2014 Honda Fit confirmed for September launch
#41
08-15-2013, 11:56 AM
I am really glad I picked the 2013 after seeing these pics. I'm a bit bummed out on missing out on the new powertrain tech, but I'm also confident that by the time I pick out a car to replace this Fit, it'll be yet another large upgrade over my car...so I am okay with other people buying the first few year models to iron out all the kinks.
#42
08-16-2013, 09:06 PM
video review of car
Official images of the 2014 Honda Jazz (2014 Honda Fit) found their way to the internet last month through magazine leaks. Since then, Honda have themselves released images and details of their new B+ segment hatchback.
Here is a documentary of the 2014 Honda Jazz/Fit Hybrid shot by the Japanese media. Needless to say, only Japanese is spoken and our comprehension of the language extends to the use of the words Hello (konichiwa) and Sir/Madam (san).
However, you can watch the new Jazz spin its wheels and attack a few corners at the testing facility in the clipping.
The video starts at the 0:40 mark and gets various Honda engineers to talk about the design and the engine of the new Jazz. At the 7:44 mark, you can see the new Jazz being compared to the old Jazz (screenshot attached). This picture gives you the real design evolution of the futuristic hatchback.
The Jazz in this video is a hybrid vehicle using a 1.5-liter petrol engine mated to a Honda i-DCD (intelligent dual clutch drive) 7-speed transmission. Honda has announced that the Fit hybrid would deliver 36.4km/l based on the Japanese JC08 driving test. This is possible thanks to the constant engaging and disengaging of the motor and the engine. You can also see a real time infographic which shows where the Jazz’s hybrid system is sourcing power from.
For India, the Jazz would make its comeback in 2014 with a diesel engine and there is a good chance you can catch it at the Auto Expo in February 2014.
Official images of the 2014 Honda Jazz (2014 Honda Fit) found their way to the internet last month through magazine leaks. Since then, Honda have themselves released images and details of their new B+ segment hatchback.
Here is a documentary of the 2014 Honda Jazz/Fit Hybrid shot by the Japanese media. Needless to say, only Japanese is spoken and our comprehension of the language extends to the use of the words Hello (konichiwa) and Sir/Madam (san).
However, you can watch the new Jazz spin its wheels and attack a few corners at the testing facility in the clipping.
The video starts at the 0:40 mark and gets various Honda engineers to talk about the design and the engine of the new Jazz. At the 7:44 mark, you can see the new Jazz being compared to the old Jazz (screenshot attached). This picture gives you the real design evolution of the futuristic hatchback.
The Jazz in this video is a hybrid vehicle using a 1.5-liter petrol engine mated to a Honda i-DCD (intelligent dual clutch drive) 7-speed transmission. Honda has announced that the Fit hybrid would deliver 36.4km/l based on the Japanese JC08 driving test. This is possible thanks to the constant engaging and disengaging of the motor and the engine. You can also see a real time infographic which shows where the Jazz’s hybrid system is sourcing power from.
For India, the Jazz would make its comeback in 2014 with a diesel engine and there is a good chance you can catch it at the Auto Expo in February 2014.
Last edited by cjecpa; 08-16-2013 at 09:13 PM.
#45
08-24-2013, 11:02 AM
My wife drives an 07 Ft and I think the third generation looks great. I always thought the second generation's hood and windshield looked terrible. This new version looks like the windshield rake was designed with the hood instead of looking like an engineer said, let's rake the windshield back some more. I like the rear end design. It looks similar to the current CRV.
Of course the Fit and other small 5 door cars are going to look similar because the engineers want to give the customer the masimum interior room while also getting the highest gas milage possible. The laws of aerodynamics define the basic shape of the vehicle to obtain the lowest coefficient of drag.
My wife's Fit only has 49,000 miles so unless she gets bored with it, she can go another few years with the first generation and skip the third.
Of course the Fit and other small 5 door cars are going to look similar because the engineers want to give the customer the masimum interior room while also getting the highest gas milage possible. The laws of aerodynamics define the basic shape of the vehicle to obtain the lowest coefficient of drag.
