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.

I'm a CR-V owner BTW but looking at the Fit as something more economical to drive. But I'm curious about why it is that some countries get cars first. How does that work?

 

I don't know if anyone can give a definitive "why", but a big part may be that Honda has done so well with the Civic line. It gets great mileage (identical/better than the Fit), sells like hotcakes, is available in a Hybrid version... but the two things that seem to have been missing are a lower sticker price and a hatchback option. The new Civic 4-door is the same size as my wife's 03 Accord, and it is a 20k sticker price. For some reason Honda insists that hatchbacks don't sell well in the USA, but when they make one they can't seem to keep them on the lot.

Now they ramp up a little Fit production for the NADM and they can't sell enough of them. The dealer where I bough mine has a black base AT Fit that they use as a demo. It has the 16" HFP wheels and a bunch of accessories. It is killing the sales guys because they all say that they could sell that demo 5 times a day. Even if that is a little stretch that means that availability is restricting something like 20-25 sales per week. Yikes!

I don't think there are easy answers to that question, but a lot of interesting observations to be made.

 

OK - so basically the answer to my question is that Honda's marketing people figure out what the people of different countries will buy and then only produce the models they think will sell for that country? And perhaps Honda didn't want to compete with it's own Civic?

 

Sure. Marketing plans are made cautiously. Subcompact sales in the US have never been very brisk. Honda already makes a popular car with good to excellent gas mileage. In Japan, Asia, the EU... The Fit/Jazz will compete with other cars in its class. It might be a great alternative to a Smart if someone needed more cargo/passenger space, for example. Plus there is a higher metro/hwy ratio in most ares outside of the US. So smaller city-friendly cars sell better.

Here it will have to compete with both the competitor's cars and Honda's own top sellers. That is a decision that probably didn't make sense until the combination of the popularity of other maker's similar models, and the arrival of $3+ regular gas.

Again, just inferences based on my observations.

 

I think it's also number 2 on your list.

Americans are fat and wasteful (at least they are where I live)...they like big fat SUVs/trucks, and they don't care about gas mileage. They just like to complain about high gas prices (and do nothing about it).

Most Americans will not go for the Fit, unfortunately. Hopefully I am wrong, as I'd love to see the Fit succeed, but recent history has shown that hatchbacks don't sell well in America. I still don't understand how Subaru and Volvo can sell so many wagons, but Honda cannot!

 

Ain't that the truth!

 

john trials has part of the answer Having come from Brazil, and gone there several times, I can tell you that over there all the cars look and feel smaller than here in America. The previous generation of Civic was considered a mid-size sedan over there, here it was a small sedan. You go to Japan and you'll see a lot of small cars too, and in Europe as well. I guess it's an American custom to supersize everything, from fries and colas, to cars. But I think Honda saw that the time was right to intro the Fit in North America. Gas prices are up, environmentally conscious consumers are increasing, the Civic has moved upmarket, and the Fit is supersized on the inside

 

Ok you got to be kidding or blind right?? Hatchbacks do nt sell?? Hw many minivans are in your neck of the woods?
Every state I have been threw has tons of them. Maybe they borrowed them instead of buying them.
Its a cheap car with decent fuel milage they will sell. Around here there are quite a few suzuki ,versa ,aveo etc on the road. Only prob with the fit is they are not available to see or test drive around here.

 

Does anyone know if Chevy is able to keep their Aveo's on their lots? I've been seeing a lot more Aveos recently and just wondering if they are selling as fast as the Fits.

 

#3... They just saved the best for last! Think positive, even if is was "a GM conspiracy".... they are just holding on for dear life, trying to keep their heads above water. Nobody likes competition. As far as #2, I think the sales figures speak for themselves. More like they worked all the kinks out. I am sure they relaize the US as a picky market.

 

Smart car manufacturers only sell profitable car... GM and Ford didn't, that's why they're in big trouble now

Honda makes good profit with their Accord and Civic lines. They don't introduce Fit to the US market years before because they know it is not profitable. However, now they know the so called "sub-compact" market in the US is expanding so they are introducing "new" Fit. Since their factories are operating in full capacity now, they have to balance the production of Fit and Civic as roughly speaking, 1000 more Fit produced means 1000 LESS Civic. They need to test the market and at the same time not hurt their profit. So in the first year they'll only ship 33,000 more or less Fit to the US no matter how good or bad they're selling. That is their marketing plan, which cannot be changed in months just because the demand of the car is unexpectly strong now.

I am glad to own a Fit in such small supply and I wish I can see more "sub-compact" car on the road in the future as the Fit or other small car proved that a small but smart car can provide all the advantages of a fat car

 

A minivan is not a hatchback. It may have a hatch in the back, but is a minivan, not a hatchback.

Incorrect:
soccer mom #1: "Check out my new Honda Odyssey"
soccer mom #2: "Wow, that's a nice hatchback"

Correct:
john trials: "Check out my new Fit"
Floyd Landis: "Wow, that's a nice hatchback"

 

Americans hate small cars. WHat else is there to say?

The Fit is considered a compact in Japan, as there's another car which slots below it.

If gas was like $1.50 a gallon, Americans would still hate small cars

 

I agree with many comments listed above. America and Americans have an inane hunger for BIG and HUGE. We've become a big, bloated country that has no idea or conscience about conservation or moderation. We waste our resources with no avail, and we love it, and don't give a damn what anyone else thinks. It's total America arrogance. We eat big burgers, carry big beer bellys, drive monster trucks and double decker SUVs that suck up huge amounts of gas, with no concern for the long run. The Fit goes against everything that America and the Bush administration currently represents. I think Honda delayed the Fit's entrance into the states, simply because America was totally SUV/Monster truck hungry, and small econocars weren't selling very good. Now that gas is over $3 per gallon, people are starting to rethink things. Because of the current climate, all the major car companies are introducing their economical solution to the $3 per gallon gas problem, and Honda had no choice but to put in their 2 cents in, with the Fit. In some ways, I think the Fit in the US was an afterthought to Toyota's Yaris and Nissan's Versa. Since the Civic and Accord are Honda's bread and butter, the Fit has to wait by the sidelines, which is probably why there aren't many Fits available.

 

Lots of anti American sentiment I notice...

It should be noted that the desire for excess (whether it be with respect to food or an automobile) is not only an American thing. It resides within human nature that transcends all genders and cultures.

The Japanese and Europeans would buy bigger cars and (gasp!) SUVs; the desire is definitely there. It's just that the government fuel taxes, car fees, and other surcharges make it prohibitively expensive to own one.

 

I guess it took $3.00/gallon gas to get the Honda Fit into America.

 

The simplest answer is usually the right one.

 

I disagree- it is a cultural thing to a certain extent, maybe not enough to make it a primary factor, but it is there. I think Americans identify more with their cars than folks from other parts, and there's definitely a greener approach to life outside the U.S., and the population distribution across the landscape is different. Most Europeans have no idea exactly how big this country is, and how far most Americans live from their work. All of these different factors are filtered and expressed through the size of the cars, government policies and support, etc.

 

That and the success of the Scion xA, xB, Suzuki Aerio, and Chevy Aveo.

 

So is the reason Americans can't buy the CVT version is because we are too stupid to understand what it is?