Honda Fit sales were down 23.5% for May 2010. However, the Fit remains one of the top five sales leaders in the subcompact market.

1. Nissan Versa (47,775)
2. Hyundai Accent (22,463)
3. Kia Soul (22,208)
4. Toyota Yaris (20,577)
5. Honda Fit (19,374)

http://www.subcompactculture.com/201...act-sales.html

Overall Honda sales were up 19.1% for May.

 

good by the time i starte up looking again around august, they shud be lil cheaper

 

The Versa is really a C, not B, class car, but they market it below the Sentra, hence the comparison with the Fit instead of Civic. How did they decide that the Estupid for Two is also in the same class? Its an A class two seater.

I wonder how the Fiesta, Fiat 500 or VW Polo will do. None of these cars, except maybe the Versa has a chance of breaking into mainstream sales volume (100k annual sales) in the US. How many Civics do they sell? Its something like 10x the number of Fits. Gasoline is under $3 again here in CA. Maybe thats part of it.

 

Wow, I had no idea the Versa was that popular, but I do see them everywhere. Not sure I understand the appeal.

BTW- good to see you over here Ginza. You must visit a lot of forums.

 

Had a versa as a rental. Very... mushy.

 

The appeal of the Versa is probably a starting price almost $5,000 less than the Fit.

 

that explains why i see so many nissan versa's around.. its like iam a renegade driving this fit.

 

Let's see which cars are still on the road in 2020

I added to May sales-official date of my transaction was May 1. 2010.

 

If the new GE8's were in as short supply everywhere as they were here, then it's no surprise. My car was the only Fit the dealer received in May. They were very, very slim on new cars. There's only one other Honda dealer in the state, and I'm not driving eight hours or more to visit. I don't know if they had any GE8's up there.

If Honda doesn't supply 'em, they can't sell 'em.

 

Versa with manual tranny starts at $9,900!!!!!

 

Good point! I tried to get one at the end of March, but they were only going to get a few in at the beginning of May and hardly anyone else I called sounded like they were getting any that weren't already spoken for.

BUT - those sales statistics cover the entire product line under that name. The Versa comes in 6 base configurations with two engine choices and a hatch or sedan. The Yaris and Accent come in a hatch or sedan as well. The Fit has a base model that has little difference in price from the sport model and both have the same engine. It's real competition in there, regardless of the sparse base offering, is the Soul's Sport model which starts at $17,195. It's a quirky hatch-only offering.

 

Lower gas prices have anything to do with this?

 

I agree with the "can't supply, don't sell as many" comment.
You don't see a Fit on a lot around here for more than a day or two, and the dealer usually only has one or two of them anyway as opposed to acres of Civics and Accords.

I also agree with the comments that the Versa and Accent's price points and volume-availability may have somethig to do with it. The Versa comes in a very basic sedan version (smaller engine, no radio, roll down windows, smaller tires) that may be the key here. Hyundai also sells the de-contented Accent Blue. Both of these are not real Fit competition as far as I myself are concerned because the Fit comes as a better all around package. The Accent Blue didn't come with ABS last I looked...!

The Yaris? Well. It is purportedly reliable and solid. It sells all over the world. I am seeing more and more of the 4-door hatchback everywhere. Every Yaris DOES come with stability control, unlike the Fit, and the cost starts at just 12 and change or something. I guess if you are looking JUST for a reliable little car, it would do it. But I actually test drove one when I was looking at all competitors to the Fit and it was kinda boring. Never mind I couldn't handle the center-mounted everything...
The salesman said before we even got in it..."After I get a customer to drive the Yaris, I tend to sell a Scion xD".

As for the Soul, yes, the Kia is the only one of these that I see as a totally solid competitor. It is well-equipped, inexpensive and reviewers and owners alike seem to really like them.

 

The Yaris, at base price, has crank windows, no power mirrors or locks, no tachometer, a fixed rear seatback, no radio and 14 inch wheels. To equip it similar to a base Fit requires a $2k and change "Package" which still gives you a car with less power and interior room. Yes, stability control is standard, but I really dont want it. Toyota drivers tend not to be enthusiasts and need electronic "nannys" because many of them lack the skills. I agree the xD is a better buy, but I cant take the styling.

 

I think the biggest problem, from reading about availability of the Fit, that creates the lower sales is just that... you can't find the Fit in numbers enough to satisfy the customer who is looking for a small car. I've regulary checked the dealers in Western Mass and Northern CT... they just don't have many or any. You can't sell them if there is no supply. The second biggest problem is cost. Face it... the Fit just costs more for it's type.

 

Just FYI, I lump all of the smaller "subcompact" cars together. Since the Smart is the only A-segment on the market, I throw it in the mix. And yes, the Versa is a bit bigger than most of the B-segments, but the lines are getting so blurry (and it's currently Nissan's smallest vehicle), so I also include that in the sales data.

I do wish that I could get full breakdowns by model (similar to the way I did it with MINI this month). I'd love to know, for instance, if the Yaris sedan or hatch sells better, and ditto that across the board.

 

Definitely agree. In fact, the Honda dealer I bought it from was very, very interested in exactly why I would even want a Fit. They said "Wouldn't you like to have a larger Civic sedan with a real trunk and everything?"

Um, no.

They aren't too interesting in talking to me about upgrading from a Base to a Sport, either.

 

LOL. What use is a Civic trunk over the Fit? Dead midget storage? Of course, he's just trying to sell a car, but it's funny the way you put it.

 

It could be a provincial behavior, but people around here assume that one would only buy a small hatchback because they *had* to. Kinda plays into those posts in the GE forum about road respect. Apparently a sedan with a trunk is more road-respectable? I don't know.

Another dealer said "Why a Fit when we can put you in a Civic LX for $199 a month?" LOL...

 

You should have told him "why stop there? I hear there are some fantastic deals on imported Ladas right now."

To be honest, the Fit is the only cool and exciting car that Honda has out right now. The civic si is okay, but it's just a souped-up civic and always has been (not that there is anything wrong with that.) The Fit is distinctive.

Seriously, I don't know of a more vanilla looking lineup besides toyota's. Yes, I understand this strategy, but they will start to lose out if they don't inject some life into their vehicles, while still remaining subdued and appealing. I sat in the base and ex civic at the auto show two weeks ago. Bo-ring. The Fit is so much nicer, it was shocking. I guess because it is made in Japan and optioned similarly to their market? Whatever the case, I'm glad I got one.