My wife's Fit only has 49,000 miles so unless she gets bored with it, she can go another few years with the first generation and skip the third.
#47
08-26-2013, 09:42 AM
Summer of 2014 according tto the article below:
Funny we get a hybrid but not the hatchback hybrid seems that if they are going after Toyota Prius the hatchback would be on target.
TAKASU, Japan -- Honda Motor Co. plans to bring hybrid variants of its Fit subcompact to the United States with the car's redesign, as the Japanese automaker wagers that its new hybrid drivetrain will challenge Toyota Motor Corp.'s dominance in the field.
The third generation of the Fit hatchback, one of Honda's best-selling global nameplates, will hit U.S. showrooms by next summer and will go on sale in Japan in September. The U.S. version also will be the first Fit manufactured in North America.
Key to the revamp, which introduces Honda's new design language with a new interior and boldly creased sheet metal, is a newly developed one-motor gasoline-electric drivetrain.
While the United States is not expected to get the hybrid version of the standard Fit five-door, hybrid versions of a Fit-based small crossover and sedan are planned for the United States. Those vehicles are expected to arrive as early as next year.
The new hybrid system, dubbed Sport Hybrid Intelligent-Dual Clutch Drive, greatly boosts fuel economy over the current integrated motor assist system. Honda has been using the outgoing integrated motor assist system for years in such cars as the Insight.
The new Fit is a Honda milestone for several reasons. It showcases Honda's attempt to rejuvenate its styling. And the car is the first product of a revamped global product development strategy that aims to better tailor vehicles to local markets and regional manufacturing abilities.
Finally, the hybrid version pumps up Honda's competiveness in the small hybrid segment. Cars such as the Insight and CR-Z hybrids have failed to gain traction in the United States, even while rival offerings such as Toyota's Prius C successfully carved out a niche. Sales of the Prius C subcompact climbed 27 percent to 20,575 units through June.
Going local
The U.S. version of the standard Fit and its crossover variant will be sourced from Honda's new assembly plant in Celaya, Mexico. That factory goes online in spring 2014. Honda expects the plant to produce 200,000 Fits and Fit crossovers for the North America annually.
Globally, the gasoline-powered Fit will be offered with a 1.3-liter port-injection or 1.5-liter direct-injection version of Honda's new Earth Dreams engine, combined with the company's new Earth Dreams continuously variable transmission. The United States is expected to get only the bigger powerplant. Both engines will be offered with a manual transmission in some markets.
The hybrid gets a 1.5-liter, Atkinson-cycle engine with a seven-speed dual clutch transmission. Electric power comes from a 22-kilowatt electric motor and lithium ion battery.
The gasoline-powered Fit sold just 25,541 units in the first six months of 2013, up 5 percent from the year before.
And Honda's U.S. hybrids tallied a paltry 9,011 units sold through June, down from 10,712 vehicles in the same period of 2012.
Targeting Toyota
The new hybrid Fit hatchback achieves fuel economy of 36.4 kilometers per liter, or 86 mpg, under Japan's testing regime. That marks a 30 percent improvement over the hybrid version of the current Fit, which sells big in Japan but never made it to North America.
Those fuel economy figures don't translate directly into U.S. EPA ratings because the testing cycle differs in Japan.
But the Fit's Japanese rating edges the 35.4 kilometers per liter, or 83 mpg, rating for the Prius C here. The Prius C, known as the Aqua in Japan, was this country's second-best selling car for the first half of 2013, trailing only the standard Toyota Prius hatchback.
The new Fit has not yet received an EPA fuel economy rating. But fuel savings from Honda's new small-hybrid system are big enough to warrant its U.S. introduction, Jiro Yamaguchi, managing officer in charge of global vehicle development, said at a recent test drive event for the Fit five-door at Honda's Hokkaido proving ground in northern Japan.
"I was not that confident with the previous model, but this model would absolutely sell well in America," Yamaguchi said.
Launch timing has not been decided. But Yamaguchi said hybrid variants likely will be introduced around the time that the standard gasoline version goes on the market, by next summer.
