The Sports Car Club of America’s B-Spec class is growing in popularity as enthusiasts enjoy a relatively inexpensive entry into amateur racing while automakers are discovering B-Spec to be a great platform for grassroots motorsport marketing.  Honda, one of the early adopters to B-Spec racing, is committed to the series and hopes to gain even more fans.

Honda Performance Development, HPD General Manager Marc Sours said, “A cornerstone of our grassroots motorsports marketing initiative has been to establish a connection between Honda’s passenger cars and the racing cars that evolve from these models. The B-Spec category provides a relatively low-cost means for the prospective racer to enter the sport, and the Honda FIt offers a natural point of entry. These are inexpensive, great-handling cars that should provide both excellent competition and help grow the sport at the entry level.”

Continuing its support, Honda has announced a new line of “manufacturer-approved suspension components” for the Honda Fit that will be available via HPD on February 1, 2012. The suspension components kit includes coil-over shocks, front and rear race springs, cat-back exhaust, performance front brake pads, camber bolts, braided stainless brake lines, an air filter,  and an A/C delete belt.

Despite the thorough list of performance parts in the kit, Honda fit owners and racers will still need to be responsible for a competition roll cage, racing seats, harness and other safety equipment.

[Source: Inside Line]

Honda took the first major step in its Honda Electric Vehicle Demonstration Program by delivering the first 2013 Fit EV to the city of Torrance, California.

The program will set up the retail market launch of the Fit EV to customers in California and Oregon starting this summer. Over the past year, the city of Torrance and Honda has been working together to gather input from local residents about potential recharging station locations and held numerous public awareness events with the Fit EV. The city of Torrance will also receive a Honda plug-in hybrid for additional testing at a later date.

“This is an exciting day as we take another important step toward Honda’s comprehensive vision for reducing CO2 emissions while at the same time advancing our relationship with the city of Torrance,” said Steve Center, vice president of the Environmental Business Development Office at American Honda. “Honda has a long history with electric vehicles starting with the introduction of our first battery-electric car, the EV Plus, nearly 15 years ago. With Honda’s extensive experience and the real-world feedback from the city of Torrance, we will be even more prepared for the further customer adoption of electric vehicles.”

The Honda Fit EV will have a 123 city-mile per charge (76-mile range combined adjusted city/highway), powered by a 20-kWh lithium-ion battery and 92 kW coaxial electric motor. The Fit EV can be fully recharged in as little as three hours when connected to a 240-volt circuit.

Honda will also be testing the Fit EV with Google and Stanford University in order to receive real-world feedback on the new electric vehicle.

The Honda Fit EV just made its World Debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show and we want to take this opportunity to tell Nissan that it needs to watch its mirrors. Promising a range close to the Leaf Leaf (123 miles vs 138 for the Leaf), and a price of just $36,625, the new Fit EV offers virtually all of the benefits of the Nissan, but with a  platform that has already proven to be versatile and fun.

Honda will initially offer the Fit EV on three-year lease plans for around $399/month and plans to find around 1,100 takers in those first three years. We don’t think that is an unrealistic expectation at all. The electric Fit joins natural gas, fuel cell and hybrids in the Honda lineup, making it one of the most diverse lineups in terms of alternative energy sources.

Honda will begin leasing the Fit EV to customers in select California and Oregon markets next summer, and will expand to six East Coast markets in early 2013.

Gallery: 2013 Honda Fit FV

Honda‘s Japan-only Honda Fit Shuttle just got a whole lot more exciting and sporty thanks to Honda’s cohorts at Mugen. The Fit Shuttle is taller and longer than the Honda Fit we’re used to here in North America, making it more practical  but arguably not as appealing to hip youngsters. Fortunately Mugen’s rendition of Honda’s Fit Shuttle puts the sport and fun back into the Fit.

Transforming the Fit Shuttle’s exterior entirely is Mugen’s aerodynamic kit that comes with a front bumper (with optional LED fog lights), a Mugen grille with illuminated “Hybrid” logo, a pair of new side skirts, a rear skirt and a roof spoiler. Optional accessories include carbon fiber mirror caps and a choice of 15- or 16-inch Mugen wheels.

For the interior, Mugen will outfit the Fit Shuttle with a door sign light, carbon rearview mirror cover and two-tone floor mats.

