Honda Cars : Honda teases “Urban SUV Concept”: Jazz/FIT-based SUV | 2013 New Honda Car Reviews 0

Above is thUrban SUV Concept teaser, below is the Chinese only Li Nian Concept from Beijing in 2008.

Here’s a first teaser sketch of the upcoming Honda Urban SUV Concept which will make its world debut at the 2013 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) on 14 January 2013. The Honda Urban SUV Concept will preview a B-segment SUV based on the centre-tank layout Honda Jazz platform.

This is not the first time a concept B-segment SUV based on the Honda Jazz has been put forward. But it’s the first time it’s going to have a Honda badge. Previously, Honda and its Chinese partner showcased the Li Nian SUV concept at Beijing 2008, powered by a 1.8 litre engine. Comparing the sketch above and the Li Nian concept, it doesn’t seem to be the same design as the character line on the side is different.

Source;
http://paultan.org/2012/12/12/honda-teases-urban-suv-concept-jazz-based-suv/

Honda Cars : Honda Planning Multiple Variants of Fit for North American Markets | 2013 New Honda Car Reviews 0

The Honda Fit has long been one of our favorite subcompacts, deftly combining ultra-efficient packaging with entertaining driving dynamics. But the number of variants sold in the North American market of Honda’s popular subcompact is about to triple, according to a report from Automotive News. Construction of a new assembly plant in Mexico is currently underway, where the models will be produced for both the Mexican and U.S. markets. With an annual capacity of 200,000 units, the plant should be able to handle demand from both markets.

In a nod to U.S. tastes, the next-generation Fit may be offered in a four-door sedan configuration, as well as a compact crossover, in addition to the current five-door hatchback model. Worldwide, Honda already sells multiple variations of the Fit, which is also sold in some markets as the Jazz. The recently-introduced Fit Twist was unveiled for the Brazilian market, which added more rugged styling cues and slightly higher ride height to give it somewhat of the “Outback” treatment. Alternately, Honda sells the seven-passenger Fit Shuttle in Japan and other markets for customers looking for added passenger and cargo versatility in a compact package.

Honda expects the Fit to become its fastest-growing nameplate in the years ahead, and key to its growth in the Mexican market, where Honda sold 36,209 vehicles through the end of 2011. The company has already surpassed last year’s total by selling 42,933 units through the end of October.
Will the addition of a notchback Fit eat in to Civic sedan sales, or appeal to a whole different consumer? Share your thoughts on Honda’s lineup expansion below.


Source;
http://rumors.automobilemag.com/honda-planning-multiple-variants-of-fit-for-north-american-markets-190411.html#axzz2EatqcA8N

Honda Cars : Honda Promises Next-Generation Fit Will Bring Four-fold Sales Increase | 2013 New Honda Car Reviews 0

Honda wants to two million cars in the U.S. in 2016, but it’s not looking only to the blockbuster Civic or Accord models to puff up the sales sheets. Instead, Honda President Takanobu Ito is hoping that a new generation of Honda Fit hatchback–made in the company’s new Mexican plant–can make up the difference.

The Fit’s had a decently good ride over the past six years: it sold 27,934 units during its first year of American sales (2006), but that number ballooned to 79,794 in 2008 as gas prices jumped and customers looked to downsize their rides without sacrificing interior space. The second-generation model went on sale in Fall 2008 and enjoyed good sales in 2009–67,315 units–but have leveled to between 50 and 60,000 units ever since. 2011 is shaping up to be the Fit’s worst year since 2007, with good reason: not only does the Fit’s fuel economy leave it behind competitors (and even the Civic), Honda is limiting exports of the money-losing Fit thanks to a poor exchange rate between the Yen and Dollar.

So how will the Fit make its resurgence? Two ways: for one, President Ito promises that Honda’s new Mexican plant–which will make up to 200,000 units a year and go online in 2014–will make both the Fit and as-yet-unknown Fit variants, and send the “vast majority” of them to the U.S. market – which should make Fit pricing more competitive while retaining profit margins for dealers and Honda alike. Honda also promises that the new Fit will deliver better fuel economy and better packaging.

Considering the current Fit boasts both the so-called Magic Seat and surprising rear-seat headroom, that’s quite a promise.

Those forthcoming Fit variants are the second leg of the plan: while a new Fit with class-competitive pricing and better fuel economy would do well in the compact market (surely outselling the 50,000-or-so units Honda will sell here this year), Honda hopes to use the Fit platform to produce a slew of variants in hopes of catching buyers’ eyes. The next Fit Hybrid–which will be the first vehicle to use the new generation of Honda Integrated Motor Assist–isn’t yet confirmed for the U.S. market, but we’ve long heard of some sort of Fit-based CUV potentially coming to the states, where it would slot beneath the CR-V.

Can Honda quadruple Fit sales in four years? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

Source;

http://rumors.automobilemag.com/honda-promises-next-generation-fit-will-bring-four-fold-sales-increase-182975.html

Honda Cars : Fit-based crossover? Honda could be eyeing new variant | 2013 New Honda Car Reviews 0

TOKYO -- Honda has a few tricks up its sleeve for the next-generation Fit due next year.

Honda already has said the Fit will pioneer a new regional r&d strategy -- in which global nameplates will break from a one-size-fits-all approach and be developed and built locally.

But Honda apparently is planning a new Fit-based crossover to help it sell more than 1 million vehicles off the new platform, according to Japan's Nikkei business daily.

Those crossovers will mainly target the U.S. and European markets, and global volume could reach 400,000 units, the report says.

If true, look for a U.S. version to be made at the new Mexican plant Honda plans to open in 2014. That factory is already slated to make the Fit hatchback.

Worldwide, Honda makes about 800,000 vehicles based on the Fit platform, including the Fit hatch and its sedan-styled City sibling, the Nikkei notes.

Adding a crossover could push it over the 1 million mark.

The redesigned Fit is expected in the United States next year.

The car is already small by U.S. standards, but could a pint-sized crossover version catch on Stateside? To match demand for utility hauling, it might need more oomph under the hood.

The Japan market already gets a tall-wagon variant of the Fit, called the Freed. That model even comes in an eight-seat version, but that kind of load can put a strain on its 1.5-liter engine.

Source;

http://www.autonews.com/article/20120716/BLOG06/120719880/1499/fit-based-crossover-honda-could-be-eyeing-new-variant

Honda Cars : 2014 Honda FIT CUV???? | 2013 New Honda Car Reviews 0

Hmmm, is Honda thinking of a FIT based CUV, say something like a Nissan Cube?!? Not sure what market this would 'Fit' into.... (I'm terrible, I know....)
Source;
http://autokavla.blogspot.ca/2011/12/2014-honda-fit-cuv-preview-futuro.html