Hybrid, take 2
U.S. pricing hasn't been announced. But Honda reckons the premium charged for the hybrid has to be within a 10 percent increase over the standard gasoline-powered version, Yamaguchi said.
Unlike Honda's integrated motor assist hybrid system, in which the motor only assists the engine, the new hybrid drivetrain allows extensive quiet driving in electric-only mode, like an electric vehicle.
The hybrid Fit can drive for 1.9 miles at speeds up to 31 mph in electric-only mode. The engine kicks in for blended driving when the car reaches a certain speed or the driver punches the gas for a burst of acceleration. For highway cruising, the electric motor shuts off to let the engine work.
While popular in Japan, Honda's integrated motor assist hybrid system was derided in the United States for being too underpowered and not delivering significant-enough fuel economy gains. Honda's new hybrid blueprint boosts power and efficiency.
"They tried the low-cost, lower-fuel economy strategy and they feel like it was a failure outside of Japan," said Kurt Sanger, an auto analyst with Deutsche Securities Japan. "The question is whether they can do it at a decent profit level, and the first generation of this technology is never really about that."
U.S. sales of the Honda Fit
*Through June
Exciting H
The new Fit also is the first car to showcase Honda's new design language, dubbed Exciting H Design. President Takanobu Ito promoted Toshinobu Minami as global exterior design chief and Yoshinori Asahi as his interior counterpart in late 2011 with orders to jazz up Honda's ho-hum looks.
Outside, the car gets a more aggressive stance than today's egg-shaped Fit. Side panels are dramatically creased and the tail is more tapered for a sleeker look.
The LED taillights wrap around the rear hatch in a double parentheses pattern that increases visibility while creating a more distinct nighttime signature. The grille gets what Minami calls the "solid wing face." The headlights meld into the grille for a shallow V-shaped sweep across the nose.
"We wanted a more emotional contrast in the design," Minami said. "The character line captures the contrast of a round shape being pierced. The back end is sportier, the hood more pronounced. The interior isn't plasticky at all."
Honda did not disclose exact dimensions of the next Fit. But it the overall length and wheelbase grow slightly less than an inch, while the height and width remain the same. The next generation also sheds weight, but engineers wouldn't say how much.
Civic lessons
But the greatest leaps from the current car occur inside.
Still stinging from scathing reviews of the redesigned Civic's plasticky interior, interior design chief Asahi set out to upgrade the feel on the Fit with better materials, a simplified layout and a striking new high-tech center stack.
When the car is turned off, the center stack interface appears as an inanimate sheet of black glass. But it lights to life when the car is engaged, presenting electrostatic-control buttons for everything from heating and cooling to navigation and audio.
The large touch screen, which sprawls down the console, works on the same principle as a smartphone, Asahi said.
Asahi said he wanted to tone down the interior so it was less busy and more upscale. Stylists agonized over the leather grain paneling, a more refined small-print motif for the upholstery, silver-colored trim and the switch from cheaper circular swivel nozzles on the air vents to higher grade horizontal ones.
Looming in their memories: Lessons from the Civic.
"We aren't going to take the attitude, 'This is our cost, so make an interior that matches it,'" Asahi said. "My job is set high targets and achieve them with low-cost technologies. If you don't do this, design quality deteriorates. I think that was the problem with Civic."
Funny we get a hybrid but not the hatchback hybrid seems that if they are going after Toyota Prius the hatchback would be on target.
TAKASU, Japan -- Honda Motor Co. plans to bring hybrid variants of its Fit subcompact to the United States with the car's redesign, as the Japanese automaker wagers that its new hybrid drivetrain will challenge Toyota Motor Corp.'s dominance in the field.
The third generation of the Fit hatchback, one of Honda's best-selling global nameplates, will hit U.S. showrooms by next summer and will go on sale in Japan in September. The U.S. version also will be the first Fit manufactured in North America.
Key to the revamp, which introduces Honda's new design language with a new interior and boldly creased sheet metal, is a newly developed one-motor gasoline-electric drivetrain.
