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Remember too that the decision to bring the Fit to N/A would have been made almost 2 years ago...giving enough time for safety and emmisions standards to be met. The investment in bringing the fit over for 1-2 years at the very end of it's life-cycle would be minimal in comparison to the advantages of being able to test out the N/A market and get a feel for the potential profits of selling here.
When designing the new Civic, honda claimed that there wasn't a market for the hatchback here in the US (based on slow sales for the Si). The problem, IMO with the last hatchback was that it was only offered in Si form...no Type R, no econo model, and no 5-door.
The US market has long supported the VW Rabbit/Golf thanks to an intense devotion by VW fans (and the 'coolness' factor). Now that cars like the Protege5, Mazda 3, Aveo have proven that a viable market exists within the US, Honda must take advantage of it. Bringing the old Fit here should have proven that what we want is Honda's commitment to economy, performance, and excellence ALL in one package, without the exclusion of any certain aspect.
I think that there have been some marketing and design blunders in Honda vehicles of late (the entire last Civic lineup was screwed over). What Americans like most of all is the ability to make a choices. This is why Scion succeeds in the youth market like Toyota never did. If Honda really wants to reach the broadest range of American Buyers they're proceed with the following:
Honda Fit: Sedan, 5-door, Si, and Hybrid versions
Honda Civic: Sedan, Coupe, 5-door, Si of each, Hybrid in sedan and 5-door.
Honda Accord: Coupe and Sedan. Hybrids of sedan 4 and 6 cylinder models.
Honda MPV: Accord or Civic based mini-minivan, Think Mazda5 but with Honda ingenuity. Hybrid version available.
Oddysey: Hybrid version should be added.
CRV: find a way to cram a V6 in the new model...or hybrid it.
Pilot: need a hybrid and a V8
Ridgeline: Needs a V8 and maybe a midgate.
S2000: Time to redesign with 2 engine options. Try keeping the 2.2 as a base model and then add an aluminum based small displacement V6. Need a coupe model as well. no folding hard-top; too heavy.
Element: Can it look more rough? current model is so ugly it's almost cute. Love the thing, but it doesn't really hit the "unemployed-20-something-college-graduate-male" target that they originally claimed. When I fit that target market I didn't have the money to buy one, and now I want something more efficient. Think Jeep with the next design.
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