http://www.businessweek.com/magazine...8/b3951074.htm

 

I don't subscribe to Businessweek. How about a summary of the article? Thanks.

 

Sorry! Here's the last part of the article where they mention the Fit:

At the same time, Honda is looking to emulate the surprising success Toyota Motor Corp. (TM ) has had in attracting entry-level buyers, especially with its Scion series, starting at $12,000. Just as Toyota has done, Honda is reaching into its stable of low-powered-but-stylish models previously unavailable in the U.S. -- in this case, the Fit, a 1.0-liter-class car dating to 2001. The idea is to offer something to budget-minded buyers who have been priced out of compacts like the Civic. The Fit sells for roughly $10,000 in Japan, but pricing hasn't yet been set for its U.S. launch next year. It will compete not only with the Scions, but also another new Japanese import -- Nissan Motor Co.'s (NSANY ) Tiida, which could be bound for the U.S. market as soon as next year.

LURING THE YOUNG
The fit may be a hit with those worried about global warming or higher pump prices, but some fret that it could steal sales from the pricier Civic. The subcompact gets about 57 miles per gallon -- topping even the hybrid Civic -- and has cannibalized sales of the Civic in Japan. But Honda seems willing to risk such a trade-off to attract new buyers. "[What's] driving this is the search for the younger customers," says Chris Richter, an analyst at CLSA Asia-Pacific Markets in Tokyo. "If there is a demand for smaller cars and you don't provide them, then somebody else will."

At the same time, Honda isn't writing off heavy metal. Fukui hints that he may introduce a V-8 engine and more high-powered rear-wheel-drive cars. Honda has resisted those moves for years, citing the cost of upgrading existing plants. With Honda's factories near capacity, though, analysts say the company may be thinking now is the time for a new plant capable of making bigger engines and beefier cars and trucks.

That would be a big departure from Honda's roots as a maker of compact cars -- and could backfire if gas prices remain near their current stratospheric levels. But the U.S. sedan market has been shrinking for years, and even The Black Eyed Peas and a snazzy new Civic might not be enough to change that. So Fit subcompacts and Ridgeline pickups could well point the way for Honda.

 

does your first year fit have any problem?? isn't the best not to buy the first year made vehicle??

 

if japan only sell this car for about 10,000, hopefully the price isnt' going to much.

if this car is mark up by 3 to 5 grand, my guess is 1 to 2 out of 10 will purchase this car.

this car is not a sports car. this car is not a low production car. why would they want

to have a mark up?? unless they are so confident that this car is better than every

model out there and they know marking up will not affect their marketing business.

 

Honda tests their cars properly before releasing them. They do accelerated aging to see how they will wear over time.

No changes were made from 2001 til mid 2004. The car was so good the facelift was very minor with indictors in the mirrors on the top models, LED brake lights on some models, revised headlights (improved spread), changed air intake, dash lighting and other minor external (body kit) and internal cosmetic tweaks.

Be thankful the US will be getting Japanese manufactured Jazzes not the ones from mainland China they are going to ship to Europe.

 

I really am excited about this car. I can't wait to see it in person. I just think it would be a perfect commuter car without the worry about a hybrid battery going bad 5-10 years down the road.

The hybrid technology just doesn't appeal to me because of the lack of support out there if it breaks.

 

Having seen pictures of the Honda Jazz parked next to the 7th generation Civic sedan in Hong Kong, I think you will be totally amazed how physically small the Fit/Jazz model is, despite the fact the interior space is almost the same as the Civic. If my guess of the SOHC i-VTEC engine as the primary engine choice on the US-market model is true, Honda will have a major hit on its hands, since the Fit will be the perfect carpooling commuter car.

 

I second what MtViewGuy188 said.

I was in a brand new Jazz a month ago in Europe, and it's so much more spacious inside than you would think from the outside. I rode in my friend's Corolla the other day and I felt like I was a peg stuck in a hole. All I could think was, are you kidding me? How does the Jazz have so much space and this car is so tiny?! We know we want to buy a Fit, but before we stumbled upon it in Europe we were considering a Corolla, amongst others.

Perfect commuter car and MORE.

 

According to a Consumer Reports study nearly all cars improve in the 2nd year of their existance. I say nearly all because I don't want to go out on a limb and be wrong, but the mag. basically made it sound like all cars improve in their 'sophmore' year. That said, when the Fit comes to the U.S., if not redesigned I wonder if it will suffer from the first year blues. I'm not saying that it will have problems, as we all know that Japanese cars are top shelf, but my point is that it's a model that is already established. Perhaps getting hung up on buying a 2nd year model isn't necessary (as I would generally plan on doing).

 

We're definitely going to be purchasing the first year. I think that it's actually more important to purchase the Fit in the first year, because I hear that the first years will come from Japan, but after that they may be manufactured...in the US? I think. Or in China. I know they just built a factory there. All I heard is that the first years will be the only ones from Japan. Anybody else know anything about this?

 

I have no idea about location of manufacturing, but I'll definitely be looking on the inside of the drivers door to see where it was made!

My father's Suburban? "Producto de Mexico"

He wasn't happy when he saw that! He'd have rather seen it made in the US.

 

If the FIT does become a hot-selling model in the USA, I think the most likely chance is that Honda will use one of its US or Canadian factories to assemble the car. This is especially true when we do the full model change (FMC), probably in 2007.

 

i just heard from one of the board organizer from s2ki saying that the fit we are getting here is only going to be 1.3 or 1.3 vtec, 5 speed auto or 7 speed pattle. i think we are getting the MT as well. maybe later on we will have 1.5 vtec as well. 80 hp here is not that good.

 

That means the US-market Fit might be getting the 1.3-liter SOHC i-VTEC engine from the Civic Hybrid--rated at 93 bhp (SAE 08/04 net). Combine that with the CVT-7 transmission (the "7 speed paddle" you mention is that transmission) and the car will still have fairly decent performance.

 

Now what do you mean by 7 speed paddle? If I read it literally, you are saying that it will have seven gears and paddle shifters.

Is that true? Seven gears sounds like an awful lot!

 

I don't know much about how cars work, but how someone explained it to me is that it has more gears, but the car doesn't even feel like it's shifting (when you're in an automatic). It's very smooth.