While the United States is not expected to get the hybrid version of the standard Fit five-door, hybrid versions of a Fit-based small crossover and sedan are planned for the United States. Those vehicles are expected to arrive as early as next year.
The new hybrid system, dubbed Sport Hybrid Intelligent-Dual Clutch Drive, greatly boosts fuel economy over the current integrated motor assist system. Honda has been using the outgoing integrated motor assist system for years in such cars as the Insight.
The new Fit is a Honda milestone for several reasons. It showcases Honda's attempt to rejuvenate its styling. And the car is the first product of a revamped global product development strategy that aims to better tailor vehicles to local markets and regional manufacturing abilities.
Finally, the hybrid version pumps up Honda's competiveness in the small hybrid segment. Cars such as the Insight and CR-Z hybrids have failed to gain traction in the United States, even while rival offerings such as Toyota's Prius C successfully carved out a niche. Sales of the Prius C subcompact climbed 27 percent to 20,575 units through June.
Going local
The U.S. version of the standard Fit and its crossover variant will be sourced from Honda's new assembly plant in Celaya, Mexico. That factory goes online in spring 2014. Honda expects the plant to produce 200,000 Fits and Fit crossovers for the North America annually.
Globally, the gasoline-powered Fit will be offered with a 1.3-liter port-injection or 1.5-liter direct-injection version of Honda's new Earth Dreams engine, combined with the company's new Earth Dreams continuously variable transmission. The United States is expected to get only the bigger powerplant. Both engines will be offered with a manual transmission in some markets.
The hybrid gets a 1.5-liter, Atkinson-cycle engine with a seven-speed dual clutch transmission. Electric power comes from a 22-kilowatt electric motor and lithium ion battery.
The gasoline-powered Fit sold just 25,541 units in the first six months of 2013, up 5 percent from the year before.
And Honda's U.S. hybrids tallied a paltry 9,011 units sold through June, down from 10,712 vehicles in the same period of 2012.
Targeting Toyota
The new hybrid Fit hatchback achieves fuel economy of 36.4 kilometers per liter, or 86 mpg, under Japan's testing regime. That marks a 30 percent improvement over the hybrid version of the current Fit, which sells big in Japan but never made it to North America.
Those fuel economy figures don't translate directly into U.S. EPA ratings because the testing cycle differs in Japan.
But the Fit's Japanese rating edges the 35.4 kilometers per liter, or 83 mpg, rating for the Prius C here. The Prius C, known as the Aqua in Japan, was this country's second-best selling car for the first half of 2013, trailing only the standard Toyota Prius hatchback.
The new Fit has not yet received an EPA fuel economy rating. But fuel savings from Honda's new small-hybrid system are big enough to warrant its U.S. introduction, Jiro Yamaguchi, managing officer in charge of global vehicle development, said at a recent test drive event for the Fit five-door at Honda's Hokkaido proving ground in northern Japan.
"I was not that confident with the previous model, but this model would absolutely sell well in America," Yamaguchi said.
Launch timing has not been decided. But Yamaguchi said hybrid variants likely will be introduced around the time that the standard gasoline version goes on the market, by next summer.
Hybrid, take 2
U.S. pricing hasn't been announced. But Honda reckons the premium charged for the hybrid has to be within a 10 percent increase over the standard gasoline-powered version, Yamaguchi said.
Unlike Honda's integrated motor assist hybrid system, in which the motor only assists the engine, the new hybrid drivetrain allows extensive quiet driving in electric-only mode, like an electric vehicle.
The hybrid Fit can drive for 1.9 miles at speeds up to 31 mph in electric-only mode. The engine kicks in for blended driving when the car reaches a certain speed or the driver punches the gas for a burst of acceleration. For highway cruising, the electric motor shuts off to let the engine work.
While popular in Japan, Honda's integrated motor assist hybrid system was derided in the United States for being too underpowered and not delivering significant-enough fuel economy gains. Honda's new hybrid blueprint boosts power and efficiency.
