By AZLAN RAMLI
HONDA Motor Co Ltd today unveiled the world premiere of the all-new Honda Fit – known as the “Jazz” in Malaysia – at the 46th Tokyo Motor Show 2019’s press day, this morning.
The all-new, fourth-generation Fit is now exhibited at the Honda booth for the duration of the show (press days are today and tomorrow, before public days on Oct 25-Nov 5), and it is scheduled to go on sale in February 2020.
Honda stated that without compromising the spacious cabin and excellent usability that has been a hallmark of each successive generation of Fit, the new model was developed with the intention of becoming the globally accepted standard for compact cars suited to this new era.
“As a new concept in automobile development, the development team pursued an ‘emotional value’ which cannot be expressed numerically and embodied four dimensions of comfort that enable this vehicle to be better able to support the daily lives of customers.
“Moreover, the all-new Fit will come in five different types so that customers can select the model that is right for them depending on their lifestyle and life stage.”
The hybrid version will be the first Honda compact car equipped with the two-motor hybrid system Honda developed to realise both excellent environmental performance and a comfortable driving experience at the same time, and will be introduced to the market as a part of Honda’s “e:HEV” models.
e:HEV is a newly established communication name for Honda’s two-motor hybrid system, which is positioned as Honda’s core electrification technology and a hybrid system for this new era, for vehicles driven mostly with an electric motor.
Key features
Four dimensions of comfort that enable better support for people’s daily lives
1. Comfortable view
The all-new Fit features a front pillar with a cross-sectional structure that is different from previous generations of Fit, and yet realises a structure which enables impact energy to flow to the vehicle body in the event of a collision. While ensuring collision safety performance without compromise, this newly-designed front pillar realises overwhelmingly wide and superior frontal visibility compared to that of previous Fit models.
Moreover, the instrument panel features a flat-topped design which emphasises horizontal and straight lines, and windshield wipers are positioned to be barely visible from inside the cabin, which also enhances a comfortable view while driving.
2. Seating comfort
As for the front seats, the all-new Fit will be the first Honda model to feature a new-generation body stabilising seat that Honda developed while envisioning application for its high-class saloon models.
The planar support structure of the seat stabilises the body and makes long driving less tiring and enables the user to enjoy the soft feeling of the seat.
The Fit’s rear seats continue to feature seat arrangements as versatile as that of the previous generation Fit and realize seat comfort equivalent to high-class saloon models, by adopting a larger and thicker seat pad which offers stress-free seating even for adult passengers.
3. Ride comfort
Equipped with Honda’s new, more compact two-motor hybrid system, the new Fit will drive smoothly by an electric motor for virtually all situations of everyday driving, and realise outstanding environmental performance as well as excellent ride comfort with powerful acceleration and comfortable driving.
4. Usability
While maintaining the spacious cabin from previous generations of Fit, the new Fit features enhanced usability which supports people’s mobility, including a stress-free layout of storage areas that ensure comfort for all occupants during everyday driving as over long-distances.
Five types of Fit – providing unique individual characteristics
“Basic”: The basic type offers both high-quality design and occupant comfort. This type will feature a simple and endearing design, including a front face design with a gentle look and seamless and flowing exterior form.
“Home”: This type strives to realise a relaxing and carefully-designed space with high visual and tactile quality, by coordinating colours and materials, including natural-looking fabric seats made with high-quality materials, a genuine leather-wrapped steering wheel and “Prime Smooth” soft padding.
“Ness”: This type features exciting colour-coordination and adopts water-repellent materials for the seat surfaces and soft padding on the instrument panel. It is a sporty and fashionable type which will enable customers to enjoy driving just like they enjoy fitness and sports.
“Crosstar”: This type features an exterior design developed exclusively for the Crosstar as well as 16-inch aluminium wheels, which look good both in city and outdoor environment. As for the interior, water-repellent materials are used for seat surfaces and soft padding on the instrument panel. This type projects an enhanced image of compact and yet tough vehicle.
“Luxe”: Striving to create a space where people can spend elegant and comfortable time, standard genuine leather seats were designed as an exclusive feature for this type while pursuing excellence in visual and tactile quality. For the exterior, platinum-style chrome plating and 16-inch aluminium wheels were adopted to increase the high quality feel.
Further advanced safety and driver-assistive technologies
A front wide view camera which covers a wide area in front of the vehicle will be newly added to the added to the Honda Sensing advanced safety and driver safety system* installed to the new Fit.
By combining the front wide view camera and eight sonar sensors mounted in the front and back of the vehicle, the new Fit features further enhanced existing Honda Sensing functions as well as the new short-distance collision mitigation braking system**.
The Honda Sensing is available as standard equipment on all types of the new Fit***.
Connected services enhance customers’ comfort and peace of mind in their daily lives with Fit
The all-new Fit will be the first model equipped with the Honda CONNECT on-board communication module developed exclusively for Honda vehicles. Starting with the all-new Fit, Honda will begin evolving Honda Total Care Premium****, which consists of three services:
1. Remote control of some vehicle functions via smartphone services*****.
2. Emergency support service which connects the vehicle directly to a support centre in case of an emergency such as a traffic accident and enables prompt and proper responses******.
3. Security “rush over” service which dispatches a security guard when an abnormal situation occurring to the vehicle occurring to the vehicle is detected*******.
*There is a limit to the capabilities (e.g. recognition capability and control capability of individual functions of Honda Sensing. Do not overestimate the capabilities of each Honda SENSING function and drive safely while paying constant attention to your surroundings. For more details about Honda Sensing, go to: https://global.honda/innovation/technology/automobile/Honda-Sensing.html .
**When the driver overlooks obstacles and the system detects the risk of a collision, the system will assist the driver river to avoid a collision or mitigate damage in a collision.
***Vehicle specification without Honda Sensing also available for the Basic type.
****An optional fee-based service offered exclusively for owners of Honda vehicles equipped with the Honda CONNECT communication module. Customers can choose a “basic pack” or “additional option service”.
*****Through a dedicated smartphone app, the user can turn on the air-conditioner remotely, receive notification when vehicle doors are not locked and lock the doors remotely and check the location of the parked car.
******Prompt and proper emergency response will become possible by sending essential information such as vehicle information and location from the operator directly to emergency responders (police and fire stations) and other relevant parties such as insurance company at once.
*******When the vehicle’s security alarm goes off, notification will be sent to the user’s smartphone and the collaborating security service company, ALSOK (Sohgo Security Services Co Ltd) will immediately dispatch a security guard to the location of the vehicle, depending on the situation.\
