New Honda Fit debuts in Tokyo with a hybrid option
It's unclear if the new Fit will eventually make its way to the US.
The brand-new Honda Fit officially debuted at the 2019 Tokyo Motor Show on Wednesday, and Honda has big goals for this little guy. According to the company's official statement, the new Fit "was developed with the intention of becoming the globally accepted standard for compact cars." Them's fightin' words, for sure.
Visually, the new Fit isn't quite the cutie-pie its predecessor was, but it's been intentionally designed for function over form. A new A-pillar offers better forward and side visibility, and the dashboard is set lower than before, to give the driver a commanding view of the road ahead.
Honda says the Fit has the company's first application of its body-stabilizing seats, which the automaker "developed while envisioning application for its high-class sedan models," according to a statement. The goal here is to reduce fatigue on longer drives. The rear seats have a thicker pad, too, making them more comfortable, while also not sacrificing reconfigurability to accommodate larger pieces of cargo.
The Fit gets Honda's new, compact, two-motor hybrid drivetrain, the details of which -- naturally -- have not been revealed. Honda only says "the all-new Fit will drive smoothly by an electric motor for virtually all situations of everyday driving and realize outstanding environmental performance as well as excellent ride comfort with powerful acceleration and comfortable driving." Cool.
Honda will sell the Fit in five models -- in Japan, anyway -- ranging from "Basic" for the, um, basic version, to "Luxe" on the higher end. "Home" apparently has higher-quality materials, a leather wrapped steering wheel and "Prime Smooth" soft padding. "Ness" has water-repellent interior materials which are said to be both sporty and fashionable. Finally, "Crosstar" has unique, 16-inch wheels, a slightly more butch design and, again, water-repellent materials. All versions come standard with the Honda Sensing suite of driver-assistance technologies.
Now, the caveat: It's unclear if the new Fit will actually come to the US. Honda's product spokespeople won't comment on the Fit's future US availability, but we've heard rumors that the new hatch won't, in fact, be sold Stateside. Still, this little five-door looks to have big appeal. We'll keep our fingers crossed.