"They tried the low-cost, lower-fuel economy strategy and they feel like it was a failure outside of Japan," said Kurt Sanger, an auto analyst with Deutsche Securities Japan. "The question is whether they can do it at a decent profit level, and the first generation of this technology is never really about that."
U.S. sales of the Honda Fit*Through June
Exciting H
The new Fit also is the first car to showcase Honda's new design language, dubbed Exciting H Design. President Takanobu Ito promoted Toshinobu Minami as global exterior design chief and Yoshinori Asahi as his interior counterpart in late 2011 with orders to jazz up Honda's ho-hum looks.
Outside, the car gets a more aggressive stance than today's egg-shaped Fit. Side panels are dramatically creased and the tail is more tapered for a sleeker look.
The LED taillights wrap around the rear hatch in a double parentheses pattern that increases visibility while creating a more distinct nighttime signature. The grille gets what Minami calls the "solid wing face." The headlights meld into the grille for a shallow V-shaped sweep across the nose.
"We wanted a more emotional contrast in the design," Minami said. "The character line captures the contrast of a round shape being pierced. The back end is sportier, the hood more pronounced. The interior isn't plasticky at all."
Honda did not disclose exact dimensions of the next Fit. But it the overall length and wheelbase grow slightly less than an inch, while the height and width remain the same. The next generation also sheds weight, but engineers wouldn't say how much.
Civic lessons
But the greatest leaps from the current car occur inside.
Still stinging from scathing reviews of the redesigned Civic's plasticky interior, interior design chief Asahi set out to upgrade the feel on the Fit with better materials, a simplified layout and a striking new high-tech center stack.
When the car is turned off, the center stack interface appears as an inanimate sheet of black glass. But it lights to life when the car is engaged, presenting electrostatic-control buttons for everything from heating and cooling to navigation and audio.
The large touch screen, which sprawls down the console, works on the same principle as a smartphone, Asahi said.
Asahi said he wanted to tone down the interior so it was less busy and more upscale. Stylists agonized over the leather grain paneling, a more refined small-print motif for the upholstery, silver-colored trim and the switch from cheaper circular swivel nozzles on the air vents to higher grade horizontal ones.
Looming in their memories: Lessons from the Civic.
"We aren't going to take the attitude, 'This is our cost, so make an interior that matches it,'" Asahi said. "My job is set high targets and achieve them with low-cost technologies. If you don't do this, design quality deteriorates. I think that was the problem with Civic."
Last edited by cjecpa; 08-26-2013 at 09:45 AM.
#48
08-26-2013, 10:45 AM
"The U.S. version of the standard Fit and its crossover variant will be sourced from Honda's new assembly plant in Celaya, Mexico. That factory goes online in spring 2014. Honda expects the plant to produce 200,000 Fits and Fit crossovers for the North America annually."
So the first 2014's to hit our shores will come from Japan?
So the first 2014's to hit our shores will come from Japan?
#49
08-26-2013, 10:59 AM
According to KBB
Production of the North American 2015 Honda Fit line will take place at Honda's new assembly plant currently under construction in Silao, Mexico. The facility, which opens next spring, also will turn out a new Fit-based crossover based on the Honda Urban SUV Concept that was shown in Detroit last January. For the record, there will be no 2014 model-year Fit. Honda plans to extend the run of 2013s imported from Japan until the all-new 2015 Fit hits the showrooms.
Production of the North American 2015 Honda Fit line will take place at Honda's new assembly plant currently under construction in Silao, Mexico. The facility, which opens next spring, also will turn out a new Fit-based crossover based on the Honda Urban SUV Concept that was shown in Detroit last January. For the record, there will be no 2014 model-year Fit. Honda plans to extend the run of 2013s imported from Japan until the all-new 2015 Fit hits the showrooms.
#50
08-26-2013, 01:14 PM
According to KBB
Production of the North American 2015 Honda Fit line will take place at Honda's new assembly plant currently under construction in Silao, Mexico. The facility, which opens next spring, also will turn out a new Fit-based crossover based on the Honda Urban SUV Concept that was shown in Detroit last January. For the record, there will be no 2014 model-year Fit. Honda plans to extend the run of 2013s imported from Japan until the all-new 2015 Fit hits the showrooms.
