A lot of cars in Japan, not just the Fit, can be optionally-equipped with swivel seats to assist handicapped individuals. These are special-order items.

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Honda | Honda‚Μ•ŸŽƒŽΤ—Ό | •ŽθΘ‰ρ“]ƒV[ƒgŽΤ | ƒtƒBƒbƒg | ‘€μŽθ‡

 

Actually Honda and other Japanese auto makers have made the swivel seat option available for the growing portion of seniors over there. Pretty thoughful actually.

 

Yeah swivel seats are about the lamest thing ive ever seen, please Honda dont bring those over here!

 

It looks like a stepped on VW Bug to me. I prefer the old version.

 

no matter how many times i see this new fit, it just keeps screaming out "YARIS!!!!"

 

We get that you don't like the new Fit. You don't have to continue bashing it in every thread with details about the '09 model. If you don't like it, don't buy it.

 

I have to disagree on this, given that Honda designs their assembly lines so they could build multiple vehicle types at the same location. Given that the actual machinery to assemble the cars have yet to arrive at the new Greensburg, IN plant (which I believe is still under construction as I type this), Honda could put in machinery that could allow the plant to assemble both the Fit and Civic models there almost side-by-side, just like the Accord and CR-V production is done at the Marysville, OH assembly line.

I think we will find out definite information on the North American model introduction either at the Los Angeles International Auto Show in December 2007 or NAIAS in Detroit in January 2008 (Honda had implied they're aiming for summer 2008 release for the US/Canadian model).

 

Honda's assembly line is typically that of flex manufacturing. Suzuka can run, for instance, as many as eight (8) different models on one line. It is not a side-by-side production, but rather, it is the same line production, with different models mixing on a single line, which is obviously much more cost-efficient than to set up separate lines for different models. The issue, then, is not the lack of flexibility - it is the capacity. Greensburg is slated to build 200,000 Civics in the first 12 months of production. That's almost 17,000 units per month for just the Civic at a plant that will have just gone online, and that's a LOT to take at the start, when kinks have to be worked out. Honda has made a definite announcement that it is the Civic and Civic alone for Greensburg when it first goes online. While the Fit may well be added later when the capacity increases, it will have to wait until Greensburg's capacity catches up. And that takes time.

Honda is so short of the capacity for the Civic that they have just kicked the Pilot out of Alliston No. 2 and put the Civic in. It makes no sense for them to let the Fit steal the precious capacity at Greensburg (at least at first) when Alliston and East Liberty can barely keep up assembling the Civic.

 

However, with the increasing price of gasoline I wouldn't be surprised that Honda cuts back on Accord production (e.g., build a lot less V-6 models) and devotes more to Civic production. This may make it possible for the new Greensburg, IN assembly plant to build the Fit alongside the Civic.

 

personally i just don't see the fit being given any seniority in the US plants because even though the demand for the fit is big here, the demand is and has been bigger overseas. why would honda start making one of it's bestsellers in japan in the US, when they'd have to ship most of them over there anyways?

i thought there was a possiblility that they could just make certain parts over here and then ship those over.

does anyone have any info on how many they're planning on selling here in upcoming years? i'm curious if they raised it from this last year. i think that would be the only possible chance the fit would be made here instead.

 

I do think now that the price of gasoline has gone over US$3.00/US gallon in much of the USA, there will be strong enough demand for the new Fit to get assembled in the USA, if only to sell to customers in Canada, Mexico and the USA. It'll certainly be cheaper than shipping it over from Japan, and supplies will be more readily available since JDM demand for the new Fit will obviously be very strong.

 

There already is a Fit production line in Brazil. I am not saying that this is Honda's plan, but if the demand for the Fit becomes high in the Americas, Honda can always use that capacity.

By the way, the Accord production was remarkably unaffected by the last hike in gas prices. And considering the margin, Honda would rather sell Accords at a discount than to build more Fits. Mr. Yoshino, the Honda CEO at the time of the introduction of the Fit six years ago, was famous for complaining about the Fit, that "[T]his is a car you never make money on, no matter how many you sell." The Accord, on the other hand, makes Honda good money (profit), and its production equipment is already paid for. Unless there is a clear sign that the public is rejecting the Accord, they will not reduce this model's output and put the Fit in its place. That would kill Honda's bottom line, which is already plenty shaky (just dropped to No. 5 in Japan for total units sold there).

 

i think that sums it up perfectly.

a lot of us hardcore fit freaks out there sometimes forget honda is running a business, not just producing one amazing car for us

 

that car is now a nothere example of why I think that all the newer cars are getting uglier and uglier.

 

Hey smatts what gives with the negative rep vote?
On a power trip or something?
I posted my opinion and my reasonings for it, which happen to be valid.

Want to disprove my conclusion? Then do it with class like jacksan1 did above.

 

You better be careful, smatts might deduct from your rep for your analysis above.

 

I am sure Honda are also watching what the US dollar does......

 

An excellent point!

 

With global factories, global models (with local requirements/options) and global markets, then you can shift for product/profit benefit. Honda have done this for years, I can remember about 15-20 years back when the Marysville, OH plant was on the Columbus news for building "JDM" cars for Japan. They were Preludes if memory serves....every 1992-1996 (Gen III)Camry station wagon in the US, Japan and Europe was built in Kentucky, etc...

But, there may be exceptions, one would think with the dollar low, that European goods would be higher, but VW just announced a price cut for German built cars in the US, with reductions in options as well:

Are stripped-down VWs the way to gain more U.S. sales? | Car News Blog at Motor Trend

So cut in cost, cut in price, and then pegging your Euros invested to a US dollar sales price will be tough VW, unless they look again at Mexico or even China.

I know that a lot of people want their German cars German, their American cars American, etc. but this is becoming tough, and has been for many years now

Case in point, about 1999, we owned a Dodge D50 pickup (built by Mitsubishi in Japan) a Geo Metro (a Suzuki Swift built in Canada for GM) a Eagle Medallion (a Renault 21, built in France for AMC-Chrysler) and two Toyota Camrys, both built in Kentucky.

Talk about a driveway with an identity crisis!

 

HondabƒNƒ‹ƒ}bƒtƒBƒbƒgbFIT.ƒMƒƒƒ‰ƒŠ[ (if you see @#$%^& on the screen, move the cursor down the left-hand side until you see dinos and a girl's face)

The theme is "Evolution" and "Adaptation." The dino version says, "If you do not adapt, you will not survive." "To be Fit is to adapt to Earth." And so on. A very Japanese approach to media (drama, philosophy, visuals), I say.