[HCTITLE]
[HCDATE] The first of Honda's electric hatchbacks has officially been delivered to the city of Torrance, California. Honda delivered a single Fit EV to the city of Torrance on Friday as the first step in the Honda Electric Vehicle Demonstration Program, a prelude to the "retail market launch" of the Fit EV to customers (actually, only to lessees) in California and Oregon starting this summer.
Despite its investment in hybrids, electric cars, fuel cell vehicles and the compressed natural gas Civic GX, Honda has earned a reputation for a string of green car missteps. Yet, the company is tenacious—taking a hard study of each shortcoming, and applying those lessons to new and improved green strategies. We spoke with William Walton, manager of product planning for Honda’s lineup of cars from Fit to Accord, to see if Honda might have finally set out on the right course.
In September, we relayed reports that Toyota is working on a hybrid version of the Yaris subcompact, to be manufactured in France as early as this spring. While that time line now seems ambitious—by about a year—Toyota has confirmed that it will unveil the Yaris Hybrid concept at the Geneva Motor Show next month.
If Honda’s pricing strategy for introducing the Honda Fit Hybrid in Japan is any indication, then the compact gas-electric car soon will be America’s most affordable hybrid. The Tokyo Shimbun and Mainichi Shimbun newspapers this week reported that Honda plans to sell the Fit Hybrid for about $18,600. That’s approximately $3,500 less than the Honda Insight, currently the cheapest hybrid, and about $4,600 more than the gas-powered Fit. Pricing for the Japanese does not move in sync with U.S. pricing—but a similar strategy in the U.S. would put the base MSRP around $17,000. The Honda Fit Hybrid is expected in 2011.
Just three years after its debut in the US, Honda has delivered an updated version of the Honda Fit for 2009. Some analysts believe that it’s premature to bring out a new version of the subcompact five-door hatchback, but it’s here with a slightly sportier look inside and out—so we took it on a quick test drive through the curvy canyon roads north of Los Angeles.
Honda is introducing an all-new redesigned version of its highly successful subcompact car, the Fit. The new Fit, expected in dealerships in April, will feature an expanded platform with a longer wheelbase than the current model. Despite its use of a slightly more powerful engine than its predecessor, the Fit is expected to achieve a hybrid-like 40-plus miles per gallon.