Production of the North American 2015 Honda Fit line will take place at Honda's new assembly plant currently under construction in Silao, Mexico. The facility, which opens next spring, also will turn out a new Fit-based crossover based on the Honda Urban SUV Concept that was shown in Detroit last January. For the record, there will be no 2014 model-year Fit. Honda plans to extend the run of 2013s imported from Japan until the all-new 2015 Fit hits the showrooms.
I also wonder if Canada will continue to get Fits from China or if we'll also be getting them from this Mexican plant.
#51
08-27-2013, 10:44 AM
I wonder how does the new Fit compare to the older one in terms of aerodynamics.
I don't particularly like the busy frill/headlight combo. Looks like they don't match well, and that there was a strong attempt to just make it different from the previous generation.
I also don't like the plastic intake manifold, oh and direct injection hasn't really proven its long term reliability. Unlike the trusty L15
I don't particularly like the busy frill/headlight combo. Looks like they don't match well, and that there was a strong attempt to just make it different from the previous generation.
I also don't like the plastic intake manifold, oh and direct injection hasn't really proven its long term reliability. Unlike the trusty L15
#52
08-29-2013, 11:53 AM
I agree with Katana. Will be watching reviews on the mexican fits and seeing if they uphold the quality.
#53
08-29-2013, 11:58 AM
That's sort of too bad. The new Mazda 3, for example, is going to be sourced from Mexico plants long term, but the first batch will be coming from Japan (verified by VIN #s I've seen).
I also wonder if Canada will continue to get Fits from China or if we'll also be getting them from this Mexican plant.
I also wonder if Canada will continue to get Fits from China or if we'll also be getting them from this Mexican plant.
I would consider a Mazda3 the 2.5L at 184hp will be offer with a 6 speed manual in the future if it is a Japanese model.
#54
09-05-2013, 01:05 PM
Launched few hours ago:
http://www.autonews.com/article/2013...#axzz2e291Ddji
Honda's Ito launches new Fit as company's 'most important' car
September 5, 2013 - 7:44 am ET TOKYO --
Honda Motor Co. President Takanobu Ito called the redesigned Fit the company's "most important" car and predicted the nameplate would see its biggest sales jump in North America.
The third-generation of the small car, crucial to Honda's U.S. expansion plan, chalks big fuel efficiency gains over the outgoing model as well as a longer body and bigger interior.
Speaking at the Fit's launch today in Japan, Ito declined to give a sales target for North America. But he said the market holds the biggest growth potential for the Fit hatchback and its family of spinoffs, which are expected to include a crossover and sedan.
He is clearly aiming high. A new assembly plant is being built in Mexico with annual capacity for 200,000 vehicles.
It opens next spring, and the bulk of that output is expected to be Fit family vehicles targeting the U.S. market. That compares with North American sales of 57,900 in 2012.
High expectations
Globally, Ito said sales of the Fit hatchback and its variants will reach 1.5 million units by 2016. He predicted that the Fit family will eventually supplant the Civic sedan as Honda's No. 1 nameplate. It now ranks No. 4 behind the Civic, CR-V and Accord.
"This is the most important model," Ito said of the Fit, which goes on sale in Japan on Friday and should hit U.S. showrooms around mid-2014. "I have high expectations for demand."
The car is key to Ito's efforts to jolt the company back into growth mode on the back of new technology, more efficient product planning and fresher, eye-grabbing design.
The redesigned Fit claims a number of Honda firsts:
• It is the first vehicle showcasing the Honda brand's new sleeker, creasier design language, dubbed Exciting H Design.
• Its hybrid variant is the first using Honda's new one-motor, dual-clutch gasoline-electric drivetrain. That replaces the underpowered one-motor system that delivered what many deemed lackluster fuel economy in previous hybrids such as the Insight.
• The U.S. version will be the first Fit manufactured in North America. Also, the third-generation Fit is the first car coming out of Ito's overhauled global vehicle development strategy.
