With pyrotechnics that jolted the 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 of the 2006 NAIAS, a small fleet of Honda's smallest vehicle garnered applause from automotive writers from around the globe, as they skittled out of the smoke and into the limelight. While "it's 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 Fit hatchback has unique "magic" seats for five, with seat bottoms that fold up and seat backs that fold flat, with a 60/40 split folding rear seat. It has over 90 feet of passenger volume (slightly less the Accord)and 21.3 cubic feet of cargo capacity, nearly as much cargo room behind the rear seats as a Honda Element.

Engineered to have sporty driving demeanor, the 2007 Fit is powered by a 109-hp., 1.5 liter, 4-cylinder VTEC engine efficient engine, mated to either a 5-speed manual transmission or a first-in-class 5-speed automatic transmission. Fuel economy is rated at 33 city and 38 highway. This premium entry-level vehicle comes with top-of-class feature content that includes six airbags, A Sport model comes with paddle shifters (with auto transmission) and 160-watt six-speaker audio system. Fit owners will also have available a wide variety of accessories, including segment-exclusive Honda Apple iPOD Music Link

The Fit subcompact has a best-seller in Asia and Europe, but has a unique powertrain for North America. The 2007 Honda Fit will go on sale in April, priced starting at $13,000 to $14,000. Honda plans to sell 33,000 Fits in 2007 and 50,000 models annually.

Photos by Ron Perry