Honda sales, product mix

Really surprised to hear that about the Insight. I work in an are which doesn't have much support for EVs/hybrids, and I see 3 Insights parked in my parking lot outside my office (only 20 or so cars). I guess I'm dealing with an anomaly

 

...at least, a positive one

 

I haven't studied this much, but I would say that as an Ex-Honda Fit owner I always felt Honda USA did not promote the product they have in the Fit enough.

Most of the accolades for The Fit came through reviews from outside sources. But if you went by common Honda dealership advertising you would hardly know Honda made something called a "Honda Fit". Most of the mainstream advertising only promoted the Accord, Civic, maybe the Crosstour and Odyssey. I think in 3 years of ownership of The Honda Fit, I only saw about 2 commercials dedicated to The Fit. And these were not aired very often.

I think it became more popular over the years I owned it, but my Dad works in the industry, and when I bought my Honda Fit, and told him I had bought a Honda Fit, his first question was "What's a Honda Fit"? He had never even heard of it, and didn't know Honda even made one.

It always use to bother me, as I did feel, and still do feel, that The Honda Fit is a great product. Reviewers, Magazines and Owners seem to appreciate this reality...but oddly Honda themselves doesn't seem to, as they treat The Fit from an advertising standpoint very poorly.

Honda abuses their very, very good entry level product, to promote their higher end, higher profit vehicles. I can understand that...BUT...The Fit is a great product, I always thought it could be, and should be better promoted.

 

Pretty sad on Accord Forums. There are basically no responses to threads about Accord plugin or upcoming Accord hybrid. Accord is a nice car. They are everywhere around here. Seems to be more Accords than Camrys and that might make sense since Honda does not sell to rental companies while Toyota does. And Accord sells nearly as well as Camry. I drove a new Camry SE around for hour or so this morning. Did not like the offset steering wheel. I wouldn't buy one. The odometer, tripmeter, avg FE indicator was lame. Had to push a button stuffed in the corner to cycle either trip A, B, odometer or FE indicator: Only see one at a time. Automatic trannys ok but prefer CVT.

.... tell ya what though, Camry SE cornered and handled MUCH better than Prius. There is something quite odd about the way Prius handles and I wonder if it is due to the torsion beam rear suspension, hmmmm. I'd like to see how Accord drives and handles 'cause it's suppose to whup Camry also.

 

I didn't realize Fit sales were that low until I looked at the numbers at Honda April Sales Up on CR-V Monthly Sales Record; All-New RLX Flagship... -- TORRANCE, Calif., May 1, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --. I think US car buyers tend to not really want cars they perceive as too small. It's gotten good reviews, IIRC. I've sat inside and poked around and am unimpressed by the interior bits, but that's not surprising given is low price. None in that price range are impressive.

I took a look at Toyota | April 2013 Sales Chart and Yaris sales last month took a nosedive and weren't even 1/2 the Fit. Seems like between the two in the smaller car category, people much prefer the larger Civic and Corolla.

 

According to Honda's websith, the FCX is Southern California only and is lease only at $600/mo for 3 years. Sounds like a certain GM car from some time ago.

 

Problem with the Fit is the Civic gets better overall fuel economy and is about the same price/cheaper depending which trim level/options you want. Add to the fact the majority of the North American population prefer sedans over hatchback/wagons and there you have the Fit's losing sales formula.

 

In the past few years Ford with the Fiesta and Mazda with the Mazda 3, have really offered some significant competition to The Fit.

I loved my Fit, and even recently believed it still trumped those competitors in the "function" and layout department of the interior. The Fit had one of the best thought out and designed interiors of any vehicle I have ever owned.

But the Fiesta and Mazda 3 closed ground and perhaps even surpassed The Fit in some area's of refinement and performance.

Since I believe that Honda has never promoted The Fit properly in the USA, and with legitimate and improved competition, it doesn't surprise me that Fit sales have suffered.

While I LOVED the layout of The Fit and the configuration and adaptability of the interior, and even learned to love the relatively hard plastic interior of The Fit....as far as luxurious feel or refinement? It probably get's beat by Fiesta and Mazda 3.

3-4 years ago, I think Honda was selling the best ICE subcompact hatchback you could consider with The Fit...today? I still think it is a great product and would recommend it to anyone looking for a small ICE subcompact hatch-back but there are definitely competitors.

 

3 years ago, I considered and compared The Civic and The Fit. The Fuel economy for both vehicles was near identical.

I actually really liked The Civic. Cool interior IMO and more refined and comfortable. BUT...The Fit was cheaper, and actually offered much more utility with the hatchback and the configurations.

Needing at the time a degree of utility, the ability to fold down the seats...or fold up the seats and create a diverse amount of cargo space made The Fit the choice for me over The Civic. I also enjoy driving a small hatchback. But that's just a personal POV.

