As of this writing the long rumored Honda Fit Hybrid vehicle seems to still be a myth at best. In truth, there has been no official announcement from Honda. However, it does appear that Honda will be releasing a new hybrid to replace the Insight. Will this be a FIT hybrid? Nobody but Honda really knows for sure. Does it really matter? In my opinion, no. Bottom line is that I believe that Honda will release a respectable replacement for the Insight in the next year or two.
Whether to call it a Fit, Insight or something else really does not matter. This new vehicle will still serve the intended purpose of the model that it is replacing. To me, that is the only really important thing. There was a great buzz going last year about the Fit hybrid being introduced in 2008 or 2009, but that is all it was, buzz. It is very likely that this new hybrid will be priced well below the Civic. This will open up great opportunities for a while new class of consumers that would not normally look at purchasing hybrid technology.
Honda covers the hybrid niche very well. The Insight and the coming replacement compete (and will continue to compete) well against the Toyota Prius. The Civic is a great looking, powerful car that is very affordable to many people that cannot afford the more expensive hybrid models. Last but not least is the Accord hybrid is neck and next with the Toyota Camry, two of the best selling cars around in their standard versions.
Two areas where Honda seems to be lacking is in the availability of a truck or SUV hybrid. I think that the fact that Honda is concentrating on the subcompacts, compacts and full size sedans is a great thing. The advances they have made in technology have been wonderful. Let Honda be the first to have a truly great hybrid lineup first, then go after the smaller other niche markets.
