With pyrotechnics that jolted onlookers, American Honda Motor Company's Executive V.P. Dick Colliver welcomed the 2007 Honda Fit to North America. When the smoke cleared on the stage at the 2006 North American International Auto Show, a small fleet of Honda's smallest new model skittled into the limelight and garnered applause from automotive writers from around the globe. While the 2007 Honda Fit is a small vehicle, "it is not undersized in safety and performance, and will be a class leader that will feature a number of industry firsts," touted Colliver, "with unprecedented seating and cargo flexibility." The 2007 Honda Fit hatchback has unique "magic" seats for five, with seat bottoms that fold up and seat backs that fold flat, and a 60/40-split folding rear seat helps to maximize the Fit's usefulness. It has over 90 cubic feet of passenger volume (slightly less than the midsize Honda Accord) and 21.3 cubic feet of cargo capacity, nearly as much room behind the rear seats as a Honda Element.

Engineered for a sporty driving demeanor, the 2007 Honda Fit is powered by a 109-horsepower, 1.5-liter, four-cylinder VTEC engine, mated to either a five-speed manual transmission or a first-in-class five-speed automatic transmission. Fuel economy is rated at 33 city and 38 highway. This new entry-level vehicle comes with top-of-class feature content that includes six airbags. There's also a Sport model equipped with paddle shifters if you order the automatic transmission, and a 160-watt six-speaker audio system. Fit owners will also have a wide variety of accessories to choose from, including the segment-exclusive Honda Apple iPod Music Link.

The 2007 Honda Fit subcompact is a best-seller in Asia and Europe, and has a unique powertrain for North America. On sale in April, the 2007 Honda Fit is priced starting between $13,000 and $14,000. Honda plans to sell 33,000 Fits in 2007 and 50,000 models annually. Based on reaction in Detroit, that seems likely.

Photos by Ron Perry