MPG imperative
Fuel efficiency will be a big selling point.
The hybrid, which mates a 1.5-liter Atkinson cycle four-cylinder to a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission, delivers fuel economy of about 86 mpg, under Japan's testing regime. That marks a 35 percent improvement over the hybrid version of the current Fit, sold in Japan.
Senior Managing Officer Sho Minekawa predicted 70 percent of Japanese buyers would opt for the hybrid.
Japan is the Fit's biggest market. Last year, Honda sold 209,00 Fits here, including a wagon variant called the Fit Shuttle.
The traditional gasoline engines also achieve big improvements thanks to the deployment of Honda's new Earth Dreams engine lineup of fuel injected and otherwise tweaked power plants.
The 1.3-liter Atkinson cycle engine, mated either to a continuously variable transmission or five-speed manual, gets about 61 mpg -- roughly a 35 percent improvement over the previous model.
The 1.5-liter direct injection engine, combined with either a CVT or 6-speed stick shift, gets about 51 mpg, or about a 16 percent gain from the previous model.
Those fuel economy figures don't translate directly into U.S. EPA ratings because the testing cycle differs in Japan. But they give an idea of the level of improvement to be expected.
Bigger inside
The car has not yet received an EPA fuel economy rating.
The Fit, already known for wrapping a big interior inside a compact frame, ekes further gains there too.
Fit chief engineer Makoto Konishi extended the car's length by 5.5 centimeters (2 inches) to 3.955 meters (155.7 inches), while increasing the wheelbase by 3 centimeters (1.2 inches).
This allowed for an additional 8 centimeters (3 inches) between the front and rear seats and a wider cabin with 3.5 centimeters (1.4 inch) of additional shoulder space in the front.
The car's overall height and width remain unchanged.
http://www.autonews.com/article/2013...#axzz2e291Ddji
Honda's Ito launches new Fit as company's 'most important' car
September 5, 2013 - 7:44 am ET TOKYO --
Honda Motor Co. President Takanobu Ito called the redesigned Fit the company's "most important" car and predicted the nameplate would see its biggest sales jump in North America.
The third-generation of the small car, crucial to Honda's U.S. expansion plan, chalks big fuel efficiency gains over the outgoing model as well as a longer body and bigger interior.
Speaking at the Fit's launch today in Japan, Ito declined to give a sales target for North America. But he said the market holds the biggest growth potential for the Fit hatchback and its family of spinoffs, which are expected to include a crossover and sedan.
He is clearly aiming high. A new assembly plant is being built in Mexico with annual capacity for 200,000 vehicles.
It opens next spring, and the bulk of that output is expected to be Fit family vehicles targeting the U.S. market. That compares with North American sales of 57,900 in 2012.
High expectations
Globally, Ito said sales of the Fit hatchback and its variants will reach 1.5 million units by 2016. He predicted that the Fit family will eventually supplant the Civic sedan as Honda's No. 1 nameplate. It now ranks No. 4 behind the Civic, CR-V and Accord.
"This is the most important model," Ito said of the Fit, which goes on sale in Japan on Friday and should hit U.S. showrooms around mid-2014. "I have high expectations for demand."
The car is key to Ito's efforts to jolt the company back into growth mode on the back of new technology, more efficient product planning and fresher, eye-grabbing design.
The redesigned Fit claims a number of Honda firsts:
• It is the first vehicle showcasing the Honda brand's new sleeker, creasier design language, dubbed Exciting H Design.
• Its hybrid variant is the first using Honda's new one-motor, dual-clutch gasoline-electric drivetrain. That replaces the underpowered one-motor system that delivered what many deemed lackluster fuel economy in previous hybrids such as the Insight.
• The U.S. version will be the first Fit manufactured in North America. Also, the third-generation Fit is the first car coming out of Ito's overhauled global vehicle development strategy.
MPG imperative
Fuel efficiency will be a big selling point.
The hybrid, which mates a 1.5-liter Atkinson cycle four-cylinder to a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission, delivers fuel economy of about 86 mpg, under Japan's testing regime. That marks a 35 percent improvement over the hybrid version of the current Fit, sold in Japan.
