Honda has released the new wagon-style compact car Fit Shuttle, which was delayed due to effects from the Tohoku Earthquake. The gasoline model starts at 1.61 million yen and the hybrid model at 1.81 million yen.

The Fit Shuttle Hybrid features Honda’s proprietary 1.3L i-VTEC + IMA (Integrated Motor Assist) system that delivers 30 km per liter in 10-15 mode, which is equivalent in gas mileage performance to the Fit Hybrid.

There have been some customers who felt that the Fit didn’t quite deliver enough, and even though they wanted a hybrid, they just could not carry enough things in it. Our highest priority is to satisfy the wishes of such customers. We started development from the premise that we could create something good by using the Fit as a base while making it a wagon to enhance its capabilities.

The cargo space of the gasoline model combining both above and below floorboard space is a large 590 liters, while the hybrid model also offers 517 liters of cargo space.

The Fit Shuttle’s most attractive feature, its luggage space, is reduced by half in the hybrid model due to the hybrid system. But this system is extremely compact, so even while carrying batteries, it has an extremely low floor to make space available. While being based on the Fit, this model uses a minimum of the Fit’s mechanical parts, so when the seats are lowered there is about 2 meters of space, which is long enough to even sleep inside the car.

The Fit Shuttle has been designed for regular commuting while also enabling an active lifestyle on the weekends. To be able to drive long distances on the highway, not only is large cargo space important, good gas mileage and riding comfort are also important.

The monthly sales target is 4,000 vehicles. Sales orders were resumed at the beginning of this month after production was projected to be stable. When combined with orders received prior to the earthquake, there have already been order reservations for over 7,000 vehicles.

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