Honda may add production of the Fit in US factory
by Sam Abuelsamid on Nov 25th 2008 at 1:41PM 
Ever since its debut in the US market two years ago, the Honda Fit has proved enormously popular and sales have been limited by supply from the Japanese factory that produces the Fit. With the continuing decline in sales of the Pilot and Odyssey, Honda now has some extra capacity in North America. As a result, it makes perfect sense to consider adding more popular models to those facilities. During the LA Auto Show last week, Honda VP Corporate Planning Dan Bonawitz acknowledged that the company has only 19 days supply of Fits at US dealers and is indeed considering shifting some production here. Honda has already consolidated production of the SUV and van at a single plant in Alabama which is running below capacity. If Honda does add Fit production in the US it likely wouldn't start for at least a year.
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Photos Copyright ©2008 Sam Abuelsamid / Weblogs, Inc.
[Source: MarketWatch]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
paulwesterberg 2:14PM (11/25/2008)
I was recently in the market for a car, the fit is pretty much sold out at all of my local dealers. I did find the yaris in stock though - similar size, better mileage, costs slightly more.
I ended up getting a prius because I am a big nerd and I like the extra efficiency(I know it wont pay for itself at $2/gal). I would have waited for the 2010 model or a plug in electric, but my wife needed a car.
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gorr 3:43PM (11/25/2008)
We can see that the actual car market is going toward simple donwsizing instead of introducing new technologies for the consumers. If we stay on that path we will be running roller blades with recharble batteries with some renegerative breaking when we find a downhill sketch of road. All that made in asia.
A nice way to kill industrialisation, bury the good new technology to protect incompetants that don't want competition to protect their jobs.
I won't go see that car in a showroom because it offer nothing better then my old fart boring neon 2005 5 speeds, now now, not in the future, never. It's just a polluting car like the first car that henry ford put on the market 100 years ago. It is plague by the same fondamental problem, gasoline and pollution. Sure it is more performing but it is the same basic thing. With actual technology that been invented by d. dingel in 1968 in philipine and that is bury since by toyota, gm, ford, mercedes, kgb, cia, f. marcos and many others then ice engines carburated by gasoline are just a bad joke. I bouth my neon because i needed a car and i just choose the least expensive one i could find at that time.
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MT 4:38PM (11/25/2008)
Yeah, affordable, fun to drive, right-sized, and 1/3 better mileage Honda Fits are definitely the wrong direction. Rollerblading, walking, or biking when appropriate is even worse.
A much better global solution is embracing a "technology" hoax that no credible company or scientific/academic institution has substantiated the claims of.
gulags 5:45PM (11/25/2008)
It's like having a text transcript of Coast to Coast AM in here sometimes.
As far as the actual story goes, good news. The 09 Fit is at the top of my list to replace my Pontiac POS once she finally gives out, probably by the New Year at this rate. I haven't checked stock at any of my local Socal dealers, but maybe they have some since the price of gas has nearly halved in 6 months.
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Gary 11:14AM (11/26/2008)
I don't really see the appeal of these cars. I have a friend who recently got one, and the first things that jumped out at me were the cheap carpeting (the stuff you usually find in car trunks), and the air recirc that isn't a button, but rather a lame lever that goes thud, thud, thud as you move it back and forth. Sure, this is an economy car, but I thought that those types of things were banished from the automotive kingdom over decade ago.
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James Mustin 7:03PM (11/27/2008)
If you want room a nice car getting 35-50 miles per gallion demand a diesel Honda CRV. Europe and India has these cars now. The Honda CRV is a great car.
Jim Mustin
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wndctboy 10:46PM (11/27/2008)
People are to stupid to stupid to understand the benefits of diesel engines, like power, excellent fuel mileage, very dependable and easy to maintain, less pollution than gasoline engines.
We will embrace all those "smart" cars very fuel efficient, even if right now the fuel is about 1.60/gal, wait until we get f*cked again buy the oil companies.
James Mustin 1:44PM (11/29/2008)
The problem is people don't learn from history. When gas prices get cheap they go right back to huge trucks and SUV's. Then when the price goes up they complain. The time is now to get rid of the tank. I own a 1997 Honda Del Sol Si. It get low 30's in town and upper 30' s on the highway using regular fuel. I have owned this car from day one. I am keeping this car because its fun. The Diesel CRV that I want makes sense because I can haul more four people and still get better than my two seater. Being fuel efficient doesn't have to be boring.
Jim Mustin