Honda Fit Designed as Prius Killer in Challenge to Toyota

Awesome! This may encourage more people into the hybrid market and hopefully Toyota will respond with even more innovation to counter it.

 

Maybe AustinGreen can give us an update, but I believe Japan has (tax) incentives for hybrids, so Japan seems to be going full-out on hybrids. OTOH in the USA if Toyota had a non-hybrid Prius I might consider that in my case due to tax dis-incentives for hybrid + approx. $4000 cost hybrid. USA is trying to give encouragement to plug-ins, not hybrids. I am happy to hear someone giving Toyota competition, but it will be intersting to see if the success translates to US market. I would luv to know cost difference on Fit hybrid vs. non-hybrid and tax differences so I could run my spreadsheet on the Japan case.

 

fallowing .................

 

The big hybrid tax incentives in Japan have expired.
Culturally though the hybrid is much more favored in Japan, and higher gas taxes are an incentive to buy more efficient vehicles like hybrids.

Honda Plots U.S. Hybrid Resurgence Starting With Accord - Bloomberg

In other words honda is planning north american production of the fit (Mexico) which will increase profitability, but aren't planning on giving the US the fit hybrid. I can speculate that this system does much better on the japanese test than the epa test, and with the insight and civic hybrid, the fit might just kill the insight.

 

No plans to bring it here though.

 

Prius Aqua - Jc08 35.4 km/liter

Good mpg competition, but not by much! will be sold in hatch, sedan and a small SUV later.,
Fit Hybrid - Jc08 36.4 km/liter,

 

Yes high gasoline cost/taxes is a defacto tax incentive for hybrids, quite a big incentive actually.

 

Having owned a Honda Fit, I'd speculate the Honda Fit hybrid would be an able competitor to The Prius Aqua. I know if Honda planned to release the Honda Fit Hybrid in the US, I'd definitely take a look. If Honda could preserve some of the driving dynamics of The Fit, and also maintain it's clever and amazing small hatchback storage capability it would be an amazing vehicle. I'm disappointed there are no immediate plans to bring it to the US.

Reading the article I'm glad that Honda views this competition as a "fight" and war, because it is. I'm hoping over the next few years this competition simply leads to better products from both companies.

 

Too bad they have to use a cheaper hybrid solution for the Fit hybrid. If they only use their hybrid from the Accord, it would be sweet. Now I would be interested in what the Fit could do with mpg with that setup [scaled down of course].

 

well, Toyota actually designed Aqua to fight Fit, which was best selling car in Japan at the time Aqua was released .

Although, to be fair, i think Fit still uses single motor system, right? It is more like Insight than their Accord Hybird.

 

Not Insight but CRZ

 

Certainly, infact one of the reasons I decided on a "regular" Prius as opposed to a Prius c, was that the Prius c, reminded me so much of the Honda Fit--in size and layout. I personally like a little change in going from vehicle to vehicle. But in looking at the Prius c, and having owned the Honda Fit...there seems to be a little more than just a few accidental similarities between the two vehicles.

Of course The Prius c, is a full hybrid, and if looking in the US for a small hybrid that becomes the trump card. But I would admit, The Honda Fit's layout and dash design was IMO superior to The Prius c, even if they both have many similarities.

 

I have a 2009 fit sport 5spd and a 2010 Prius 4. The fit is a great little car. It shines as a manual in my opinion. The Prius is fully automated highway driving pleasure in comparison.
They both get awesome mileage. I got 54 mpg from SF to Palo Alto in the fit going 65 with mild Eco driving technique.
The fit has better road manners and handling than my Prius even after upgrading my wheels tires and struts on the Prius.

 

I think Fit Hybrid here in US would be a little small to take on Prius liftback. It would take years for Honda to make virtual Prius copy Insight III w/ sport hybrid. Still, it's a promising sign they are stepping up to Toyota in Japan as Toyota is the Big Kahuna in hybrids.

 

Small for average sized peep's. You stick my 6'-5" lumox carcass in it and then you really feel that it's small.
.

 

Mac versus Droid means that I have a very inexpensive quad core slate phone with features that people only dreamed about when the iphone hit the market.

Toyota could use a little competition....the Prius has been resting on its 50MPG achievement long enough.
I wish Honda well!!!

Note to Toyota: The early bird may get the worm....but the second mouse usually gets the cheese!

 

Don't go expecting an Insight III. The II and CRZ have already been cancelled in some markets.

Honda has announced no plans to bring the Fit hybrid to North America. Instead, we will be getting a sedan and a crossover based on it. It is possible the crossover could approach the Prius in interior volume.

 

Interesting! Honda just unveiled new engines; Earth Dreams Tech+Turbo: "VTEC TURBO",

2.0 L 4-cylinder direct injection gasoline turbo engine = 280 hp


1.5 L 4-cylinder direct injection gasoline turbo engine

1.0 L 3-cylinder direct injection gasoline turbo engine http://bit.ly/1fSu2g1

 

Just to be on top of things the insight was supposed to be the honda prius killer, whatever that means.

Toyota then brought out the aqua/prius c to kill the insight. They didn't need to, as the insight seemed to kill itself But some of the mags seemed to think if you wanted an economy car (low tco mixed with driving dynamics) that the fit was something you should test drive along with the prius. Fast forward to last month, in the small car space the civic is kicking a$$ in america, and is in the biggest small segment (compact) with the corola/matrix, cruze, focus, elantra, jetta in that order.

The prius is slightly bigger here, and between the corola/matrix, prius, and camry toyota wins the american compact and midsize market. In japan toyota has much higher market share as it doesn't have the american/german/korean competition.
Small Car Sales Figures In America - October 2013 YTD - GOOD CAR BAD CAR

The fit and aqua/prius c go in the next much smaller segment, the sub compacts. In japan the aqua is more popular than the fit/fit hybrid and it leads the segment. In the US we are not likely to see the fit hybrid, and the versa and sonic lead the segment. One interesting thing to note is the yaris has all but disapeared from the chart in the US, toyota customers in this segment are buying the prius c instead of the yaris.