Honda Won't Sell Its Hybrid Fit Here, But It Should
I own a 2007 Honda Fit Sport, from the early days of the model's production, and have long championed the idea of a hybrid version. I wasn't the only one -- the debut of this car has long been rumored, and I've urged the company to go ahead with it myself.
There were several times an announcement appeared to be imminent. But now Honda has made it official: The Fit Hybrid will be unveiled at the Paris Auto Show next month. But, alas, the car will be sold only in Japan and Europe (where the model is known as the Jazz).
The logic of this, according to Honda spokesman Chris Naughton, is that "our current hybrid lineup is fairly far-reaching. We have the market covered, with the five-passenger Insight as the most affordable hybrid in the country; the larger five-passenger Civic Hybrid; and the new two-passenger CR-Z, which debuted earlier this month."
Fair enough, but I'm not satisfied, somehow. None of those cars meets my needs in the same way a hybrid Fit would, and I say that without actually knowing what the fuel economy figures will be. The public seems to agree with me, making Toyota far and away the world hybrid leader. With the exception of 2006, the Prius has held steady at 50 percent or more of the whole hybrid market in the U.S., says J.D. Power.
Honda found itself in the ignominious position last week of having to deny an online report that it had discontinued sales of the Insight and Civic Hybrids in Canada. Naughton said that report was wrong: The real story is that the dealers up north have six months of inventory on the ground and won't be ordering any more cars until they sell through that. "We will resume sending cars to dealerships when it is warranted," Naughton said. "We will sell both models in Canada through 2011, so there's no change in plans."
Still, the thought of all those unsold cars is sobering. Hybrid sales have been leveling off. Last year, a disastrous one for automakers generally, was the third-best for gas-electric cars, and approximately 290,000 were sold in the U.S. It should come as no surprise that Toyota was the market leader, with almost 200,000 of those sales (195,545).
Honda was in second place, but it can't claim to be a serious contender at this point. Hybrid sales totaled 35,692 in 2009, giving it a 12.3 market share (a 13.3 percent gain over 2008, though).
At $19,200, the new CR-Z, with a six-speed transmission and other performance-oriented features, is a fairly attractive proposition â€"- if you can get beyond the fact that it has only two seats. Naughton thinks there are buyers who love two seaters, but they've never been thick on the ground.
It's interesting to note that several of the EVs coming out in 2010, including the electric drive Smart, the Think City and the Wheego Whip Life, are also two seaters. So in those cases the automakers will have to convince early adopters to not only go electric, but also do it with two seats.
The Honda Fit is a very popular car, particularly in major markets such as the Northeast, California and the Pacific Northwest. If there were a waiting list for the hybrid version, I'd be on it.
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Photo: Honda