So I see the Fit ads and think maybe I should check out the "new car" and I find out it's been out for 5 years and is everywhere except America. And then I see the other countries have kooler options not available here like CVT.

So - I just have to know - why is that? Is it:

1) GM/Ford politics conspiracy?
2) We Americans are too stupid to buy this car?
3) Something else.

 

#2

most americans use the addage, go big or go home. Until $3 gas hit a lot of americans hard in the pocketbook we were glad buying our 5mpg trucks and 5000lb cars. The rest of the world pays WAY more then we do when it comes to gas, so these cars are more of the norm there. Go to Europe, i could count the number of SUV's I saw in a day on one hand when i was there, i bet you wouldnt last 3 minutes here trying to do that

 

Yes - I think you are right. We Americans are to fat and stupid for the most part to buy a car like that. But perhaps Honda misread the market because I think the Fit would have sold here if they had introduced it years ago. And I want one, but I want the CVT bersion that isn't available here.

Until then - I will stick with my CRV.

 

i still cant comprehend why the CVT isnt working (or at least hasnt taken off yet) in the US. The technology behind a CVT is awesome. The ability to have a car in the "powerband" the entire time the pedal is pressed is unmatched. I personally love CVT's for what they can bring. You can make a lesser powered car still feel/be fast by using a CVT. The trans loss isnt as bad as it is on a regular automatic either. I personally dont like automatics ever since i first learned to drive a stick. The extra power and control you have with a stick is something i couldnt give up. Although, a proper CVT SHOULD be able to beat out most MT cars with people who arent near perfect shifters. Say a car reaches max power at 6000rpms, can you imagine being able to put the car at 6000rpms and keeping it there the entire time you are at WOT?

If they can get it more reliable and able to handle more power, regular automatics should go away. Did you ever see the size of a CVT? They are amazingly small also, less moving parts, less weight...

Sorry, dont want to get on my CVT soapbox! But apparently i already did :)

 

I don't like a stick shift because when you're on a date and you have your hand you your girlfriends leg and you come to a stop sign you have to take your hand off the leg to shift.

 

From what I can tell the CVT option just isn't available in America. Not offered.

BTW - is there some web site that shows how the CVT works, with perhaps annimations?

 

The CVT is available down here since 03, when fit was released. I couldn´t ever manage to ride one.
But, the sales are 'bout 20% CVT, and the rest MT. AT was never popular...

 

but she thinks your more manly for having a third pedal :)

HowStuffWorks.com is awesome for answering the ultimate question... how does it work? :)

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/cvt.htm

 

Have her shift; she has one free hand.

 

"kooler" maybe but i don't think that many people realize this. america is one of the biggest markets in the car biz. (there 's like 2 people for every one car somthin like that) Tuto makers are not going to give options,cars, styles, etc that they don't think they will profit from. Thats why we don't always getthe more radical cars you may see sold in other countries because the automakers dfon't think they could make a long term profit from. IF they can't make money they can't make cars. bad for us

 

maybe she doesn't. BOOM!

But yeah, gas prices are much higher in other countries. Correct me if I"m wrong, but I believe America has the highest. I'm actually quite amazed at how well the Fit is doing, and without those cute little advertisements that Toyota put out. CVT will be the future, so don't be too anxious to get your hands on one yet... I think it will be an option on just about every car here soon ;)

 

It's number two. GM and Ford are hanging on for dear life and can't afford to spend resources on conspiracy plans. They need to spend money to get people elected who will give them tax breaks. Then blame their failure on "market shifts" instead of pointing at themselves for piss poor vision and operation management.

The reason the Fit didn't make it to the US until recently is as simple as Honda didn't think it would sell in the US market, which is dominated by "me too" gas sucking, bling bling, big SUV and truck drivers. Now that the price of gas is going up they are slowly starting to see the light, demand for economical vehicles are up, and Honda said its time to bring the Jazz/Fit over.

Time will tell if this is a long term trend, because some people, instead of changing their ways and buying economical cars, see it better to complain to the goverment and use excuses like this is America and I should be allowed to drive whatever I want. Then the government caves in because instead of being public servants and actually doing something to truly help people and the public (like getting them to change their ways), officials just worry about how to get elected or re-elected, and do whatever is needed to get breaks on gas or prices on bigger cars or dubious rules regarding mpg.