Senior Managing Officer Sho Minekawa predicted 70 percent of Japanese buyers would opt for the hybrid.
Japan is the Fit's biggest market. Last year, Honda sold 209,00 Fits here, including a wagon variant called the Fit Shuttle.
The traditional gasoline engines also achieve big improvements thanks to the deployment of Honda's new Earth Dreams engine lineup of fuel injected and otherwise tweaked power plants.
The 1.3-liter Atkinson cycle engine, mated either to a continuously variable transmission or five-speed manual, gets about 61 mpg -- roughly a 35 percent improvement over the previous model.
The 1.5-liter direct injection engine, combined with either a CVT or 6-speed stick shift, gets about 51 mpg, or about a 16 percent gain from the previous model.
Those fuel economy figures don't translate directly into U.S. EPA ratings because the testing cycle differs in Japan. But they give an idea of the level of improvement to be expected.
Bigger inside
The car has not yet received an EPA fuel economy rating.
The Fit, already known for wrapping a big interior inside a compact frame, ekes further gains there too.
Fit chief engineer Makoto Konishi extended the car's length by 5.5 centimeters (2 inches) to 3.955 meters (155.7 inches), while increasing the wheelbase by 3 centimeters (1.2 inches).
This allowed for an additional 8 centimeters (3 inches) between the front and rear seats and a wider cabin with 3.5 centimeters (1.4 inch) of additional shoulder space in the front.
The car's overall height and width remain unchanged.
#55
09-05-2013, 02:38 PM
My wife drives an 07 Ft and I think the third generation looks great. I always thought the second generation's hood and windshield looked terrible. This new version looks like the windshield rake was designed with the hood instead of looking like an engineer said, let's rake the windshield back some more.
-Dustin
#56
09-05-2013, 02:46 PM
Japanese Site
The Honda Japan Fit site is now totally live. Google Translate actually does a pretty good job of helping navigate, and all the URLs are in English.
Well worth looking through!
My favorite parts is a "3D" walkaround of the Fit RS found here
Honda???????????????????
In my opinion, these pictures make it look far nicer than the first photos in July. It's way more proportioned and "Fit-like" in these pics.
Well worth looking through!
My favorite parts is a "3D" walkaround of the Fit RS found here
Honda???????????????????
In my opinion, these pictures make it look far nicer than the first photos in July. It's way more proportioned and "Fit-like" in these pics.
#57
09-05-2013, 03:02 PM
Silver looks nice looks wider which makes it appear lower compared to the earlier generations. Its too bad they do not do what Mazda is doing with the 3 import the initial production vehicles prior to going on line with Mexico.
#58
09-05-2013, 03:06 PM
If those 3D rendering are accurate,
then the Front and Rear Disk Brake had been grown substantially in size (in comparison to the 16in wheel)
The front disk brake basically cover all the gap inside the front wheel !
I check the spec from Honda Japan website
and could not find the disk brake diameter,
but what interest me is
this NEW RS do NOT have Rear Sway Bar anymore !!!
only front sway bar...
perhaps they had make the rear axle more stiff...
here is the direct link to the spec:
http://www.honda.co.jp/Fit/webcatalo...om=FIT_sitemap
then the Front and Rear Disk Brake had been grown substantially in size (in comparison to the 16in wheel)
The front disk brake basically cover all the gap inside the front wheel !
I check the spec from Honda Japan website
and could not find the disk brake diameter,
but what interest me is
this NEW RS do NOT have Rear Sway Bar anymore !!!
only front sway bar...
perhaps they had make the rear axle more stiff...
here is the direct link to the spec:
http://www.honda.co.jp/Fit/webcatalo...om=FIT_sitemap
#59
09-05-2013, 03:16 PM
#60
09-05-2013, 03:39 PM
A few nice interior shots of the RS
2014 Honda Fit Photos - R&T New Car Photo Gallery - Road & Track
2014 Honda Fit Photos - R&T New Car Photo Gallery - Road & Track