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ReprintsThe Fit fits in - but Honda dealers can't get 'em
Kathy Jackson
Automotive News
July 9, 2007 - 12:01 am ET
BOSTON - Honda dealers are begging for more small Fit cars, but they're not likely to get all they want. Dealers will receive about 54,000 units of the Japan-built Fit this year, says Dan Bonawitz, vice president of corporate planning and logistics for American Honda Motor Co. "But that's about the best we can do," Bonawitz told Automotive News at a press event here. "I do think demand is bigger than that." Jim Smail, Honda dealer council chairman, says 54,000 units aren't enough. "We have so much potential for that car," says Smail, who owns Smail Auto Group in Greensburg, Pa. The 157-inch-long Fit, which has an EPA highway rating of 38 mpg, competes mainly with the Toyota Yaris, Scion xB and Nissan Versa. The Fit debuted in April 2006, and Honda sold 27,934 units in the United States last year. For the first six months of 2007, U.S. sales were 23,769 for the Fit, 46,522 for the Yaris, 18,588 for the xB and 37,802 for the Versa. "I think we have a nicer car than the Yaris," Smail says. "There is an opportunity for Honda and its dealers with the Fit." Takeo Fukui, CEO of Honda Motor Co., told Automotive News in 2006 that if the Fit does well in the United States, the car may be built here. Says Bonawitz: "I can't comment on that." c You may e-mail Kathy Jackson at kjackson@crain.com |
You can reach Kathy Jackson at kjackson@crain.com.
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Honda says dealers will get about 54,000 units of the Fit this year, but dealers say that's not enough. Is Honda considering U.S. assembly? |
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