The Fit, also known as the Jazz, is a five-door hatch back sub-compact produced by Honda of Japan. This sub-compact was first introduced in June 2001. It takes over for the Civic as their chief entry-level sub-compact as the Civic continues to grow in size and price and it was reclassified as a compact in 2001. The vehicle is known as the Fit in North and South America, Japan and China. It is called the Jazz in Europe, some parts of Asia, Australia, Oceania, the Middle East, and Africa.
The Fit was designed to compete in the same sub-compact ranks with the Chevy Aveo, Toyota Yaris, Kia Rio, Nissan Versa, and Mini Coopers. Just like Honda's competition, the Fit is designed to be not only efficient but perform well despite its small stature. The Fit is also promising to save dollars for you with good fuel economy and a lower purchase price.
The first generation Fit was first released in Japan in June 2001 and became an immediate hit. The Fit was then introduced in Europe and Australia in 2002, South America, South Africa and South-east Asia in 2003, China in 2004 and Mexico in 2005. The Fit was finally released in the United States and Canada in 2006. Due to its late release in the United States market, the first generation Fit model was only ran for a 2 year cycle instead of a 4-5 year model cycle like their other models sold in Canada and the US.
The second generation Fit was released in Japan for the 2008 model year. The Fit was introduced in the US market as a 2009 year model. The second generation Fit addresses a list of criticisms leveled at the current car, with improved ride and handling plus a more spacious and stylish interior. As is normal with new models, the Fit has grown in both length, (about 4 inches overall) but is only 44 pounds heavier than the first generation.
In July 2007, Honda announced that more than 2 million Fit/Jazz units had been sold worldwide since its introduction in 2001. Of this, Japan accounts for the largest percentage of sales with 962,000 Fits sold. Europe is next with 417,000 Fits. The U.S. accounts for 77,000 Fits since introduction in 2006. They were expecting to sell 33,000 Fits in the U.S. for the 2007 model year, but were surprised when the Fit sales exceeded these expectations and sold 40,000. They also plan to put 70,000 Fits on the U.S. roads for the 2008 model year.
General Fit Highlights include:
- Entered market in 2001
- Designed to compete in the sub-compact market
- Has sold over 2 million units worldwide
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