Performance-wise, Mugen offers a sport exhaust system for the Fit Shuttle, a suspension kit to give the Shuttle a lower stance and better handling capabilities, high-performance brakes and sport air filters.

No pricing was announced on any of these accessories.

GALLERY: Mugen Honda Fit Shuttle

[Source: Carscoop]

Japanese tuner, Takero’s, is currently developing some aerodynamic pieces for the Honda Fit under its RS label, potentially offering a more affordable alternative to Mugen. The company’s demo car, however, shows the best of both worlds, with Takero’s body parts mixed in with Mugen’s. Most notably is there front bumper replacement, which is a less aggressive design than Mugen’s Fit and features a carbon fiber lip and carbon fiber front grille.

On their demo car, Takero’s uses Mugen’s side skirts which flow well with their front bumper while it rolls on 17×7-inch +53 offset Work Emotion XD9 wheels. On the rear of the car is a Mugen rear bumper, but Takero’s shows off their roof spoiler which can also be had with a carbon fiber lip, giving it a really clean and unique look.

We’re thinking it’s safe to assume Takero’s will outfit the Fit will a full body kit from bumper to bumper, but so far the progress they have made has been very impressive and we look forward to the finished product.

GALLERY: Takero’s Honda Fit RS

Mugen Euro is looking to build off its success in developing a supercharged Honda CR-Z hybrid by spicing up the Honda Jazz (Fit in America). And while Mugen of Japan has already released several styling accessories for the Honda Jazz, Mugen Euro is looking to increase its performance and make it a much more exciting car to drive.

The 197-hp, 1.5L hybrid powerplant in the supercharged CR-Z that Mugen Euro is currently testing may find its way into a Mugen Honda Jazz. Mugen Euro’s general manager, Colin Whittamore, claims that it “wouldn’t be much of a stretch” to fit the motor into the Jazz’s engine bay. He did state that another option would be a high revving 2.0L VTEC powerplant used in the latest Civic Type R.

Whatever it may be, we’re just happy that people are still interested in adding performance to Hondas in world where everyone seems to only care about MPG.

GALLERY: Mugen Honda Jazz

[Source: Autocar UK]

Even though it seems like the glory days of modifying Hondas and Acuras are over, the Fit has done a surprisingly good job at ushering in a new era of Honda tuning. Out in Japan, the Fit is actually a very popular platform among the tuning community and Axis Styling’s Fit is one we really dig.

Playing off of a Type-R style build, Axis Styling’s Fit sports a real clean body kit (from Axis Styling of course) that is definitely something we could see from Honda as a Type-R model. It’s clean and not overdone, though the rear spoiler is sort of odd. The taillights have been tinted and the car sits nicely on a set of 17-inch Work Emotion XT7 wheels, also in white.

Though it may sound weird to ever see or hear of a Fit Type-R, it’d be interesting to see Honda pack a bigger punch in the eco-car with some stylish good lucks and better handling.

GALLERY: Axis Styling Honda Fit

[Source: Farm of Minds]

Honda is reportedly considering moving production of the sub-compact Fit to the U.S. Company president Takanobu Ito said the move is a “highly likely possibility.”

The move makes good economic sense as the poor exchange rate between the U.S. dollar and Japanese Yen means that profit margins on the Fit are extremely slim. Moving production to the U.S. would greatly increase those margins, meaning that Honda could significantly improve how much it makes in each unit sold, or offer the car at a lower price. (Or, more likely, a bit of both). As it stands, the Fit is already the most expensive sub-compact on the market, although in so many ways it has proven its value. But Honda is about to face a lot more competition with Ford set to launch the Fiesta and Mazda ready to launch the Mazda2.

Ito also commented that Honda is likely to move more of its production of mainstream models to the U.S., while keeping the build process of more technologically complex and expensive models, like hybirds and sports cars, based in Japan.

[Source: Automotive News via Autoblog]

The month of April marked an important milestone for both Honda Motor Co. and hybrid cars. Last month the new Insight achieved the status of being Japan’s most popular vehicle with more units sold than any other model – marking the first time a hybrid has ever been the monthly sales leader.

In April, 10,481 Honda Insights were registered for road use in Japan.

The runner-up was another Honda, the sub-compact Fit with 9,443 vehicles sold, marking the first time Honda has ever held the top two positions. The Fit has been a continuing success for Honda, holding the top monthly sales for the previous four months, as well as the top sales for the past calendar year and past fiscal year.

Official release after the jump:

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