The Japan market only Fit Shuttle is a slightly taller, longer and more practical version of the Fit (also marketed as the Jazz in certain countries) which itself is a tall five-door subcompact model.
Read more »
While keeping the five-seat layout of the regular Fit (called Jazz in Europe), the Shuttle is longer and taller, with the extra space benefiting both the rear passengers and the cargo area.
Read more »
The Brio uses a 1.2-liter i-VTEC engine sourced from the Jazz, which delivers 90 horsepower and an average fuel consumption of 5 liters/100 km (47 mpg US), while respecting the Euro 4 emission standards. The engine can be linked to a manual five-speed gearbox or a CVT transmission.
Potentially damaged lost motion springs are the cause of Honda’s latest recall in the U.S., which affects 97,201 2009 and 2010 model year Fit vehicles. Parts of the engine valvetrain, the lost motion springs may bend or break over time due to the compression forces exerted on them by the rocker arms, resulting in abnormal engine noise or even damage. According to Honda, no crashes or injuries have been caused by the defective components. The Japanese automaker will start notifying customers by mail in early March, and have them take their vehicles for an inspection carried out at an authorized dealer.
Read more »
The new Fit Shuttle will be available in Japan with a similar engine lineup to the hatchback version including a conventional 1.5-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine and a hybrid variant featuring a 1.3 liter gasoline unit and a 10 KW electric motor.
Honda did not say whether the Fit Shuttle will be offered exclusively in Japan or if it will make its way to other markets as well. Follow the break for more pictures.
The Japanese carmaker said it’s the first time the so-called screen-hopping technology has been used with a commercial.
The App is called "Honda Jazz – This Unpredictable Life" and can be downloaded for free from Apple's iTunes Store. Once installed, iPhone users can begin watching the spot from their TV, or on any other device, including a PC or even a second iPhone with the app installed, and collect up to four characters and three mystery objects. Honda said that users can then interact with each of the stars of the film, for example, the toy space monkey can be made to dance by singing into the phone.
The new advertising campaign was created by Wieden + Kennedy and Nexus, the team behind the Japanese automaker's 'Hate Something, Change Something' commercial for its cleaner diesel engines in 2004.
The TV spot will debut in the UK on 1 February at around 21.45 on ITV1 and Channel 4 but for those in a rush, it is already available on YouTube. Scroll down to watch the film, and if you happen to own an iPhone and try it out, share your experience in the comments section below.
_______________________________GALLERY_______________________________
_______________________________GALLERY_______________________________
As you can see in the brochure shots, the Fit Shuttle will be offered in two flavors, a Hybrid version powered by the same IMA system with a 1.3 liter i-VTEC engine featured on the five-door hatchback model, and a more powerful variant with a regular 1.5-liter gasoline unit.
According to the Japanese media, the Fit Shuttle will be introduced in its home market within the next few weeks with sales to start around March. We'll follow the story and keep you posted on any updates.
Kudos to J.F. for the tip!
_______________________________GALLERY_______________________________
Called the S1, the four-door model will be marketed under the newly formed Li Nian brand, created by Guangqi Honda, a Chinese joint venture owned by Honda and the Guangzhou Automobile Group.
The Li Nian S1 is the far less exciting (from a design standpoint) production version of the Everus Concept, which made its world premiere at the Guangzhou Motor Show in April. Even though Honda is keeping most details about the car under wraps, it appears that the S1 is based off the previous generation Honda City (Fit / Jazz sedan), and not the newer model of the car, which was released in 2008.
According to Honda, the S1 targets the younger generation in China and "adopts a powerful, energetic and outstanding design form".
The Li Nian S1 will be available in the market from the spring of 2011 through the current Guangqi Honda sales channel, with engine options including 1.3-liter and 1.5-liter petrol units.
_______________________________GALLERY_______________________________
The Japanese automaker said the problem has been traced back to the routing of the wiring harness for the headlight control switch, as the plating on the wiring harness connectors for the low-beam circuit can become worn after repeated use.
"Worn plating on the connectors could result in corrosion and cause the connector to overheat and fail, resulting in a loss of low-beam headlight functionality," said Honda in an press statement. According to the company, the high-beam headlight circuit and function are not affected by this problem, while Honda also added that no accidents or injuries have been reported in relation to this issue.
In the States, owners of model-year 2007 and 2008 Fit vehicles will receive a notification in early January to bring the vehicle to a Honda dealer for inspection. Honda said the dealers will inspect and if necessary, replace the wiring harness terminal and secure the wiring harness connector. If there are any signs of damage in the connector, Honda said dealers will replace the headlight switch as well.
The company's head of domestic sales, Hiroshi Kobayashi said Honda has already received 10,000 orders for the Fit Hybrid, which was given its world premiere at last week's Paris Motor Show.
The newly-added Fit Hybrid will be offered locally at the starting price of 1.59 million yen (about US$19,300 at today's exchange rates), making it the most affordable gasoline-electric hybrid vehicle in Japan.
