Fit Shuttle and Fit Shuttle Hybrid (2011)
The Fit Shuttle is a compact station wagon derived from the second generation Fit and is available in Japan's domestic market. The car leverages the efficient packaging of Fit and Fit hybrid. The launch of the car in June 2011 was pushed back from March as a result of the quake and tsunami in Japan on March 11, 2011. Production of the car was transferred from Honda's Sayama plant in Saitama Prefecture to Suzuka plant in Mie Prefecture as a result of power rationing after the quake. Production began in early May 2011. The Fit Shuttle was shortlisted for Car of The Year Japan 2012.
Its drivetrains are shared with the Fit. The Fit Shuttle has a 1.5 L i-VTEC engine with 120 hp (89 kW), which is optional in Japan's Fit. A hybrid version, the Fit Shuttle hybrid, is also available, with a 1.3 L i-VTEC engine with IMA. Continuously variable transmission is the only transmission available for FWD models. A five-speed auto transmission is standard on four-wheel-drive models.
By reducing engine friction, front brake rolling resistance, improvement in aerodynamics and improvement of control efficiency of the hybrid system, Honda is able to enhance the fuel efficiency of the station wagon and its hybrid variant to be the same as that of Fit and Fit hybrid. When the hybrid model cruises on electric motor power alone, the fuel pump and ignition system will be shut down, reducing energy losses. All models feature ECON Mode for enhancing real-world fuel economy. Hybrid model has Eco Assist (Ecological Drive Assist System) to help the driver engage in fuel-efficient driving practices. It went on sales on June 16, 2011, in Japan. Its predecessor, the station wagon variant of first generation Fit, was sold as Honda Airwave.
The Fit Shuttle comes with a double-hinged two-piece load floor that both allows access to an under-floor storage bin and also functions as a divider for the cargo area. Through better sound dampening and insulation, the Fit Shuttle is pledged to be as quiet as a mid-size sedan.
Read more about this topic: Honda Fit, Second-generation (2007-)
Famous quotes containing the words fit and/or shuttle:
“What ails it, intrinsically, is a dearth of intellectual audacity and of aesthetic passion. Running through it, and characterizing the work of almost every man and woman producing it, there is an unescapable suggestion of the old Puritan suspicion of the fine arts as such—of the doctrine that they offer fit asylum for good citizens only when some ulterior and superior purpose is carried into them.”
—H.L. (Henry Lewis)
“And the shuttle never falters, but to draw an encouraging conclusion
From this would be considerable, too odd. Why not just
Breathe in with the courage of each day, recognizing yourself as one
Who must with difficulty get down from high places?”
—John Ashbery (b. 1927)