My experience was that even though the prices were "close"....Upper End Honda Fit Sport vs. Lower End entry level Civic....it was a case of getting The best equipped and optioned Fit available vs. Getting the more entry level Civic, and even then The Civic was more expensive.

For most people though, I don't think The Civic really competes with The Fit. The Civic is NOT a sub-compact, it is a "compact" that borders on Mid-Size. And it is presented and marketed as a everything from an economical sedan driving experience to a sporty sedan driving experience depending on trim level.

The Fit is a hatchback, and undeniably a sub-compact. IMO it's competing with Fiesta, Mazda 3, and VW Golf, and maybe, just maybe a little bit with Mini-Coopers.

 

^I sold my 2008 Honda Fit sport to buy my current Prius. Agree with all your points about the functional interior, great car for that and still hard to beat. Agree much more competition in this segment right now as far as refinement and interior comforts. Seats more comfy and ride much smoother in my Prius, better be for a car twice the purchase price of my fit.
Far as Reliability, can't speak for the 2nd gen fit but the first gen i owned besides tires and oil changes only needed front brakes and an alternator replaced at 190,000km. Super reliable car, though expensive fix once the miles pile up. alternator replacement cost $1000(parts and labour). Clutch replacement requires dropping the engine and transaxle out of the car, can't imagine the labour cost on that one, didn't wait to find out.
In its defense I believe most all modern cars would be the same if not more expensive to fix these days.

 

A poster on another forum went in for Fit and came out with a Civic HF(?, the fuel efficient trim). It wasn't long after CR's bad review of the new model, and the dealer put some cash on the hood.

Pulled a switch up there. I think you mean the Mazda2. The Sonic is also part of that mix. I recently got a second model year one, and IIRC, it is the sales leader in the sub-compact segment.

That is the rub of why Honda ignores the Fit. The sub-compact is just a much smaller selling segment in general. I remember ads for the Fit when it debuted. Same for the Fiesta. After that, haven't seen much. Advertising dollars get spent on the higher profit vehicles. The margins are just slim of cars in general, so the cash is spent on where it will get the most bang.

Also consider that these cars are more entry level or first time new car. Like me, you are likely of a, um, more wiser demographic, and may not be seeing a 'non-traditional' ad campaign targeting the younger generation.

 

it never occured to me, honda doesn't have an avalon sized equivalent? you have to proceed to acura?

 

I don't think they ever have. And in Acura, an Avalon size, i thik would currently be an RLX which starts near $50k.

 

I actually don't need a hatchback much. Trunk is easier to open, offers more secure cargo space and I think allows for a quieter cabin, so I can see why Americans love their trunks. But for those who regularly need the cargo space, by all means, have at it.

 

Civic hardly borders on 'mid-size' regardless of what the cu ft numbers say. Civic rear seat room is a bit tight, not close to the true mid-size sedans Camry, Accord, Altima, blah, blah....

but I'll say this, the 2013 Civic sits my butt reallllly well in the front. Love how the front is laid out even though it's a compact, 176" (or is it 78") long car.

Make a Prius with that layout, suspension and certainly better handling (than Prius), and I'm there. Or not. Dear Honda, just bring out the friggen Accord hybrid already, ok? Geez, so slow with their full hybrids.

I wouldn't think the Fit very satisfying to cruise at 68 ish MPH on freeway. Engine winds out, right?

 

I think your definition as given is exactly why I think it's fair to call the Civic a compact that borders on mid-size. Yes, it is a compact...not a sub-compact (as the fit is). Of course the back-seat is smaller...which is why it is a compact. But the front seat and the room available is why I say it "borders" on mid-size. It is much larger than previous decades versions of The Civic.

All vehicles have gotten bigger over the past few decades. Todays Civic is about the size of the 90's Accord. The Prius is now defined as a Mid-Size.

 

HONDA’S CORE PRODUCTS

sold? I think not. Word on the street is they'd easily cost in the mid 6 figures. Lease only? Good luck finding a refill station. Infrastructure would easily be over a trillion, nation wide. Even the oil companies refused to build it.

 

As I understand it, Acura is just an overseas, possibly even just NA, thing. In Japan, Acuras are just Hondas.

The full size segment has lower sales than the mid-size, and generational bloat has meant that mid-size models are nearly full size. So, I don't see why some manufacturers bothered with two different models. The previous gen Altima and Maxima come to mind, and going by sales numbers, the Avalon was losing out to Lexus.

It appears Honda decided not to distract from the Accord here, and figured they could get some more out of those that really wanted the larger car.

 

Yep ... and their high end stuff (Accura) suffers as well. We got picked to review some of their new body/interior on one of their upcoming SUV's, along with about a dozen other folks. The interior & style seemed very much 'utility' oriented ... rather than an appearance of luxury. It's as though Honda has lost its way, comparred to a decade ago. It's getting harder & harder to believe that this is the company that once built the NSX ... or the Gen I Insight. I hope they find their way.
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