Bush was right for a change, America is addicted to oil, problem is no one, including him, corporate America, or the public, has the balls to do anything about it. Even if it includes telling the public your big SUV days are over, end of story.

But again thats just my two cents. I did the big 4x4 and SUV thing years back, got rid of them because I am no longer concerned with being a "me too" clone, I got better things to do with my time. If my family needs a bigger car, we are getting a wagon or a van. There is no need for a big 4x4 specially if we don't go anywhere that needs it. (I am looking at you Orange County, CA! That's right I would say about 80% of the big 4x4 SUV's here have NEVER seen any kind of dirt. Why did you even buy the thing? Oh yeah, to be cool, whateverrrrrr...)

 

Perhaps in the future it will be "unmatched", but as for now, traditional manuals are still the choice of preference, particularly when it comes to gas mileage. I've yet to see a CVT that did better than its manual counterpart.

Some companies CVTs are better than others, but there's no real need for them right now, particularly with the way a lot of these companies (Japanese) can do automatics. Have you had a chance to drive the new SE-R? It's a CVT-only vehicle and it sucks major monkey scrotom. The transmission is indecisive and just hunts and hunts and hunts. The Fit's AT is a lot better at choosing the correct gear. I should have a chance to drive the new Stream RSZ 2.0L soon (hopefully...cross your fingers), which has a 7 spd CVT and paddle shifters, which I'm told are among the best currently on the market.

CVT technology is still in its infancy compared to other transmissions that have been on the automotive market for years (CVT is not new, but its place in mainstream vehicles is), and these manufacturers still have a ways to go. But I agree with you. Once perfected, or at least gotten right, it could be a great alternative to folks who prefer not to drive MTs.

I however, will certainly not be one of them. :)


As for why America is last, we all know priorities have shifted quite a bit. This isn't the first time Honda's had a vehicle like this. Their first mini-minivan was the older generation Odyssey's. Now we're seeing the Mazda5, Versa, Fit...all these vehicles that wouldn't traditionally have sold in America. There was no demand for them. Japan and Europe of course, have much narrower streets, overcrowded areas, long commutes and value space AND performance over size and performance (typically, what Americans were looking for in a vehicle before gas prices went up).

I dunno if any of this even makes sense. I'm not really reading as I'm typing and I'm listening to some T Pain and am more into the music than I am what I'm writing. lol

 

Nothing to do with gas, I think...

We Americans like our cars cheap. Our gov't likes charge to certify for each vehicles' transmission/engine combination, not cheap.

Therefore, we get the leftovers when they have been marginalized in the rest of the world, since it's harder to turn a profit here. It doesn't come here unless they are pretty darn sure it's gonna sell well.

 

I both agree and disagree that it's harder to turn a profit here. Europe and Asia have much, much more competitive automotive atmosphere and their consumers demand that their cars are up to a certain quality. However, they also like their vehicles to be priced well, particularly in the hot hatch segment. For example, look at the level of quality and options in the Fit/Jazz overseas vs. the Fit we have here and it's evident. Auto climate control, multiple engine options, including diesels, high intensity discharge lights, etc...even Yellow and PINK color choices. lol. Of course, they're willing to pay a very small premium over what we pay here for that kinda stuff.

On the other hand, as you mentioned, chalk it up to the manufacturers themselves dumbing their vehicles down, in order to slide into a specific price bracket. If Americans changed their priorities (take the Ford Focus EU vs. the "new" POS Ford is putting on US lots, for example), perhaps we'd get better equipped vehicles sooner. Consumers control what manufacturers build. A lot of people think it's the other way around. If there's no demand for it, there's no need to build it.

But I'm getting off on a tangent.

 

True enough Jbri, but you must remember that the manufacturers also build based on government regulations, EPA, crash specs, etc. There are lots of cars overseas that could sell here, but they won't pass regulation. The only way for them to do so would be to modify the cars which means adding $$$ to the price. So technically its not just consumer demand, but also government regulation that defines what is sold here and what is not.

This is a pretty good thread discussion. (yeah i know slow day at work) :-)

*grabs coffee*

 

Good call. I didn't even think of this. I gotta stop multitasking. haha.

 

That was said much better than the way I put it. I think that is the regulatation which is applied to each motor/transmission combo for each vehicle.

(Why are all tags disabled in this forum?)

 

Yes,,,,, but each time you go to put your hand back you can put it back a little higher each time,,,,

 

HAHA but you better remember to use the clutch or she might stall on you.