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Originally Posted by Ricepuddin
why exactly would they mount a 6speed to a 1.5L? and i doubt the creature comforts will see the light here in the U.S.
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I think at least the navigation system will be offered on the new Fit as a US$1,200 option for the North American market. The automatic climate control might not make it, since it's almost exclusively JDM production that gets automatic climate control as an option.
Since the EPA now mandates low-sulfur motor fuels, Honda can safely integrate direct fuel injection into their NA-market engines since there are no worries about sulfur compounds damaging the injectors used on DI systems. That's why I think we'll see a 1.5-liter SOHC i-VTEC engine with DI rated at 122 bhp (SAE 08/04 net) for NA-market Fits. As for going to CVT automatic, because demand for the Civic with the 5AT is so strong in both North America and eastern Asia, Honda is running at capacity building 5AT units just for the Civic; therefore, it would be better if the new Fit goes CVT only for the automatic transmission, especially considering the success of the NA-market Nissan Versa with the JATCO CVT unit.