Honda North America announced on Friday (21 February) that production of the all-new Fit subcompact has begun at their brand new factory in Calaya, Mexico. The assembly facility has a capacity of about 200,000 cars per year and follows an investment of $800 million meant to increase their footprint in the North American market.
The past two generation of the Fit have been built in Japan and imported into America. By shifting production closer to home, costs are reduced and Honda is better prepared for what it hopes will be a big surge in demand for this car.
"Our new plant in Mexico is based on the Honda Company Principle of maintaining a global viewpoint to supply products of the highest quality, yet at a reasonable price, for worldwide customer satisfaction. In Celaya, we can see these core values in action, with a commitment to the highest quality and efficiency and a focus on creating joy for our customers,” says Takanobu Ito, president & CEO of Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
But what do we think of the new Honda Fit? Well, the word we’d use to describe is is “better”. It gets better mileage, has better design and interior space. In Japan, the same car has been the best selling model since its launch, surpassing market leader Toyota and its Prius range for the first time in many years. The US model is not quite the same though, especially since it doesn’t come as a hybrid. But even so, 41 miles per gallon isn’t too shabby if you ask us.
"Our new plant in Mexico is based on the Honda Company Principle of maintaining a global viewpoint to supply products of the highest quality, yet at a reasonable price, for worldwide customer satisfaction. In Celaya, we can see these core values in action, with a commitment to the highest quality and efficiency and a focus on creating joy for our customers,” says Takanobu Ito, president & CEO of Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
But what do we think of the new Honda Fit? Well, the word we’d use to describe is is “better”. It gets better mileage, has better design and interior space. In Japan, the same car has been the best selling model since its launch, surpassing market leader Toyota and its Prius range for the first time in many years. The US model is not quite the same though, especially since it doesn’t come as a hybrid. But even so, 41 miles per gallon isn’t too shabby if you ask us.