Since the Fit was added to the company's US lineup in 2006, it has proven to be quite popular and sales have been accelerating. July 2007 sales were more than double those of the previous year at 6,343 units. A redesigned version may be unveiled as soon as this fall's Tokyo Motor Show with production next year.

In the meantime, Honda has added some new equipment to the model for 2008. The Fit has a five-star safety rating in the frontal crash test. Newly added is a tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) which, in addition to providing a safety benefit, can also help with efficiency. Maintaining proper tire pressure is one of the easiest ways to improve mileage, and the TPMS can help the driver make sure they stay that way. The 5-speed manual Fit is rated at 28/34 mpg according to the new 2008 EPA mileage tests.

[Source: Honda]

Honda has big plans for the future. In addition to their already admirable goals of CO2 reductions, they called out from the rooftops earlier this month that they are going to be building next-generation clean diesel engines that will meet the Tier 2 BIN 5 NOx emissions standards here in the states, but will be selling them in Japan as well.

They did not announce that they planned on selling their flexible fuel iterations of the Civic and Fit here in the U.S. that those fortunate fellows in South America have been enjoying since the end of last year, but they did see fit to brag about their sales figures: 10,000 units, where over half of the Civics sold were flexible fuel models. Swell.

The best news here is that Honda will be selling a dedicated new hybrid model by 2009. Even better, pricing is intended to fall below that of the Civic Hybrid. As long as it's more practical than the Insight, I think we'll all be pretty happy with it at that price point.

[Source: Honda]

The Honda Fit has done quite well for the company having sold over two million copies under both the Fit and Jazz since it's initial introduction in 2002. A new, redesigned version of the B-Class car should debut in Japan this fall with a coming out at the Tokyo Motor Show in October likely. With the issues that Honda has had in Canada with the current Fit falling just shy of the mileage threshold for new tax breaks there, it seems likely that they won't waste any time bringing the new version north of the border as quickly as possible.

Speaking in Japan, Honda CEO Takeo Fukui also reiterated Honda's commitment to efficiency with both hybrids and diesel engines. A fifty state legal clean diesel will be coming to the US market in 2009 with the Accord as the likely first application. Honda is also continuing to develop their hybrid technology and the new dedicated hybrid model is coming out in 2009 at lower price point than the current $22,600 Civic Hybrid. Personally, I'd opt for the diesel.

[Source: Detroit News]

The Toyota Prius was the first modern hybrid car to hit the market in Japan in 1997 but the Honda Insight beat the Prius to the US market by a few months. The teardrop shaped two seat coupe had some initial success but the limited utility eventually saw its sales dwindle. Production of the Insight ended in the fall of 2006 although rumors of a successor have been running rampant since before that time.

Now Honda may have a solution to their problem in Canada of the Fit falling just shy of the requirements necessary to qualify for tax rebates under the new clean car program adopted by the government there. Honda has discussed de-contenting the Canadian model Fit to reduce weight enough to get the efficiency numbers up enough to qualify. Another alternative has now surfaced in the form of a Fit equipped with the Insight drivetrain. The Fit could get the 1.0L three cylinder engine with Honda's Integrated Motor Assist hybrid system and boost mileage to mid 60mpg range for a price well under $20,000.

Whether it will happen is still an open question and it may well not since the current Fit is already well into its lifecycle. More likely is a scenario where the next generation Fit will get a hybrid option when it appears a couple of years from now.

[Source: HybridCars.com via AutoBlog]

In his 2006 Year-End Speech, the CEO of Honda, Takeo Fukui, outlined several green initiatives that the company will undertake in 2007 including building a new resource/energy efficient automobile plant; advancing their engine technology in the areas of petrols, diesels, hybrids; flex fuel and fuel cell vehicles; and building an experimental cellulosic ethanol plant, amongst others.

The state-of-the-art "Green Factory" automobile plant Honda plans to build in Yorii, Japan aims to achieve the world's top level of resource/energy efficiency and will reduce the amount of CO2 emitted per automobile produced by 20 percent compared to the 2000 level. Highly efficient production and logistics systems will be used in the plant Fukui said there will be a people-friendly environment for the workers.

The petrol engine technology currently used in Honda models is set to be upgraded with advanced VTEC and VCM technologies for automobiles and "super-low friction engines" for motorcycles; all aimed at improving fuel efficiency and improving emissions.

Honda confirmed that they will expand their hybrid program to a smaller vehicle to be offered in 2009 at a price level below that of the Civic Hybrid.

Diesel technology hasn't been left out either, with Honda planning to introduce a medium-to-large size diesel vehicle. "Super-clean diesel engine" technology will be introduced within three years that will meet the stringent U.S. Tier 2 Bin 5 emission standards.

Honda has recently started selling the Civic FFV flexible fuel vehicle in Brazil which can be run on petrol-ethanol blends between E20 and E100. The Fit FFV is set to be introduced this month. To further bioethanol research, an experimental cellulosic ethanol plant will be built within Honda's Fundamental Technology Research Center in Wako in 2007.

Coming a year later in 2008 will be a mass-produced fuel cell model based on the technology and design of the FCX Concept.

In addition to these vehicle advances, Honda has a new solar cell subsidiary, Honda Soltec Co., Ltd., which was established earlier this month. This company will begin full-scale sales of solar cells when mass production begins at the new plant in Kumamoto in fall 2007.

Related:

• LA Auto Show: Honda Civic GX quick test drive
• Honda's new solar cell subsidiary, Honda Soltec opens for business
• IRS approves Honda hybrid and natural gas vehicles for tax credits

[Source: GreenCarCongress]

Honda has released a pair of new outboard motors based on the 1.5-liter engine found in the Fit. The BF90 and BF 75 are medium-sized 4-stroke stroke outboards rated at 90 and 75 horsepower, respectively. The new motors will first go on sale in Japan in November but were designed to exceed CARB emissions regulations for 2008. Honda says it is the first manufacturer to make its entire line of outboards CARB 2008 compatible.

Using automotive technology and engine families are not new to the outboard industry. The Honda 3.5-liter engine found in the Odyssey is the foundation for Honda's BF225 outboard. Obviously, the block is turned on its end and the oil sump relocated, but many of the internals and other technology carry over. Honda's 2.3-liter architecture from the Accord is also in a line of outboards. Suzuki is another manufacturer to marinize its auto engines for the outboard market.

Just don't think that a Honda Fit will tow your Honda outboard and boat to the lake.

[Source: The Auto Channel]

I'd heard rumors that Honda's next project would be a hybrid CR-V. I was excited about it, too--Americans don't seem to be willing to give up their SUVs, and thought that it was about time that Honda joined the ranks of Ford and Toyota to produce a bigger hybrid. However, a source at Edmunds says that the hybrid CR-V never made it off the drawing board. The reason? Honda's hybrid technology works better on smaller cars, and no hybrid Honda SUV would be able to recoup in fuel savings the reportedly $7,000 additional cost.

The good news, though, is that like the commercials say, the Fit is go. It should be available in 2008, and the hybrid version will only be $1,800 more than the gas-only version. That's exciting, but it's no hybrid CR-V.

[Source: Edmunds.com, and thank you Joel A. for the tip]